#and the fact that most graphic novels I've read are manga

[cavalierclavier]

I really like your comic. Out of curiosity, what are your art inspirations?

that's a really good question with a slightly difficult answer because i tend to absorb bits and pieces of any media i like into my art style lol

(this got a little long, so answer under the cut)

if i go far back enough, i think my first real taste of comics as a medium was Cassandra Jean's graphic novel adaptations of Miss Peregrine

(images copied from her announcement of the second book)

looking back on it now, the overall style is loose and sketchy, but still readable (which are not necessarily words i'd use for my own style lmao) but there's the use of value and solid black that i still strive for. the style is also very manga-esque, but i definitely picked up a few things on drawing faces and action from these books

(her more recent style is a lot cleaner and a lot more graphically complex, but there's still an emphasis on interesting, readable shapes)

there's also Peter Nevins, who did the original cover for the Hadestown concept album (and the cover for the NYTW recording? correct me if i'm wrong). he also did a few covers for Anaïs Mitchell's other works

(i actually drew a piece based on that second cover a few years ago)

he primarily works in linocut prints, which is a medium that kinda forces you to think in terms of value. while i mostly use the stuff he's done for Anaïs Mitchell as an example, i'm also fond of the original work on his shop

over the years though, Drawfee has probably been the most consistent source of inspiration? it feels a little weird to call them that, especially considering the fact most people know them as a comedy show, but i've been using their speed draw videos as background noise for ages now

i'm really fond of the atmosphere that they've created with their channel, and it's been so fun watching and growing in art skill alongside them (and sometimes having my vocab for the week be utterly destroyed by one of their bits)

there's definitely way more people i could name (CanisAlbus and asmeesh here on tumblr) and a huge pile of webcomic artists (Tracy Butler, Meg Syverud, Sarah Webb, Petra Nordlund—there's so many) but this post is already unreadable so i'll stop there lol

thank you for the ask, and thanks for reading Outsiders :D!!

[aotopmha]

To Your Eternity Volume 1 and 2

What first made me into someone who likes anime (and later manga) was that it kind of felt like an animated novel. Anime had long-term storylines, developing characters and meaningful themes it explored just like any novel/any book, for which I already had a strong affinity.

I remember the exact moment I had this realisation, too – it was when I was first watching the end stretch of One Piece's Arlong Park arc.

While I had seen cartoons and other children's programming by the time I started watching anime, they had been episodic and comedic, to me also very unlike books, which I associated with 'meaningful' storytelling.

'Western cartoons' in particular were fun for me to watch, but even when I was very young, many of them felt 'fake' and 'empty' because all of the characters in them felt like 'characters' and not like 'people' like in the stories I read or had read to me. I liked 'fairy tales' in books more than in those specific cartoons.

Little did I know at the time, manga had the secondary name 'graphic novel', as did western comics before it.

It was a form of novel.

And reading these two volumes in their physical form gave me the exact same feeling as any of the many fantasy novels I read when I was young or I even get when I read them now.

To put it very simply, physical manga hits pretty different.

These are the first two physical volumes of manga I've ever owned and read through, and while I've seen the effect and technique of something like the concept of a page turn discussed here and there, I feel many people don't really talk about it in much detail.

Unlike the act of even flipping through digital pages, which often either come in a pair on a page or you simply click through, even the act of flipping the page is part of the experience.

Panel pacing and sectioning in itself can be used to invoke feeling. Even the decision whether to use speech bubbles or simple text can influence how the story feels. Novels have prose, but manga have panels AND prose. And just like good prose accentuates the important moments in a novel, how panelling and art is used accentuates the important moments in a manga.

Physical manga is indeed simply another medium for storytelling and I'm happy to much more directly understand how it feels now that I've read these two volumes for myself.

This is a story I've already seen and already know in anime form, but I'd be curious to get to one I'm completely blind on.

In fact, I think I'll make this series one of them. I very rarely drop series because of production values, especially if the writing is great, but the first 7-8 episodes of the second season especially were such a painful example of production values slowly dropping so below even the most passable and ruining a powerful/interesting script that I ended up dropping it.

But to talk a little bit about the story itself, I still think it has a really unique premise.

An 'alien' being (called 'The Orb' in the story) cast to Earth to become 'something' is a fantastic vehicle for exploring the rainbow of the human experience because it is a being outside of it.

And while the story starts off with two fairly simple and less unique shorter-term stories within this unique premise, it immediately has perspectives, questions and ideas it wishes to explore all under the the umbrella of the question: what is it that makes people, people?

The desire to be remembered. The desire to belong and to not be alone. The ways in which tradition can be hurtful. And the journey of dealing with loss.

All themes that can be very powerful when executed well, like any other.

I think it's a fantastic starter on the thematic level in this sense: just like The Orb itself, the story starts from exploring the most basic concepts that not just people, but all sentient beings are effected by and slowly works itself up in terms of thematic complexity.

As said, this is also a graphic novel, so you're not just paying for the writing and panelling, but also the art itself.

I think the strongest aspect of the art in these volumes is probably the panelling itself, but I really like the animal drawings and the uncanny/body horror aspect surrounding Fushi's inhuman origins.

The wolf and bear look suitably creepy and intimidating depending on the context and all of the fleshy and bloody messes involving our protagonist appropriately horrifying.

I think it's a great start to a story about a great many things I absolutely recommend provided you don't mind violent imagery, especially if you've yet to watch the anime counterpart (although I do think at least the first 2/3rds of the first season is still worth checking out).

[queerical]

htf do you read 16 books a month??? holy shit

well, i read fairly quickly, and also most of those books were not novels lol. in fact, only three of them were

so that's four TPB comics, a manga, and five graphic novels which i can generally read in a day or two depending. Portraits and Women are both photography books, so it's just pictures; the Occupation Thesaurus i kind of skimmed becuz it was basic writing instruction. also the Tale of Despereaux is a chapter book for middle grade readers that i was re-reading, so it was pretty quick to get through

so yeah, the majority of the books are ones that naturally didn't take me too long to read, but also i have been making a concerted effort to set aside time for reading. while these were the ones i finished, i've got like three other novels i'm in the midst of reading

[parasitescholar]

Weekly Recommendation: The Soulless Series

So listen. When I first looked into Rem's past career I found some stuff. Most of it I was not really interested in. However Soulless grabbed my attention and didn't let it go. I read the graphic novels and shortly after I read the books they were based on. And the sequel series. And then I read the graphic novels several more times until I decided to buy them on Ebay. These books were out of print before I discovered them, and the copies I have are from libraries, you can see the crossed out bar codes.

If you want to read them you can find them on Libby, the app that gives you access to so so many books. (Literally the library but in your phone fuck audible this shit is free and has waaaay more selection) or on free manga site of your choice. The art is just fantastic. Rem really knows how to do black and white. The balance of tones makes it feel rich, deep blacks and grays contrasting in a way that brings real depth. As a manga style adaptation there is a little aside at the end of the books and my favorite is the one where they make Biffy all spiffy (listen its technically spoilers but it's so cute looook)

Okay I have made my feral admiration clear. What is this actually about? Victorian London except vampires and werewolves are real, and have adapted to the delicate play of manners that is so important to British society. The world building on this point is honestly fantastic. Our main character has the ability to nullify any supernatural abilities with her touch, and she is over everyone's nonsense. Pragmatism rules her every move, but she keeps getting caught up in nonsense anyway. Okay I'm not selling this. Woman in fancy dresses solves the disputes of: foppish vampires, frequently naked werewolves, scheming steampunk scientists, a lesbian in a suit who keeps flirting with her (which she is arguably down for), her truly awful family, the most badass Scottish woman who leads a pack of werewolves despite being human and also old, and the vampires living along the Nile.

The world building in this series is just wonderful. Why does every British building have a coat room? Because werewolves are coming in and out, and they need a place to change! My favorite is the vampires. Vampires come in hives, centered around a queen, and with humans acting as drones. Only the queen can make new vampires, and her and her small group of turned are surrounded by hopefuls, who provide blood in exchange for the social clout being associated with the vampires gives and the possibility to one day become immortal. Also they swarm when in distress!! And it is great! The way all the supernatural stuff works is just so fun and well thought out. I haven't even mentioned the second series really, which is all about Alexia's daughter, who not only nullifies the powers of supernaturals but takes them for herself. Sorry dad, shouldn't have touched me I am now a baby wolf running around causing havoc. I love the Custard Protocol books as well (with that name you've gotta), though I've never gotten through the last one. I guess after the high of a comphet lesbian getting together with her lioness (she turns into a lion!!! And then is just so cool and casual about the fact her tits are out when she turns back) love, I couldn't bring myself to care about the affairs of awkward heterosexuals. But it does take place in Japan so you might like it. This is too long, but I could talk about this series for days. If you read it please please tell me so we can chat about our favorite parts. In summary: Soulless is a series full of humor, romance, Victorian London and supernatural creatures. The graphic novels are exquisite and the series continues past them in increasingly inventive and fascinating ways. Go read both!! In either order tbh. Okay byeeeee.

[louismygf]

thank u sm for tagging me! @icarusfallsforwalls 🌸💗

Five Songs I’ve Been Playing on Repeat:

paramore - ain't it fun

clairo - amoeba

glass animals - tangerine

adventure time: distant lands (obsidian ost) - eternity with you (feat. michaela dietz and zuzu)

summer salt - magic boy

Currently Watching:

just finished watching squid game!!!!! i get the hype, it's really good, i like the plot (sae byeok 💖), not currently watching anything at the moment though, and it'll probably stay that way for a loooong time 😁💔

Currently Reading:

Last Movie Watched:

afhf documentary + live concert uhhhh Lost in Translation (2003) starring Scarlett Johansson and Bill Murray 😭? it was for my english class, i don't really watch movies anymore 😭

tagging: @chewsdays @polaroidplanets @popcornlouie (ofc, feel free to ignore!)

[aly-kurta]

FEITAN

And here's the last one of my three fav hxh's boys.

God knows how much I've struggled to find an appropriate Moon for him.

Do not worry about not understanding, I'll try to explain as much as I can and if you have any curiosity, just comment under the post and I'll be more than happy to answer! <3

Disclaimer: I'm NOT a professional astrologer, since I began studying this subject a few months ago. I do this just for fun. I'd also like to say that I'm still a bit skeptical but hey, since when is it forbidden to experiment and just be curious?

Here we go!

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Sun, Ascendant and Moon (the big three)

Sun: the Aquarius sign is the one related the most to anticonformism, ribellion and evanescence. You can easily spot an Aquarius Sun just because they somehow stand out from other people, may it be in clothes, hobbies or things like that (and I think it applies to Feitan, he really stands out among the Spiders even thought he's silent). The evanescence, as I said before, found its place right in the Aquarius' moods, sometimes he's there willing to talk, while the other time he disappears for weeks or months. Usually natives of this signs are fond of unusual media like manga, graphic novels and similar things ( his Trevor Brown fixation enters in this category). The Aquarius is logical, like every Air sign, and thinks about the collective when in a group and proceeds to work for its benefits, despite its independant nature.

The Sun in Aquarius often grants pale skin tone and eyes with a percing and ice-cold gaze.

Ascendant: oh the Scorpio ascendant, one of my favourites. The Scorpio is most mysterious out of the Water sign, the one nearest to the "dark side of the things". This sign analyzes and goes into the depht of things for fun, and the chill of the risk is pure bliss to whomever has a strong or well developed Scorpio presence in their chart. It's a revengeful sign that can, and will, elaborate a sarcastic and at the worst hurtful comeback. As expected, the Scorpio sign has a thing for whatever is considered taboo (magic, sex, blood etc) and this recalls the already named interst for Feitan towards Trevor Brown's books.

But don't let all the things above trick you, the Scorpio has a really caring, emotional and empathetic side, the cruel and heartless façade is often a self-defense technique, because when a Scorpio placements, especially in one or more of the big three, cares for someone and loves them, it truly gives it all and shows, directly or not, it's most fragile side. Such a thing in Feitan is clearly well-hidden and seeing his Venus (planet of love) retrogade confirmed his actual struggle with the human side of his soul. This rising is probably part of the most complex ones.

Having a Scorpio rising brings the native to have dark eyes, not necessarly brown or black, they can be even light colored but the hue is dark, and a magnetic aura tipycal of the Scorpio placements.

Moon: the Virgo Moon is picky and a great hard worker when it wants to. It means Feitan is both practical and systematic, the Virgo is a sign that wants structures and organizes its reality in structurs, in fact this sign is a great control freak, everything must go according to the plans.

As it grants a strong view on the physical side of reality, the Moon in Virgo is judgemental and reasoning towards the world of emotions, it takes long to warm up, maybe even more time that takes the Scorpio to trust someone. This Moon can be an enigma for whoever is around a person with strong Virgo placements, since they can be a lot perfectionist in a said job, following instructions and not allowing anything to interfer with their goals.

So if you add Aquarius' detatchment and Scorpio's trust issues with Virgo's apparent coldness, you basically obtain an individual that creates a true bond rarely and with lot of time (says Feitan to me lol).

Other important placements:

The elements that caught my eye in particular.

Mercury in Pisces: in this sign, Mercury reaches its pick of intuition and creativity, being in the Water sign that is creativity itself by definition. Mercury in Pisces has its eyes out for art and enjoys both admiring and doing it, what type of art it produces in the specific can be deducted by certain alignements and placements. A con (or pro, depends on point of vies) is that here Mercury can create a master in emotional manipulation if well supported, and in this case, Feitan's Mercury is more than supported by the Scorpio ascendant.

Usually the voice of someone who has Mercury in Pisces is low-toned and a bit melodic, almost serene. Here again comes the Scorpio ascendant, that adds enigma to the voice itself.

Sun conjunct Jupiter in Aquarius: this aspect brings pride and self-confidence, and a luck too, so it brings Feitan to have great success in a certain area of his life and since the conjunction is in the 3rd house, it will favour his intellectual and reasoning abilities, and if you had the logic of the Aquarius too... it's an absolute win.

There could be enthusiastic and optimism if it wasn't for the trine (blue line) with Saturn. Lemme explain, Saturn is considered a "malefic" so its intervents can bring a lot of harsh aspect, such as in this case, where Saturn is trine to both Sun and Jupiter, it drags down the optimism.

Mars opposite Ascendant: this harsh aspect it's what can explain Feitan's competitive and provocative nature (see the challenge on who kills the most enemies between him and Phinks or the fight against Zazan).

Here a Mars in Taurus, so already hot-headed and short-tempered, it's even more willing to fight since it is opposed to the introspection and emotions (Ascendant), giving tension into personality... someone always on guard, that's it.

Moon opposite Mercury: here we have a conflict between heart and mind (Mercury's placement in Pisces makes it a little softer tho). Still, sometimes Feitan's mind will tell a thing and the heart the other, difficult with a Moon in Virgo but it can still happen. To make rationality and emotionality go well together it's the final goal of this aspect. It's not an easy route, moodiness and humor instability are some of the obstacles the native will have to face.

Some bonus things are: people with this aspect seem to appreciate sarcasm and satire a lot, and some of them have talent in writing (specially if Mercury is in a Water or Air sign).

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So I did my fave boys natal charts. What can you understand? That Aly has a clear kink for whoever has Virgo, Scorpio or Air signs (specially Geminis mlmlml) energies? YES PROBABLY.

What do you guys think of this format? Are you liking it? If you have any suggestion, question etc just drop in my asks. <3

Thanks for reading this post, I wish you a good day, wherever you are!

[dragonsanddustjackets]

first week of January: lesbians. just lesbians

since i practically read both of these graphic novels in the same day, i've decided to include them both in the same post.

to start out the year with a bang, i went through two of my most sapphic graphic novels and boy did they not disappoint. keep reading on for my thoughts, reviews, and general woman-loving gushing (spoiler warning for both under the crop).

The Girl from the Sea by Molly Knox Ostertag

the first book i read, both for the year and of these two novels, was the ya fantasy/romance The Girl from the Sea, in which main character Morgan finds herself swept up in a relationship with Keltie, which she must keep a secret from everyone in her small sea-side town, where she's still closeted. that would seem like enough for any budding romance, but add in the fact that Keltie is a mystical selkie and a new harbor tour threatens the rookery she and her family calls home, and together we have everything that the two girlfriends must face against all odds.

to be honest, while i was expecting to enjoy this book, i didn't think it would hit as hard as this did in some moments. Morgan's whole "putting different parts of her life in different boxes" mindset and her fear of coming out were written out beautifully, in my opinion. Ostertag captures perfectly the idea that even when you will likely still be accepted, coming out is no easy thing to do. i love how this is also portrayed through the way Morgan stresses about keeping this huge part of her and her life secret from everyone-even her friends, and how that plays out throughout the story. the dynamic between Morgan and Keltie is also so cute and real and i could go on all day about how sweet they are but i think you get the picture.

i also want to talk about the art style of this book because i fell in love with it and i know that everyone who reads it will too. it's so endearing and can we TALK about Keltie's eyes i wanted to squeal from cuteness overload every time i saw them. the color usage is also so pleasing if you couldn't tell from the cover alone and as a reader who usually consumes manga instead of graphic novels (is manga a form of graphic novel or just a separate genre? the world or mostly just me may never know) it really added to each scene.

overall just a delightfully fantastical piece on the idea of the true self and how we present that self to others.

Roadqueen: Eternal Roadtrip to Love

the second novel i read, a stand-alone manga by Mira Ong Chua, a little more mature than the previous was Roadqueen: Eternal Roadtrip to Love.

now this. this manga has it all. lesbian romcom? got it. enemies to lovers motorcycle gay style? you betcha. fake dating that of course turns into real pining? roadqueen is all about it and more. when i first picked this book up, the cover art already had me sold, and the description of our main character Leo being such a terrible lesbian that she has to prove herself to the gorgeous Vega in order to get her trusty motorcycle Bethany back was just icing on the cake.

this manga sets out exactly what it was meant to do in my mind. watching Leo struggle trying to be a good partner was hilarious, and i was definitely giggling at Vega and Leo's back-and-forth. i was rooting for them so much by the end, and Ong Chua delivers wonderfully, and being able to watch first-hand as Leo improves was magical. once again, i also have to comment on the art style, especially in the character design of Vega, because oh my god she's beautiful. honestly the character design of everyone was one of the parts i enjoyed the most of this book and i can say i will definitely be seeking out this author/artist in the future.

hope anyone who picks either or both of these up enjoys them as much as i did! happy reading!

[moons-and-stars-and-shit]

Hiya love!! CONGRATULATIONS ON ALL YOUR FOLLWERS BBYYYY!! 🥳🥳🥳 IM SO PROUD OF YOU!! I HAVENT BEEN FOLLOWING YOU FOR THAT LONG BUT I CANT WAIT TO SEE YOU GROW. You deserve it all and more.

If it's still open, is it okay if I get a kinnie coldbrew please? And thank you in advance.

I'm really introverted and hate social interactions and meeting new people, even online

And I hate going outside in public

I just dont know how to make friends or even talk to people without panicking

I see the people around me having online friends and I'm sat there like how??? I just about have irl friends

It takes me a long long time to get used to people and even start thinking about opening up to them

All of my friends are people I've knows for a good 6/7 years, I hate being introduced to new people

I hate havinh big groups of friends as well

Usually whenever my friends go out I tend to avoid it, but when I do I'm usually at the back walking by myself

I just withdraw myself when in big groups and just become invisible

But in small groups of like 3 people or just me with someone else I thrive

My friends think they know me really well, but it's one of them ones where I mask my true emotions and feelings with waffle

It's not that I dont trust them, I just dont want to share my feelings with anyone or talk about myself, usually I just make jokes

I grew up in an environment where I was taught not to cry and not to be emotional, and my mother was very insistent on that, and it just became natural to me. I cant even remember the last time I cried, it was definitely a good 2/3 years ago

I have a lot of patience when it comes to anger, like I dont let it out, sometimes I get really really angry at the littlest things people do, but then it dies down in like 3 seconds. I dont know how to explain it, but it's like a hot flash and then it goes, other times it builds slowly and I just let it fester

But I hate confrontation

Absolutely hate it

I would never actually do anything with the anger or hurt I feel, i just let it sit inside of me and hold it in

People do come to me for advice and help, I wont sugarcoat anything, I'll tell you the honest (and sometimes harsh) truth and then help you get overcome your problem as well

Because of that I can sometimes come across as harsh because i wont bullshit you or beat around the bush if you need me to talk to you like that

I do the absolute most for my friends, I'd drop anything for them if they need help and I often find myself putting their happiness before my own, and lowkey (highkey) it hurts when I dont receive the same energy back, but it's ok we move

I'm usually the one doing all the work in a group presentation, mainly because no one else is bothered to do it, so I just do it all

I do all the work, they present

I dont know how to show the people around me that I love them, even though I really really do

I hate it when people touch me or try to give me hugs and I avoid them

But secretly I yearn for them and I just want someone to cuddle me

But I'm not used to physical affection at all and it really embarrasses me

It's a bit of a sticky one ngl

For me, it's so important to be polite and open minded

I think that's why people come to me for advice and shit, because I suck at comforting people, but I wont judge you at all also because I'm quite approachable as well

Unless you're a trump supporter, then I will roast the living shit out of you

I'm really into literature and reading, whether it be classics, manga, graphic novels, or just normal fiction

I just love reading

And doing anything creative tbh

I read percy jackson when I was young and it basically formed my entire personality

That's where my love for mythology started and over the years its become more refined and I just love it even more

I like to think I'm a nice person

I always try and make people smile and laugh and know that they're loved and acknowledged by me

In stressful situations I find myself being really calm

To the point it looks like I dont care

And I'll tell you that I dont care as well

But on the inside I'm panicking and its eating me up on the inside

I either do one of two things and they're both polar opposites

I either try and resolve it as soon as possible or I ignore it for as long as I can and leave it for future me to handle

It's not very healthy but I'm still here so, I guess it's fine

I dont find myself getting stressed FOR myself that often, if you get what I'm saying

Usually when i feel emotions it's for other people??? Like I'd be stressed for someone else, sad for someone else and angry for someone else, but I'd never really feel something for myself

Yeahh I usually stay calm and nonchalant though

Ahhhh, this is soo longgg, I'm so sorry about that, I just started venting halfway through and forgot that this was an ask. I'm so sorry and I hope you dont mind. Thank you so so much though, I appreciate it a lot. Make sure you're taking regular breaks and drinking lots and lots of water, make sure you're taking care of yourself. Thank you so much xxx 🥰🥰

THANK YOU THANK YOU ❤️

@tsukkispoundlandheadphones

You are a...

Sakusa Kinnie

Similarities

Alright stating the obvious

YOU BOTH HATE PEOPLE TOUCHING YOU

Although it might be for different reasons

That doesn’t change the fact that you both low key hate people

You both hate social interactions

Whether it be online or in person

Being social is just a no go for you two

Your only friends are people who you’ve known for a long time

Cmon

Sakusa’s friend is LITERALLY his cousin

Like FAMILY

You both are very slow to anger

Cant relate

Like when have we EVER seen sakusa get mad at someone

Disgusted with someone sure

But MAD I don’t think so

Blunt bitches

You both are blunt af

You both just tell it as it is

I mean someone has to do it

Ok this is hard to explain cause there’s no evidence behind it...

But he responds to stressful situations JUST like you

Don’t question it to much

It’s just true

Assumptions I Have About You

I’m sorry but your hot

No buts about it

Speaking of

Here 👐 takes some self confidence

You deserve it I promise

LonerTM

How’s being a homebody?

You let people take the lead in most situations

EVEN THOUGH YOU HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO BE A LEADER

Rbf?

Ok we know you don’t like people touching you

But you absolutely HATE strangers touching you

You either genuinely enjoy cleaning

Or you stress clean

Ilysm never change the world needs more sakusas ❤️

200 Follower Event

[littleeyesofpallas]

Was chatting with a coworker the other day and two things crossed my mind...

that I've been at this weeb shit so long that I forget what I just sort of take for granted and what might not be commonly known little factoids, and

that VIZ's attempt at a monthly Shonen Jump magazine has been gone so long most people probably never saw them. (nevermind the old RAIJIN Graphic Novels that tried the same thing)

So, here's some fun little things you might not have known about manga if you've only ever read English publications and/or digital scans...

For one, there's the matter of print formatting... In general, Japan actually uses their own standards for print that tend to differ from those in the US; The JIS(Japanese Industrial Standards) series A and B. Magazines like the typical anthology format manga are printed in JIS B5, which is comparable to the US Letter standard, or the ISO A4.

This was the same format that RAIJIN Comics printed in as well, and although I don't have a copy of the old English Shonen Jump for reference, if memory serves they printed in the same format as well in an attempt to really sell that "authentic" manga feel. Sadly, I don't know that the effort or attention to detail was much appreciated. Neither published a volume comparable to a Japanese weekly or even monthly serial magazine, though --not by a long shot. But this might not be the most practical for comparrison, since there actually just isn't much of an English language equivalent format. (unless you count actual magazines that happen to include comic illustrations or miniscule comic strip segments)

Despite the mammoth size of a serial magazine, Japanese tankoban are actually smaller than the North American equivalent. But notably the Japanese small book format isn't just a matter of contending with nearest print standards... What I believe is the JIS B40(although I could be wrong) tends to be the standard print size of small books in general, not just manga, and it's a print size that is only marginally smaller than VIZ's standard size manga, but with the very particular benefit of being deliberately portable. The small difference in size is the difference between a Japanese manga fitting in my coat pocket where as the English equivalent can't.

(I realize I photographed a copy of Shonen ACE, and not Weekly JUMP, but I measured a copy of Weekly JUMP for the thickness and not the copy of ACE; the copy of JUMP was around 506pg, while the copy of ACE was 570pg. Those are both older though, and the most recent digital copy i have of Weekly JUMP actually had around 520pg)

And I don't think it's always addressed just what a difference there is, culturally, in how Japan approaches the print medium. It's kind of an old cliche by this point, and I don't know how accurate it's remained in the past decade or so, but the quintessential image passed around between comic nerds has always been the Japanese bullet train; A place packed with commuters all passing their transit time with isolated preoccupation with music and/or reading, with manga being the king of this time killing arena. And its not just about sheer popularity driven by interest, American comic vendors have long envied the sheer accessibility of manga in Japan.

Here in the U.S. we used to have a thriving newsstand retail scene for comic books, and a kind of similar ease of grab and go comic purchase, rather than the explicitly niche interest driven "direct market" model that has been slowly but surly strangling the comic market ever since. But in Japan serialized manga has remained in relatively quick, impulse friendly, arm's reach of readers on the go. And what lubricates that business model more than anything is price.

I still remember a time when VIZ dominated the English manga market by offering at $7.95(and am I crazy or am I remembering a time when it got down to $6.99?) but now'days it's settled on a low end of $9.99. You know how much the recent vol.29 of My Hero Academia goes for? ¥484. That's less than $4.50.

You know how much that big ass magazine with 500+ pages and 21 different series goes for? Do you think it's more or less than the little pocket-size tankoban? Did you guess something close to ¥290? That's less than $2.75. But how does something bigger in both page size and page count managed to sell for less???

There are a few secrets to that, but one is that the things are packed to the gills with ads. But that's the boring answer. The other feature contributing to keeping an accessible cost on weekly/monthly manga is something we don't think about much in the U.S.; it's the paper and print quality.

The nice little books are printed in what you might expect as far as starch white paper and clean black inks, but those big honkin' phone book(do people still know what phonebooks look like??) size magazines are printed on cheap recycled pulpy newpaper with typically rough print jobs. This is most noticeable in the quality of solid blacks, and when scanning the texture of "white" space.

(I tried to take individual photos of different series chapters to show off the fact that the paper is differently colored... but my phone's camera seems to be smart enough to auto balance that kind of thing when there's no other context to anchor it to. (It doesn't help that it's night and my lights have a harsh yellowing glow to them.) but on th left you can still kind of see the different paper colors; this particular issue alternated every 3 chapters between pink-ish, green/gray, a kind of off-white/gray, and sepia, but I've also seen blue-ish, oranges, and a different shade of yellow different from the sepia-ish one.)

Back in ye olden days when it came to fan scanlations, more slapdash teams and projects would often stumble over levels in photoshop (too much black and the pulpy paper texture shows up as grainy shadows, but too far white and the edges of lineart get crunchy and ugly) but those who had more robust readership and a regular streamlined flow of work, we'd actually go in and touch up the solid blacks and whites by hand. We'd also redraw art to erase overlaid text so the type setters could lay the new English in over top.

(Weekly Jump: Left, Bleach tankoban: Right)

They do however keep a few coveted color pages in better quality paper and ink. In contrast, the standard quality tankoban actually don't include color pages at all, and just print what had been color pages in grayscale. There are also all kind of irregularities between publishers and special editions and such, but on the most basic level this difference in quality both keeps serial prices down, while also incentivizing tankoban purchase.

In the U.S. we might still have the draw of an ad-free reading experience in our TPB, but the print quality between a biweekly issue and a TPB are basically the same. Incidentally, even though manga are generally drafted at a much larger scale than even the serial magazine proportions anyway, the scaled down size of the tankoban also serves to sharpen the image. When put side by side the nice clean tankoban print looks noticeably better than the serial.

Now'days the English scanlation scene seems to be conducted almost entirely through ripped digital releases (at least as far as I can tell with popular, regular weekly titles) which is great for quality, frankly, but it does kind of lack the charm and personal touch of a band of amateurs finding round about solutions to a convoluted bootlegging pipeline. But obviously I'm a little biased.

[edit]: Oops i posted this without really ending it in any sensible ro conclusive way... I feel like ive lost sight of the point since i first drafted this but I guess its mostly just me pining after if we could just get super cheap, disposable quality, bulk manga in that classic Japanese magazine model to work here in the states. I already tend to sell manga in big runs, even at $9.99+, and frequently I'll have customers put volumes back, or clearly want the next volume but just can't afford it and wait to come back. If I could sell these customers more volumes, and more importantly more titles, at the same price, I would love to. I would love to see these things fly off the shelves. I would love to see people keeping up with multiple series. I would love to see someone look at a 44vol long series and actually feel like that's a number of volumes they can afford.

[sol1056]

I've just read that word of god post you've reblogged and i agree that if it's not in the canon then it's not in the story. but what is the canon exactly? if we take vld as an example, can the extra materials like the guide books or interviews be considered canon when they give us information that is never talked about in the source material, that is in the show itself?

Canon, at its simplest, is “what the community consider the official record.” Its ‘things recognized as authentic,’ and by extension also ‘a standard by which something is judged [as genuine]’. Frex, to say ‘this album is modern jazz’ requires comparing the music to the modern jazz canon. 

For fiction, canon applies the idea of an ‘official record’ to the story itself. The purpose is to delineate the ‘actual’ (genuine) story, and the standards by which new stories (sequels, spin-offs, etc) become canon. The common standards tend to be: who created it and/or was involved, form of distribution (ie official channels), and how widespread it was. Frex, a song played once in a small club in Chicago and never recorded would probably not be considered part of the ‘canon’ of modern jazz (that is, would not be used as the ‘standard’ by which newer works could be judged, because the work is too obscure). 

That brings us to the next level (and often the most fiercely debated): which texts are deuterocanonical. It’s a fifty-cent word but it’s exactly the word we need, here. It means ‘secondary canon’ and it’s texts that could be canon but fell short by some measure. Different author (or ghostwritten), written years later or years earlier, retcons everything, completely different story but with cameo of canon character, and so on. 

Adaptations are often deuterocanonical: a book to a movie, a movie to a TV series, a TV series to graphic novels. Each media has different storytelling conventions, so the story changes, and if you were a fan of the ‘real’ story, you might see the adaptation as just a shade too different. Plenty of fans of the Fullmetal Alchemist manga see the first anime (which diverged wildly) as a secondary canon — interesting, but not crucial; fewer say the same of the second anime, which was much more faithful.  

Continuations also tend to be deuterocanonical, especially when the media changes. If your intro to a fandom includes the warning that everyone ignores a certain continuation, sequel, or spin-off, the community may have decided the later works are a secondary canon. This dismissal comes with the usual flamewars, at least until the fandom agrees to disagree.  

Best criteria is whether parallel or subsequent stories impact or develop the ‘main’ story. Agents of SHIELD is a spin-off of the Avengers movie series, and it pivots mid-story due to movie events. The TV show may be deuterocanonical for movie fans, but the movies are canonical for TV show fans, because those stories have significant impact on the events in the TV show’s storyline.

And then we get to words about the story: meta. Tolkien’s estate has published his drafts and notes; these books satisfy canon per authenticity (written by Tolkien), and stamped as official by the estate. You don’t have to read every rough draft to get the final version, so Tolkien’s notes aren’t really primary canon, but they probably would be considered deuterocanonical. 

The same doesn’t apply when it’s just anyone writing meta, even a published Field Guide or Annotated Glossary — a fancier and footnoted version of the same kind of meta fans have always written on their favorite works. No matter how well-researched, that third-party meta is not canon, no matter who wrote it or where it was published.  

And then we get to word-of-god, however it’s relayed (panel quotes, interviews, tweets, blog posts, etc). Word-of-god, like handbooks and marketing material, are not the story; it’s talk about the story. It’s meta, and as such it can never be more than – at best – secondary canon, and even then under limited circumstances. 

The next thing to consider in word-of-god is: who’s the god, here? It’s easy enough with Tolkien, Rowling, Kipling, Austin, any one-author work where one voice did the bulk of shaping the ideas and words and story. It’s another matter when we get into multi-creator, collaborative stories like movies, television shows, even stage plays or dance where the work passes through multiple hands on the way to becoming a final product. 

If the actor chose to read those lines as though the character were in love, that has an impact on your experience of the story. Is it enough of an impact? Does that make the actor right to say, “this character is in love”? Does the actor have that authority? Or an executive producer who didn’t write the script, direct the episode, voice any of the lines, storyboard any scenes, or animate any frames? How do we measure the contribution of ‘enabling others to create’ to determine whether word-of-god applies? What about a story editor whose outline was informed entirely by exec notes? Can we say the writer of a particular episode even has word-of-god authority, if every line was altered by the actors to a smaller or larger degree? 

Beyond that — and this applies from one-author texts up to multi-season series with a production staff in the hundreds — we cannot assume the author (if there is a single identifiable hand in the story) actually knows the story they’ve written. We writers can tell you what we meant to write, and what we wanted to write, but what we ended up with isn’t always where we’d planned to be. Hell, sometimes we don’t see the themes until a long time after the work is written, the same way we don’t always see where the story’s failed on other counts (representation, gender, cliches, plot holes, etc). 

I could add a lot of words, but here I’m just going to quote some of TV Tropes at you, since the entry does a good job of covering all the bases. 

A number of people reject [word-of-god]… If the creator had wanted a certain fact to be canon, the thinking goes, they should have included it in the work to begin with. [Others] go even further, considering the uncertainty and ambiguity of canon to be a good thing… Wimsatt and Beardsley’s “The Intentional Fallacy” and Barthes’ Death of the Author essay both argue that the interpretation of a work cannot be limited to attempts to discern the “author’s intentions.”

Another thorny issue is … collaborators may not actually agree with interpretations of their story that weren’t made explicit in the work. This is especially likely if they no longer work together, and particularly if they had a real-life falling out. In this case, there are multiple “Gods” given potentially contradictory explanations, so whose word is to be considered correct?

If a story requires the author pop up to explain each scene in some nightmarish reverse-MST3K scenario, then the story has failed. Point blank, full stop, do not pass go, do not collect two hundred dollars. The story has failed. 

But let’s pretend the story is fine, and you just can’t take lying awake at night wondering about that damn watermelon. There’s a place and time for creator explanations; easter eggs (like in-jokes and homages) definitely count, and can be a lot of fun. There’s nothing wrong with word-of-god, after all, so long as it’s taken in moderation. In the end, it’s just a slightly more knowledgeable voice, but never let it drown out your voice or your experience. 

Ultimately, this incessant emphasis on word-of-god has two sources. 

One is the current penchant for throwing wild swerves as a way to combat audience boredom. These get called ‘plot twists’ but in the hands of less-skilled creators, they’re just cheap shocks. Pushed too far, they’ll break the story. Groundwork and foreshadowing are left off the page or screen for fear the audience will ‘figure it out’ too soon, and the result is an audience struggling to make sense of the quagmire. Word-of-god doesn’t fix the story, but it can at least provide closure. You know why the watermelon was there, and you can move on to obsess about something else. 

The other source is our immediate and seeming direct access to a lot of creators: writers, directors, storyboard artists, voice actors, producers, all up and down the line. We could sit down and think hard about the story (if the story isn’t so broken that’s moot, at least), or we could just tweet or blog or tag a creator and ask. Or hope someone asks our question at a panel, or a podcast, or some other interview. Why bother with meta, when you can get a slightly more-informed meta from someone who looks like an authority? 

Hey, authors have been getting questions from readers since Lady Murasaki sat down to write. No, the real issue are creators who’ve come to crave (and encourage) the audience asking how to interpret the story. It’s a pretty heady thing, getting that kind of attention, and it can get away from you really fast. What began as a simple question about indestructible fruit becomes an ongoing interpretative dance by the author on behalf of the work. 

It’s flattering to have the audience clamoring for your words, but… it’s not about you, as the creator. It’s about the story. A creator needs to step back and let the story do the talking. The sooner some creators remember that, the sooner some fandoms will calm the fsck down. 

Primary or secondary canon, word-of-god or radio silence; in the end, the story’s got to stand on its own. If it can’t do that, no amount of explanation in the world will prop the story back up again. 

[junmail]

LMAO see this is why you shouldn't send 'did you get my msg??' asks. just know that there's never any pressure to reply straight away!!

jkafnljds it’s a series on netflix! based on the league of legends game. sci-fi/fantasy? i thought it was really good even though i‘ve never played the game! kinda makes me want to get into the lore more actually. it was on my watch list and then vernon recommended it so i saw it as a sign haha.

“I think that’s what makes a group one of the best is bc they work  together and when accomplishing goals or awards it’s everyone that’s to  thanks for not just one person” *cough cough* any school group projects but anywayy yess their teamwork is so so amazing and reading about oh my era dk reminds me of the fact that vernon was injured during that time so they made him the centre of that cute lil x formation when it was meant to be dk, so vernon could get more screentime :(

ooh reading!! what are your faves or even fave genres?? i remember i used to think i was so weird having reading as a hobby/interest but then i came on tumblr and it was just so....enlightening to see other people with the same hobby lmao. but writing/drawing/painting i cannot relate to aklfjdslkf i really don’t know how people create such amazing things from nothing but an idea?? where do you usually get your inspiration from?

- secret carat

oh nooo !!! its totally okay !! it helped remind me that I had put it in my drafts , so I won't ever feel pressured!

ohhhhhh okay, literally once I posted the ask I started seeing it every where lmao so answered my q about it . I might have to check it out, the graphics and animation look so amazing !!!!

LMAO I surely do not miss school projects mainly for that reason. awe yeah same, it was beyond sweet !! dk is so sweet esp judging by how he let minghao use the 8th position for their lineups 😭

I am currently on the hunt for an amazing psychological thriller, so I'm mainly into that rn but I'm a sap so I love YA romance novels. also I've really been getting into poetry and short stories !! lol most of my paintings were from comics, manga, anime, and video games . and by that is I drew a lot of marvel - superheroes , I recreated panels from the jughead series and some sketches for your name. also I draw a lot of legend of Zelda (i.e link) ???

[destinationtoast]

Hi, you were very helpful in providing me with info on fandomstats - and I've been having lots of fun with it. But, how do you get the data for all fandoms? For example, you have a list of most popular fandoms as of Feb 2017. Would it be easy to pull a new report as of now, and how?

Hey!  I write scripts to scrape data from AO3 – including from the pages that list all the fandoms within a given media category.  In fact, just today I wrote a script to more easily get the top N fandoms off of AO3.  :)  I want to eventually make it easy for anyone to do that on fandomstats.org, but we’re not quite there yet.  I can share my python script with interested individuals, in the meantime.

Here are the top 10 for each category, and overall (minimum size 1000 fanworks).  I’ve removed most of the umbrella fandoms like “Sherlock Holmes - All Media Types,” or “Actor RPF,” but a few may have crept in:

TOP FANDOMS OVERALL (with num fanworks)

Supernatural: 174699

Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling: 156165

Sherlock (TV): 100766

Teen Wolf (TV): 89156

The Avengers (Marvel Movies): 87838

Captain America (Movies): 53350

One Direction (Band): 52636

Star Trek: 48498

방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS: 47181

Doctor Who: 46269

Click through to read category breakdowns – e.g., top movie fandoms.  Note that this is according to AO3′s categories, and some fandoms appear in multiple categories, so you might see some that seem out of place (e.g., Doctor Who is in Books & Literature as well as more expected categories, because there are some Doctor Who books).

TOP FANDOMS: Anime & Manga

1) Haikyuu!!: 42628

2) Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan: 35940

3) Naruto: 27090

4) Hetalia: Axis Powers: 25691

5) Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime): 25512

6) Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko’s Basketball: 17558

7) Free!: 14697

8) Miraculous Ladybug: 12334

9) 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia: 11437

10) One Piece: 10462

TOP FANDOMS: Books & Literature

1) Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling: 156166

2) Doctor Who: 46269

3) Doctor Who (2005): 28859

4) A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin: 23266

5) The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien: 11869

6) Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan: 10525

7) The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien: 8978

8) The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare: 8920

9) The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien: 8666

10) James Bond (Craig movies): 8213

TOP FANDOMS: Cartoons & Comics & Graphic Novels

1) Homestuck: 44369

2) Voltron: Legendary Defender: 32868

3) Marvel (Comics): 22125

4) Marvel 616: 18821

5) Avatar (TV): 13332

6) Batman (Comics): 12796

7) Miraculous Ladybug: 12334

8) Gravity Falls: 12061

9) Transformers Generation One: 11630

10) Smallville: 9353

TOP FANDOMS: Celebrities & Real People

1) Supernatural RPF: 16187

2) Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF: 14731

3) Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF): 12250

4) Football RPF: 11705

5) Hockey RPF: 8803

6) The Lord of the Rings RPF: 4519

7) Motorsport RPF: 3957

8) Historical RPF: 3558

9) Game Grumps: 3423

10) Formula 1 RPF: 3302

TOP FANDOMS: Movies

1) Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling: 156165

2) The Avengers (Marvel Movies): 87838

3) Captain America (Movies): 53350

4) Star Trek: 48498

5) Star Wars Sequel Trilogy: 27550

6) Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015): 26235

7) Thor (Movies): 26182

8) Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies): 24326

9) X-Men (Movieverse): 20765

10) Iron Man (Movies): 18562

TOP FANDOMS: Music & Bands

1) One Direction (Band): 52636

2) 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS: 47181

3) EXO (Band): 17640

4) My Chemical Romance: 13404

5) Johnny’s Entertainment: 9380

6) Fall Out Boy: 8841

7) 5 Seconds of Summer (Band): 8572

8) Twenty One Pilots: 7884

9) SEVENTEEN (Band): 7785

10) Panic! at the Disco: 7161

TOP FANDOMS: Other Media

1) Homestuck: 44369

2) Original Work: 36207

3) Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies): 24326

4) Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF: 14731

5) Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF): 12250

6) Star Trek: The Original Series: 8410

7) Professional Wrestling: 7425

8) Red vs. Blue: 7146

9) World Wrestling Entertainment: 6723

10) Welcome to Night Vale: 6388

TOP FANDOMS: TV Shows

1) Supernatural: 174699

2) Sherlock (TV): 100766

3) Teen Wolf (TV): 89156

4) Star Trek: 48498

5) Doctor Who: 46269

6) Once Upon a Time (TV): 36373

7) Glee: 31992

8) Merlin (TV): 29396

9) Doctor Who (2005): 28859

10) Buffy the Vampire Slayer: 25709

TOP FANDOMS: Theater

1) Hamilton - Miranda: 13709

2) Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: 3636

3) Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz: 3111

4) Les Misérables - Schönberg/Boublil: 2385

5) Dear Evan Hansen - Pasek & Paul/Levenson: 2127

6) Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken: 1368

7) Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling: 989

8) Heathers: The Musical - Murphy & O'Keefe: 822

9) Shakespeare - History Plays: 737

10) The Book of Mormon - Parker/Stone/Lopez: 674

TOP FANDOMS: Video Games

1) Dragon Age: Inquisition: 27061

2) Final Fantasy: 24727

3) Overwatch (Video Game): 21086

4) Undertale (Video Game): 20248

5) Mass Effect Trilogy: 14664

6) Fire Emblem Series: 11982

7) Dragon Age II: 11523

8) Final Fantasy XV: 11016

9) Shin Megami Tensei Series: 8691

10) Dragon Age: Origins: 8363

[evilelitest2]

has your Fatal Flaw podcast ever done any comics? what's your opinion on them as a medium? i've heard that comics like Batman have had significant social/political depth as commentary on the USA esp. as a means of storytelling

Oh sorry I missed this comment and now i feel bad, sorry for the late response.    So do you mean Comics as in the medium or specifically superhero comics?  We have done a few comics, specifically Watchmen, Berserk (Manga), Order of the Stick (Webcomic), Full Metal Alchemist (Manga) and Drowtales (Webcomics).  But specifically Superhero Comics its just Watchmen.  

So this is actually an interesting question because I am actually a huge fan of comics the medium, I find it super relaxing and since i’m a visual person, I really enjoy reading comics, there is a massive backlog of comics that i would like to do for the show but  but @afriendtokilltime really dislikes reading comics, like it makes his head hurt since he is not as visual a person, so its always a big deal when we do any comic related content for this.  I mean of those five works we did, one of them (Drowtales) wasn’t even read by @afriendtokilltime though that is partly because it is so difficult for him to get into them.  I mean i’ve been wanting to review the Manga Vinland Saga for years now but I really get careful recommending things.   We both love Calvin and Hobbes but sadly that doesn’t really have a fatal flaw so we can’t review it =p

However both me and @afriendtokilltime really don’t like super hero comics as like...a genre.  LIke I don’t like superheroes conceptually and both of use think that the Marvel/DC duopoly has basically stunted the industries storytelling potential.  This both means that neither of us have much desire to read superhero comics (I mean the one thing we did review as the comic which hates all other superhero comics so...) and our admitted ignorance of the hidden gems which i’m sure exist within the industry.    @randomshoes is much more into superheroes than either of us though. 

Comics as a medium are fascinating to me though and if there is interest we might do a review of the medium of ocmics because personally I find it really fascinating how depending on how you count, the entire medium can be broken down into 4-5 different mediums despite all of them doing the basic “telling a story with a drawn figure.” routine.  Like Western and Eastern Comics are using the same medium, but the divide between Western Comics and Manga is so intense that they are treated as entirely different mediums.  And then Newspapers Comics and Webcomics are treated entirely separate from those as well.  Some people even put graphic Novels (like Maus which is my favorite) as an entirely different medium so I’m really into comics as a medium and a genre.  In fact the unfortunate fate of the Western Comicbook industry to me teaches a lot of lessons about what does and does not encourage a healthy industry, espicically contrasted to the French or Japanese comic tradition.  

Me, @afriendtokilltime @randomshoes have discussed in the past doing like...Fatal Flaw whole mediums, a friend of ours asked us to do Fatal Flaw Film, but I’ve always balked because of how huge that is, but if people are interested we could pivot to talk more about comics generally.  Certainly i’m into it, honestly i use comics the most as the medium to relax (alongside video games) so I often have a comic I read alongside my work (Currently the deeply underrated and sadly seemingly on hiatus OurlittleAdventure) 

For those wondering what we are talking about, we do a podcast called Fatal Flaw 

[ais-n]

Hi ais! I've just finished re-reading icos and I once again feel so sad that it's over again. Do you have any nook recommendations or books that you like?

Aww thank you for reading ICoS the first time, let alone rereading it! That’s sweet of you

I could have sworn at some point I compiled a list (which I was going to link only because I have the worst memory and forget things I love whenever I try to list it all) but I can’t find anything! What the hey.

So, I made a list below the cut :D I broke it up between M/M, nonfiction, fiction, YA, and anime/manga. You should know ahead of time that I tend to read mostly manga or nonfiction, and/or I tend to gravitate toward “darker” stories or stories that deal with a lot of nuance and complexity. I don’t tend to gravitate toward stories that are really black and white (but idk about the ones I mentioned from when I was a preteen/teen because it’s been so long since I read them).

That may tell you if you might like any of these or not :) I wrote a little about the book by most of the names to give you a bit more of an idea.

Hopefully at least one of these looks interesting to you :) Let me know if you need links on something if you can’t find it, or if you want a bit more of an explanation on anything. Some (honestly, most) of these books I haven’t read in forever but others I periodically reread just because I

BOOKS BOOKS AND MORE BOOKS BELOW

**M/M:**

All for the Game series by Nora Sakavic - m/m, super awesomesauce series, it’s my fave in general. First book free, second 2 books 99 cents each. Nora was having some issues with the first book not being on the site with the rest so I put it on my site until she’s got that figured out, so people can still read the series. Get the first book here: http://aisylum.com/tfc/ and then I link the other books on there.

Raised by Wolves series by W.A. Hoffman - m/m, this one is a very different series and style of storytelling. I personally adore this series but it’s also the sort of thing some people may not be into for various reasons. But for me, I read the series all the way through and instantly started over and reread it all again. First book is Brethren.

**NONFICTION:**

anything by Simon Singh but especially The Code Book and Big Bang - these are nonfiction books and if that makes you go “UGH NO WAY” then know that Simon writes nonfiction like fiction so they’re really great and easy reads, plus you get lots of great info. Also, The Code Book is what I used as research for Jeffrey’s knowledge base + the whole thing with the message in Evenfall and the OTP comment. (If you’re like “Hey yeah what WAS all that about?” I answered it here.) (Also also, if you saw Imitation Game, then you should know that the Code Book covers at least part of the same history as that movie)

Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder (follows the story of one of my favorite humans, Paul Farmer who founded/co-founded Partners in Health which is one of my favorite charities) also Tracy writes other books that look intriguing to me but I haven’t read yet.

Erik Larson - Devil in the White City, Thunderstruck, and other books by him – he, like Simon, writes nonfiction in a way that reads very easily like fiction. I like the way he interweaves various stories of various people into one book. Devil in the White City might be my favorite of his that I’ve read? Mostly because it combines architecture + America’s first serial killer + the 1893 Chicago World Fair and all of these things make me go YES PLX

Troublemaker by Leah Remini and Rebecca Paley - this is about scientology; I listened on audiobook–it was interesting and informative

Also, I listened to Dan and Phil’s first book (The Amazing Book is Not on Fire) on audiobook and that was also entertaining–although if you have no idea who tf Dan and Phil are, that may be less entertaining to you lol

Death’s Acre, or Beyond the Body Farm, by William Bass and Jon Jefferson - so, Bill Bass is super interesting, tl;dr is he’s a frontrunner in forensic anthropology, these books are about a farm people donate their bodies to where they decompose in various states to help forensic anthropologists learn more on decomposition which then helps in murder trials and elsewhere. If you’re into forensic anthropology, check out Bill Bass

Dismembered by Susan Mustafa and Sue Israel - this is true crime about a serial killer in Louisiana. It is, therefore, quite graphic and you should heed the title as quite accurate representation of what you will be reading about in the book. But if serial killers or true crime intrigue you, I really liked this book and have been on the lookout by more from these ladies. I thought it was written well and told the story well.

**FICTION:**

books by Jefferson Bass - there’s a whole series called the Body Farm series or something. Jefferson Bass is the combo if the two people for Death’s Acre, except that pseudonym is for their fiction series based on scientific reality/facts. It’s a pretty interesting series from what I recall but I never finished it. But if you like forensic anthropology and want to read a sort of murder mystery/detective type of series written by an actual acclaimed forensic anthropologist with all the science being legit, this is your series

Tony Foster series by Tanya Huff (starts with Smoke and Shadows) - ok so, Tanya Huff was SUPER nice the one time I messaged her. I like her a lot as a person. I will say that this series is not the actual best writing you will ever read–BUT Tony Foster is such a freaking great narrator that I love the series. Also, Tony’s a gay male which is always cool to have as a lead, especially in a sort of fantasy like this :)

Sandman comics by Neil Gaiman – honestly, just about anything you pick up by Neil Gaiman will be good. I’d have to reread all the books to say which is my favorite but I do recall liking Good Omens a lot, which he cowrote with Terry Pratchett. But Sandman is what got me into graphic novels, eventually manga (because I was used to reading GNs by then) and Neil Gaiman as a whole. I fucking love Sandman and will forever recommend it, but it’s a GN so it may not translate well to nook? idk

Speaking of Terry Pratchett, if you like stories that are easy to read and oftentimes have a fair amount of humor infused into them, I recommend him and probably any of his books but my particular recommendation would be Mort as well as the Sam Vines books. I think the first time we see Sam Vines is in the Guards! Guards! book.

Otherland series by Tad Williams - ok in all honesty, I never finished the series (got partially through 3rd of 4 books) and it’s been probably 20 years since I read them, so maybe my opinion would be different now. But Otherland was such an interesting sci-fi ish series which I honestly think is probably going to end up being somewhat realistic to our future. Basically, VR is a thing and people choose to live there instead of in reality sometimes, and now people are dying IRL because their bodies are wasting away and a diverse group of people from around the world get together in the virtual world to try to figure out what’s happening and how to stop it, but they don’t realize the politics and danger involved. Why didn’t I finish reading, you wonder? It’s because I read this series when I was a teenager when it first came out, and I think when I read reading the 3rd book the 4th hadn’t even been written yet. Anyway I was suuuuuper engrossed in the series–so much that when a certain thing happens related to my favorite character in the series, I was too emotionally affected by it I set the book aside to take a moment to reset my emotions before continuing, and then I just…. never continued…. ^^;; I got too distracted by other series but I always plan to finish it. Also side note, Tad Williams is a super nice author who actually wrote back to little teen me(!), taking my email seriously and encouraging me to write. Also side side note, Tad Williams wrote a bunch of books and I recall liking all of his fantasy series I read too but I don’t think I’ve read all his stuff.

Tamir Triad by Lynn Flewelling - first book: Bone Doll’s Twin. It’s been a while since I read this (as is the case for pretty much everything on this whole list) but I remember thinking this was a really interesting trilogy with a rather unique story, especially for the time this was written. If you ever read Lynn’s other book series (Nightrunner, m/m) then know that the Tamir Triad is set in the past of the Nightrunner world, by I don’t remember 500 years or something– also it’s written TOTALLY different than Nightrunner. The two styles are like night and day; if you don’t like the Nightrunner style, totally give Tamir a chance. If you do like Nightrunner, I still think you should read the Tamir books because I think they’re better, even though I did like Nightrunner in the beginning :)

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire. This book is the inspiration for the wildly popular musical Wicked (which I also recommend you see because it’s omggggg

**YA:**

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer - for the most part, I quite like this series. It’s a very easy to read YA series that re-imagines the Disney Princess/fairy tale female leads into a sort of cyberpunk Earth with space adventure future. Most of the females in this series are pretty strong female characters, leading their own stories, having agency, not being overpowered by the male characters like in their Disney or fairy tale versions. It has kind of a Sailor Moon vibe in some aspects, mostly because Marissa’s a total nerd who loves Sailor Moon lol

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo - this is actually part of a series but tbh I liked Six of Crows more than the other book. Basically this book is a heist novel with young adult MCs. It’s a freaking BEAUTIFUL hardcover btw, like black edged paper and cool illustrations on the chapter pages and omgggggggg so this is one I recommend you buy in print if you like it, rather than just getting the ebook. It has an MC (Kaz Brekker) who I swear to god is like if early Evenfall Boyd and Hsin had a baby lol

Books by Sherryl Jordan - it’s been approximately forever since I read any of these books so maybe my opinion would change if I read them now, but back in the day I loved the fuck out of Sherryl’s books when I found them as a preteen/teen. I remember feeling like a lot of her female characters felt strong or at least I thought they were cool. The main one I remember liking back then is Winter of Fire. Mind you, Sherryl Jordan’s books are now really hard to find–turns out she’s a New Zealand author and a lot of the books went out of print at various times. But if you happen to run across one, you can check her out and see what you think. I mention her because her stories stuck in my head for 20 years.

Mage Heart (and the Chronicles of Dion Trilogy) by Jane Routley. Another one from forever ago–no idea what I would think of this if I read it today but I remember really liking it when I read it as a teenager, and the story has stuck in the back of my head since. I don’t remember a lot about the actual plot, just that I was inspired by the story/world.

Aaaaand that’s probably enough. You’re probably regretting asking XD

There are a couple of other books I remember from when I was really little but you probably don’t care about those lol The only one I’ll mention is Dealing with Dragons by Patricia Wrede - that’s the first book in a YA series. I quite like Dealing with Dragons, but tbh I was really frustrated by the other books. You could read just the first if you wanted to check it out.

Lastly, if you like manga/anime at all, here are some other recs: fave anime/manga recs, plus here’s another good manga