#book: harley quinn reckoning

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

fight on.

[sarcasticsouthernbookworm]

Ok also, reading a Harley Quinn book about her in college is what started me on Legally Blonde, so can I just say, let’s here it for our chaotic adhd bisexual babes

[that-sokovian-bastard]

holy crap harley quinn reckoning is so good. it's so interesting to read about her before she was The Harley Quinn and I can't wait til she snaps. She deserves all the love in the world.

The book focuses on Harleen and her friends taking down men who don't know what "no" means, finding the person taking college girls, SA, and murder. It's definitely got some triggers, but it's so interesting. I'm 63% done with the book and they've mentioned joker a handful of times (for different reasons than you'd expect) and has only said "Batman" once, and it was a joke.

This is FULLY a Harley story, and I love that so much.

[buffyfan145]

Finally finished reading the “Harley Quinn” DC Icons YA novel and really liked it!!! :D Did take me a lot longer to get through it as I was reading so many other things at the same time so it felt a bit too long for me but still was good overall. I do wonder how this will be as it’s the start of a trilogy and how the other books will go, also with it seeming to delay any other DC characters from getting their own novel till at lest 2025. But again still liked it and Harley was great as loved all the Batman and Gotham shoutouts and appearances too of other characters.

[quirkycatsfatstacks]

Review: Harley Quinn: Reckoning by Rachael Allen

Series: DC Icons #6Author: Rachael AllenPublisher: Random House Books for Young ReadersReleased: April 26, 2022Received: NetGalley Yes! I’ve been keeping my eye on the DC Icons series (reading them here and there), but I just knew that I had to read this one. Harley Quinn: Reckoning, by Rachael Allen, is precisely what I was hoping to see from this series. Harleen Quinzel has been working hard…

[pastrydragon]

Accent, speech pattern and Voice headcanons for the Gotham Rogues.

Riddler

In casual settings, Eddie has a slight New Jersey accent and cusses with the frequency you would expect from that.

He almost always has perfect grammar and has a very impressive vocabulary.

But there are some situations where "Fuck" just does not have a suitable replacement.

When he's going against Batman, The Riddler adopts a more trans Atlantic accent since it goes with his gameshow aesthetic.

Also since a LOT of his schemes are publicly televised he doesn't want to cuss on camera or forget to project his voice.

So adopting a different accent helps his brain remember how to act on camera so he can always appear classy.

Edward's voice is a bit more high and nasally than average, but not to an annoying degree. It's not particularly unique either. So if he remembers so change his voice slightly then he can make a phone call to anywhere and they won't recognize him.

Emotional variations include his accent getting thicker when he's angry or exhausted.

Scarecrow

John has a very rural Georgian accent.

Scarecrow: The Master Of Fear has a rather dramatic way of speaking due to his love of classic literature and poetry.

His years in academia have also left him with a very intellectual and scientific vocabulary.

John speaks with a kind of intensity and eloquence that you'd expect on a stage rather than at the front of a classroom.

A smooth baritone only enhances the effect.

Had he not been a professor, he would have made a killing as a raidio star or television narrator.

John only breaks out Southernisms when he's embarrassed. "Well I never!" "Why I outta-" he also stammers when embarrassed. otherwise his speech patterns don't have noticeable emotional variation except the ones he puts there.

Mad Hatter

Jervis has a strong Bristol accent. Which is an English accent that strongly pronounces R's and tends to slap an L at the end of words that should end in a vowel.

The classic example is Opera'l instead of Opera.

His voice is naturally high and soft, often making him sound much more indulgent toward others than he's actually feeling.

Although he does quote the Alice books often, he does not quote longer passages exactly unless he's having an episode.

The rest of the time he'll change them to fit what's happening or merely reference them.

If he's feeling particularly lucid and cheery, you may not even hear mention of the books at all.

Stress will cause longer more accurate quotes and chip at his lucidity along the way.

His only other emotional variation comes out when he's feeling flirtatious.

Jervis's voice tends to get more breathy and cooing around people he likes. He also goes harder on his R's giving some words a purr like sound.

Harley Quinn

We all know and love our girl Harley's Brooklyn accent.

Honestly I can't make an improvement on the BTAS version so scroll down.

Poison Ivy

Pam has a Virginian accent. It's the kind of southern bell accent you'd associate with Blanche Devereux.

Pair that with a voice like a lounge singer and everything that comes out of her mouth sounds sexy.

Even when she doesn't want it to.

It's actually pretty annoying for her.

Unlike John she uses plenty of southernisms such as "I Reckon" "Over yonder" and of course the venom filled "Bless your heart."

Catwomen

The Miami accent is strong on this women, and it tells you exactly why she moved to Gotham.

You can't wear all black leather in the kind of weather Florida's got.

Miami heat isn't sweet to everyone.

Being a second generation Cuban immigrant, she speaks Spanish fluently and while she speaks both it and English seamlessly she has run into one glitch.

She will occasionally forget whether a turn of phrase was originally English or Spanish.

She called John a dancing skeleton once and no one has let it die. From Esqueleto rumbero- Literally: Dancing skeleton, Meaning: Very thin.

Her actual voice is a pretty standard alto. Like Ed, as long as she disguises her accent she can basically call wherever without being recognized.

Another rogue that hits their R's harder while flirting. But it's less a seductive purr and more an "Oh, I'm being HUNTED" kind of sound to hear.

Bane

Bane is directly from Venezuela and has the accent to match.

His English is phenomenal for someone who's only been speaking it a few years but it's not always perfect.

Whenever he doesn't know or forgets the word for something he'll describe it using other words until the other person figures it out for him.

For example, this interaction between him and Riddler: "I need the office knives." "... I'm sorry, what?" "The office knives, with the holes in the handle." "Hmmm, is the answer perhaps scissors?" "YES! I need the scissors!"

Edward is the grand champion of figuring out what Bane is saying if Catwomen or Music Meister isn't there to translate the word from Spanish.

Bane has a naturally loud and deep voice which can make him sound aggressive even when he's not trying to be. His size doesn't help.

But really he's a very calm and levelheaded person.

If he's actually angry, you'll know it from how quiet deliberate his speech becomes.

A quiet Bane is a dangerous Bane.

Joker

New York accent.

Drops occasional NY phrases but doesn’t mention anything culturally significant to New York unless someone else brings it up.

He doesn't remember what part of New York he's from but if asked he'll say Coney Island.

His jealousy over Eddie growing up in Wildwood is real.

Harley swears up and down he's from Staten Island and anyone familiar with the different New York accents would agree with her.

Joker has a pretty distinct reedy voice that all gothamites will recognize as soon as they hear it.

It gets even higher on the rare occasion he's scared or nervous.

Music Meister

SoCal (Southern California) accent.

This accent is also called Valley Girl.

He's originally from San Diego and spent his early twenties in LA so the accent is thick and locked in.

He moved to the east coast to attempt a Broadway career before turning to villainy and kind of regrets not moving back west first.

He's the first person to complain about cold weather and bad Mexican food when the chance pops up.

But he's gotten too fond of the other rogues to seriously consider leaving.

Even if the Scarecrow keeps smacking him with a newspaper every time he misuses the word "literally".

He automatically starts singing his words when he becomes frightened or incredibly nervous. Which made sense until he revealed he did that even before he got his powers.

Odd.

Killer Croc

Waylon has a thick cajun accent, that along with a naturally growly bass voice can make it difficult for others to understand him.

He prefers speaking French to English and will go out of his way to talk to people he thinks might speak his preferred language.

Jervis, Edward, Victor Fries and Joker speak with him in French when in a one on one conversation. 

Yes Joker speaks French, no he doesn’t remember why or how. He honestly didn’t even know he could until he met Waylon. 

Waylon is incredibly charming and personable once you figure out what he's saying, he's definitely the most well liked rogue among his peers next to Harley.

Emotional variants include getting even more growly when angry and speaking completely in French when distracted.

Penguin

A lot of people say he has an English accent, he doesn’t, never say this in front of him.

The man is WELSH, and he has ruined people’s lives over having his accent confused on particularly difficult days.

He takes great pride in his heritage and being accused of being “English” of all things is one of the quickest ways to sour his mood.

No offense to Mr. Tetch of course, it's the principle of the thing really.

He rarely speaks Welsh these days unless visiting extended family.

He does use the proverb “Deuparth gwaith yw ei ddechrau”(Two-thirds of work is starting), mostly to himself but he’ll use the proverb with others when appropriate.

Emotional variants include his voice getting squawk like when scared. He also laughs like a mad pelican.

Clayface

I forget who came up with this originally and I'm kicking myself for not remembering but I've adopted the head canon that Clayface was an "aging" K-pop/drama star that was on tour in the states when his manager coerced him into trying an experimental cosmetic treatment that turned him into Clayface.

So Clay has a very strong Korean accent and probably speaks the worst English out of all the rogues.

It's passable but he understandably just wasn't expecting to need it this much.

Despite his difficulties he still somehow gains control over the majority of his conversations and seems to exude likability.

He's trained for years to make his voice as soothing and pleasant as possible and he's not going to let being a mud monster ruin his hard work.

Until something triggers his traumatic memories and sends him into a frothing rage full of bubbling curses or a depressive meltdown where he becomes a pile of blubbering goo.

He's totally incomprehensible when he's having either kind of breakdown even to other Korean speakers, honestly HE doesn't even really know what he's saying.

Many of the rogues have hired him to put his acting skills to use in various schemes and Clayface is amazed at all the new voices he can do.

He's also been Music Meister's backup vocalist for a few of his schemes so you know he's legitimately good.

Bookworm

He has a rather general east coast accent.

Until he gets angry and starts cursing in Portuguese.

You'd never guess because he's an ashy fucker and his skin never sees the sun since he spends all his time reading inside, but the guy is mainly indigenous Brazilian.

You might be able to get a clue from his facial features if he wasn't wearing the world's thickest glasses and a hat.

He has near permanent "Library voice" so people often struggle to hear him above everything else that might be going on.

His voice is surprisingly sonorous and captivating when he can be well heard.

Since Arkham doesn't often get new books, fresh literature was fought over until Joker suggested "AudioBookworm" which is just Bookworm reading the new book aloud for everyone.

Until his little used voice gives out a bit at which point Scarecrow or Mad Hatter will step in until the end of the chapter.

Mr. Freeze

Victor has a moderate Icelandic accent.

Riddler and Joker have a competition going to see how many lines from Skyrim they can trick him into saying.

Victor figured it out immediately but plays dumb to this day in order to fuck with them.

He said "Hey, you. You're finally awake." to Edward after he woke up from a nap in the rec room once and Victor will treasure the face that nerd made forever.

Victor has a bit of a "resting bitch voice" he always sounds annoyed.

Unless he's talking to Nora, then he just sounds like a simp.

Not really a voice head canon but he gets hiccups very easily from laughing.

BONUS Nora

Nora is from Belarus so she often got mistaken for having a Russian accent.

But unlike Oswald she rarely cares enough to correct people much less get angry over it.

Nora speaks with great confidence and authority, even when she doesn't necessarily have either.

Her voice definitely broadcasts "Don't even fucking THINK about arguing with me."

The personality and accent get her the nickname "Ice queen" wherever she works.

Which is very unfair, she's a kind and compassionate women!

She's just also right and she should say it.

Nora's voice becomes utterly saccharine around Victor, they're absolutely obnoxious to listen to together.

[lgbtqreads]

I was wondering if you have any sapphic or queer books about superheroes or villains. I finished reading Super Adjacent by Cestari Crystal which got me into queer superhero’s.

Absolutely! Julie Murphy's got the Faith duology, and CB Lee's Sidekick Squad series is really fun. TJ Klune has one called The Extraordinaries, and actually I have a whole list of them on the site so I can just share that:

Superheroes and Super Villains

Female

Harley Quinn: Reckoning by Rachael Allen – B

Super Adjacent by Crystal Cestari

The Nemesis Series by April Daniels – T

Cinnamon Blade: Knife in Shining Armor by Shira Glassman (f/f)

Unsung Heroine by Sarah Kuhn

Not Your Sidekick (Sidekick Squad #1) by CB Lee (f/f) – B

Not Your Backup (Sidekick Squad #3) by CB Lee – A

Faith Herbert Origin Story by Julie Murphy – B

Girl Reporter by Tansy Rayner Roberts

Cute Mutants by S.J. Whitby (Graphic novels)

Shattered by Lee Winter

Male

The Extraordinaries by T.J. Klune

Superior by Jessica Lack

Not Your Villain (Sidekick Squad #2) by CB Lee – T

You First by J.C. Lillis (m/m)

Hero by Perry Moore (YA) – G

Junior Hero Blues by J.K. Pendragon

Infinity Son by Adam Silvera – G, B

Rise of Heroes by Hayden Thorne

Non-Binary

Baker Thief by Claudie Arseneault – Aro

[arabian-batboy]

Wanna know your thoughts on something.

Have you read any of the DC icons book series?

It's different origin stories for different characters redone. (In case you don't know about/of it)

The books (so far) are:

Wonder Woman: Warbringer

Batman: Nightwalker

Catwoman: Soulstealer

Superman: Dawnbreaker

Black Canary: Breaking Silence

And they're are 2 books for Harley Quinn, though they're going to release a third and have it as a trilogy, so far there are:

Harley Quinn: Reckoning and Harley Quinn: Ravenous

Anyway, have you heard of these books? Have you read any of them?? If so, what so you think!? I LOVE them, personally!

Hope I didn't ramble too much or anything.

I did hear about them, but I haven't read any of them except the free first chapter of Catwoman's book because I heard Talia appeared in it and..........I really didn't like what they did to her character (Talia being portrayed horribly in a Catwoman's story? Shocking), but I haven't heard any of my fellow Talia's fans complaining about this book after it was released, so I'm assuming they didn't butcher her too much?

I have had a similar issue to Harley Quinn: Ravenous, I haven't actually read the book, but the summary mentioning Talia being an inmate in Arkham for trying to kill Gotham's Mayor then becoming a "mentor" to young Harley just left a really bad taste in my mouth, because none of those things sound like something she would actually want to do.

And I know that you're a huge Harley's fan, so I feel bad saying this, but personally I can never enjoy modern-interpretation of Harley and I don't really want Talia (or any of my favorite characters really) to be in the same story as her post-2016, because I know that between them and Harley, DC will always choose to make the other character look bad instead of Harley.

[shycloudagere]

This post is for anyone who likes Harley Quinn because, while I haven't read the sequel yet, this first book (Harley Quinn Reckoning) is AMAZING! I'm specifically mentioning it here because Harley has childhood trauma in this adaptation of her story, and while she doesn't specifically age regress, she deals with flashbacks and feeling stuck in her memories of childhood at times, and there's a lot that makes me think of her as a flip. Anyways, because of the discussions about trauma, as well as some of the violence, I don't think I would recommend reading this while regressed, but I think a lot of regressors would appreciate this story when reading it in a healthy headspace for its content.

[maxalotlxl]

My Top 5 Favourite Reads In 2023

Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir This seems like my obvious winner, The Locked Tomb is easily my favourite series at the moment and I want to eat up everything Tamsyn Muir releases from now on. I did actually finish Harrow this year too, and I did really enjoy it but I have an easier time reading characters like Gideon and Nona. The characters in Nona was more my speed than Harrow.

Godkiller by Hannah Kaner Nona was only the obvious winner because it's part of The Locked Tomb Series as individual books Godkiller and Nona is so hard to pick a preferred favourite. I really only picked this book up first because the cover is stunning and you can't blame me, but these characters had me in a chokehold. This is what I want from a reluctant allies to found family story, they were all so wary of each other at the start but found themselves doing the absolute most to protect each other at the end. I am screaming for Sunbringers release early.

Harley Quinn: Reckoning by Rachael Allen Harley my beloved, I can't even remember when my love for this character started I know it started from a purely aesthetic point, I loved her design. I moved into reading the Suicide Squad comics, because I really dislike Joker and wanted a Harley story without him. Then this book happened, Harley back in college (kind of) and still being the chaotic character while actually showcasing this brilliantly smart person. I loved this! The second wasn't a favourite but was still amazing and I can't wait for the thirds release.

The Faithless by C.L. Clark Yes I picked up The Unbroken because Touraine is hot, and yes Touraine and Luca are infuriating characters that make you question why you have such a loyal need to support them. Didn't stop Magic of the Lost become a favourite pretty much immediately, this sequel tops the first for mainly one singular reason, Sabine. Sabine was my self insert, shamelessly thirsting after both of the main characters while playing the dutiful match maker for them both too.

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree L&L is the only 4 star read on this list, and this does make me reconsider my rating for that. Originally my 4 star was because despite knowing this was just a cozy read, I do feel the need for some action/drama happening. But this was exactly what I wanted this to be so it really does deserve the 5 stars. I read this with a friend who I play D&D with and we both do like to imagine the future of our characters after adventuring, and this is what that was. Retirement after a long DnD campaign. I do have Bookshops & Bonedust, and while I have started it this time of year is so busy I haven't had the chance to have the cozy atmosphere necessary for this book.

Honourable Mentions

If You'll Have Me by Eunnie Such a cute, fluffy romance between too very different people that are both wanting a romantic relationship but having a hard time to figure out what that actually means for both them. This was exactly what I needed when I was reading it, just unfortunately doesn't quite make the list.

Kill for Me Kill for You by Steve Cavanagh I read this alongside my mother and older sister (eventually the books getting passed onto so many people at work, I have no idea where my copy is anymore), the three of us love a good mystery. We were raised on murder mystery detective shows. I really enjoyed this book and the twists just kept coming. The only reason this isn't in my top 5 was because the others have been in my head a lot more than this one.

[pedanther]

Further to that conversation a while back about Harley Quinn's origin story:

DC has a series of prose young adult tie-in novels called DC Icons, which tells stories about famous DC heroes and antivillains as young adults. The most recently published one is Harley Quinn: Reckoning by Rachael Allen, set at the beginning of Harleen Quinzel's career as a student at Gotham University.

It's very good. It has room to give us a much more nuanced and engaging version of college-age Harleen than a couple of pages of a comic book. (The author is a neuroscientist in her day job, so she makes an effort to ground Harleen's mental state in real psychology.)

(The author is a neuroscientist in her day job, so she's been a female college student and she has Very Clear Opinions about the whole "everyone says Harleen Quinzel only got through college by seducing her professors" thing.)

I read the first three quarters or so in small nibbles, full of dread because the thing about prequels is that when you know the main character is going to have a Very Bad Day at some point in their future, it can be hard to judge whether the prequel is going to be full of Very Bad Days. This one isn't, though; there are good days and bad days, but the bad days are never as bad as I feared they might be.

It's the first book of a planned trilogy, apparently. The next one's due out this year, and is about Harleen starting work in Arkham. I don't know if the plan is for the third book to take us all the way up to and through Harleen's transformation into Harley Quinn, which seems kind of dark for the conclusion of a young adult trilogy, or just far enough that we can see the rest of the road ourselves. Anyway, this first one is really good.

[crimeloyalty-arch]

Poptarts? I'm afraid I desperately need to hear the story behind this.

Ah! This is a tidbit from Rachael Allen's Harley Quinn: Reckoning. (Spoilers ahead for anyone who's planning on reading this book!) 

Pop-Tarts on the towel rack, box getting emptier. I’m seven years old, and I’m crying, and I’m telling him I’m scared of small spaces and please don’t lock me in the bathroom again. I can take care of myself. I’ll be good, I swear. There’s a box of Pop-Tarts on the towel rack like usual. I try to scramble past him, but he picks me up by the back of my overalls and throws me in the bathtub. I’ll only be gone a few hours, he hollers through the door. Gonna meet some friends. He’s lying. If he was only going to be gone a few hours, he wouldn’t have put the pillow and blanket in the bathtub. That time—he didn’t come back for three days. I was down to half a Pop-Tart. And I couldn’t stop thinking that he had gotten into trouble—worse trouble than usual—and he wasn’t coming home, and I was going to die in that bathroom. I remember banging on the door, crying, screaming, hoping somebody—anybody—would hear me. I think I had a panic attack. It’s hard to say. I was only seven.

It's used as a narrative device throughout the book to represent Harleen's claustrophobia - the 'Pop-Tarts on the towel rack, box getting emptier' line pops up over and over again whenever she feels trapped. We only get the full story behind it when an eighteen-year-old Harleen spots her father being attacked outside their apartment -- this memory plays through her mind as she decides to walk away instead of attempting to rescue him. 

My dad is still taking a beating at the other end of the alley, but I pretend I don’t see him. There’s ice cream waiting down the street.

Of course, this is the day that Nick Quinzel dies, burdening Harleen with a lot more regret. 

“I saw him in the alley with a couple of men. He…often has gambling debts.” I look down at my hands. I could have intervened. I could have stopped this. You didn’t know what was going to happen. Didn’t I? “Did you call anyone?” asks Officer Montoya. “No,” I say, still unable to meet her eyes. “I was angry. About our fight.” “I see.” Officer Montoya doesn’t say it. She doesn’t have to. This is all my fault. His death is on my hands.

[psionotic]

My Favorite Culture 2023

It's New Year's Eve, so time again for my annual post to this platform! Here are the things I experienced for the first time in 2023 though of course not all of them are from 2023.

—Books—

Tell Me I’m Worthless. There’s something rotten in the haunted house of Albion, and it’s British fascism and increasingly normalized transphobia.

Station Eleven. The world ended, but a small troupe of survivors travel the wasteland, performing Shakespeare and making music.

Friday Black. A collection of science fiction stories that nibble at our social and racial conscience. “Through the Flash” has become one of my favorite short stories.

Klara and the Sun. Another Ishiguro novel narrated by an insightful, sensitive outsider? Check. Sad robots and sick kids? Ow my heart.

Piranesi. A stately, somber fantasy about truth, memory, and identity (re-)formation.

I also enjoyed: Kaiju Preservation Society, The Many Deaths of Laila Starr

Classics I read for the first time: The Scarlet Letter, Billy Budd, Bartleby the Scrivener, Clotel, Little Women, The Awakening, Immortality, Assassin’s Apprentice, Man’s Search for Meaning, The Witching Hour, ‘Salem’s Lot, The Remains of the Day, Between Two Fires, The Leftovers

I was mixed on: Fairy Tale, You Died: An Anthology of the Afterlife

I was bummed out by: California

—Movies—

Godzilla Minus One. Yes, the best movie I saw this year is about a giant nuclear-powered monster. It’s also about found family, redemption, and reckoning with a nation’s trauma—and shame.

Barbie. The anti-Fight Club; an all-singing, all-dancing Jewel of the World.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Come for the visual and auditory wonderlands, stay for the kinds of character stakes that more literary films can only genuflect towards.

Nimona. An adorable sci-fantasy queer allegory anchored by the punk rock snarl of Chloë Grace Moretz.

The Menu. The world’s most feted, reclusive chef (Ralph Fiennes @ maximum menace) throws an invitation-only dinner for some jagoff 1%-ers. Things get weird and then very, very bloody. Also Anya Taylor-Joy is in this and she’s maybe my favorite working actress..?

I also enjoyed: Polite Society, I Tonya, Elemental, The Marvels, No One Will Save You, Two Distant Strangers, Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

Classics I saw for the first time: The Haunting (1963), In the Mouth of Madness, Escape from New York, The Warriors, Lady Snowblood, Stalker, Sicario, Hanna, Insidious, Devil’s Pass, Edge of Tomorrow

I was mixed on: Creator, Last Night in Soho [though AT-J does her best!], The Invitation

I was bummed out by: Totally Killer

—TV—

Reservation Dogs. Succeeded Atlanta and Derry Girls as the best show about loveable weirdoes living in fraught circumstances. Now all three are over and I don’t know what to do, except say, “Love you bitches.”

Poker Face. Natasha Lyonne in a Rian Johnson-channeling Knives Out-by-way-of-Columbo joint with fun mysteries, a delicious visual sense, and delightful guest stars playing against type.

Scavengers Reign. Spacefarers separated during an emergency land on an alien world. An alien alien world with a complex, baffling ecosystem. Each is transformed by their experience. Alternatingly beautiful, horrifying, and profound.

Cunk on Earth. In this very British documentary series about the rise (?) of civilization, comedian Diane Morgan (as Philomena Cunk) asks some of the smartest historians and critics some of the dumbest questions imaginable. We’ve watched this maybe ten times this year, and it just keeps getting funnier every single one. Best line: “…they’d probably have a stroke, wouldn’t they?”

I also enjoyed: Silo, Fall of the House of Usher, The Last of Us, Harley Quinn, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, What We Do in the Shadows, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, Castlevania: Nocturne, Star Trek: Lower Decks and Strange New Worlds, Last Week Tonight, Taylor Tomlinson’s Quarter-Life Crisis and Look at You, Game Changer

I was mixed on: Star Wars: Ahsoka. Apparently the only nu-SW I can really enjoy is Andor and The Last Jedi…? Sad, this is.

—YT—

Folding Ideas. The best video essay channel covered the Metaverse, BlizzCon, and the GameStop stonks phenomenon this year.

Hbomberguy. The best video essay channel put out only a single video this year, the nearly four hour “Plagiarism and You(Tube)” which broke the internet and ended at least two careers.

Jacob Geller. The best video essay channel put out a half dozen videos this year, covering horror games, “Art in the Pre-Apocalypse”, the non-evolution of execution methods, and more.

Double Fine PsychOdyssey. A 32-part making-of documentary, following an indie game developer trying to build the at-long-last sequel to their most iconic game. During the seven years of development they face personality conflicts, staffing issues, artistic disagreements, the implosion of their publisher, angry fanboys, COVID, near-bankruptcy, a buy-out attempt, and a thousand other obstacles. If you’re interested in game development this is a must, but it’s also highly recommended to anyone involved with or fascinated by making collaborative art under capitalism (theater, film, etc).

—Games—

Baldur’s Gate 3. This was an incredible year for games, but nothing tops Larian Studios’ masterpiece. As good a simulation of an excellent D&D campaign as is possible in the medium, they’ve done just about everything right: deep character creation, memorable side characters and relationships, decisions with consequences that really matter, epic story moments, and satisfying tactical combat through some clever simplifications to the Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition ruleset. People will be talking about (and re-playing) this for a long, long time.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. The follow-up to one of the most creative and joyful open-world games ever made is even better than its predecessor, with a more heartfelt story and an unsurpassed physics and building system.

Alan Wake 2. Remedy’s Stephen King-meets-Twin Peaks classic got its loooong-awaited sequel. One half survival horror, one half hallucinogenic crazy train, all disturbing surreal goodness.

Marvel’s Midnight Suns. A little X-COM, a little Fire Emblem: Three Houses, marrying satisfying card- and turn-based tactical combat with some lovely character work. I never always knew I wanted to go stargazing with Illyana Rasputin, or watch movies with Nico Minoru, and this year I did both of these. (I also went fishing with Blade and joined a book club with Wolverine, so…).

I also enjoyed: Remnant 2, Dead Cells, Marvel Snap, Dead Space (2023), Resident Evil 4 (2023), Spiritfarer, Ratchet & Clank: A Rift Apart, Super Mario Wonder, Mario Kart 8 (booster courses)

Classics I played for the first time: Psychonauts, Portal 2, Rayman Legends

I was bummed out by: Diablo 4 [congrats to my once-favorite developer for earning this spot two years in a row!]

—Albums—

boygenius: The Record. Supergroup of queer indie-rock darlings put out their first LP and it’s top-to-bottom majesty. “Leonard Cohen” and “Not Strong Enough” might be my favorites now, but “True Blue” was my song o’ the summer and I must have spun it up a hundred times.

Mountain Goats: Jenny from Thebes. The first concert I’ve seen post-COVID was the Sacramento leg of the Goats’ recent tour. “Fresh Tattoo”, “Clean Slate”, and “Great Pirates” are highlights.

Susanne Sundfør: Blómi. I think I prefer the more europop-centric installments in Sundfør’s arty europop oeuvre (Ten Love Songs is still my fave), but there are some lovely songs here in art-music land, including the title track and “fare thee well” .

I was mixed on: Janelle Monáe: The Age of Pleasure, Paramore: This is Why.

—Podcasts—

If Books Could Kill. Michael Hobbes and Peter Shamshiri vivisect nonfiction bestsellers about politics, dating, manifesting, getting rich (quick!), and weight loss. Remember kids: Gladwell is a hack.

Just King Things. Two cultural critics who loved Stephen King as teens take up the Roland-ian task of reading and discussing every King book, once a month, for as long as it takes (the current schedule goes through 2028, but Uncle Steve is still pumpin’ ‘em out, so could be a while).

Triple Click. Kirk, Maddy, and Jason’s weekly non-cynical discussions of games and pop culture is my mood-enhancer. They’re gamers, but not Gamers, you understand.

I also listen to: You’re Wrong About, Hard Feelings with Jennette McCurdy, WTF with Marc Maron, The Besties/The Resties, Strong Songs

[daniellesreadingnook]

I finally finished “Harley Quinn: Reckoning” by Rachael Allen this past weekend.

It is part of the DC Icons series centering on the villain/anti-hero Harleen Quinzel aka Harley Quinn. This is a first in a trilogy centered on Harley.

The book is about an 18 year old Harley, going by Harleen who is in a science program at Gotham University.

Harley and a few other girls at the university team up and go after people who target and harass girls/others. Well when one girl is poisoned and another dead, Harleen figures out who is behind it so she can stop them while figuring out her future in science.

I liked this book as well as the others. The author includes a lot of science terms but it is written to a point where you can understand what she is saying.

The other underlying plot is showcasing women in science.

The DC Icons series retells heroes and villains in a different light that is amazing.

“Harley Quinn: Reckoning” is a great telling about Harley Quinn and women in science, revenge and, suspense.

I highly recommend!

Go check it out!

[finishinglinepress]

FLP CHAPBOOK OF THE DAY: Don’t Be Another Girl by B.M. Owens

On SALE now! Pre-order Price Guarantee: https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/dont-be-another-girl-by-b-m-owens/

DON’T BE ANOTHER GIRL includes poems that tackle themes of introductory #feminism, familial relationships, abuse, and mental illness. These free-verse and prose poems use pop culture, politics, and elements of nature as vehicles to mirror the violence of the western white patriarchy—following the journey of a budding feminist, these poems attempt to set the patriarchy ablaze. Realizing that fire consumes everything, DON’T BE ANOTHER GIRL aims to confront internalized #sexism and challenges gender expectations imposed by family, society, religion, and the government. Under the influences of Sharon Olds, Rachel McKibbens, Jaquira Díaz, Lucille Clifton, Jan Beatty, and Audre Lorde, these poems attempt to call into question the sexist ideals of a male-dominated society, while striving for sisterhood and self-love. DON’T BE ANOTHER GIRL is the first spark of a #feminist that doesn’t always get it right, but is trying to ground themselves after being uprooted.

B.M. Owens received her MFA in poetry from Florida International University. Her work has been published in Salamander, Small Orange Journal, Silk Road Review, among others. Owens was a finalist for the 2022 Academy of American Poets Prize and has been nominated for both Best New Poetsand the Pushcart Prize. Her debut chapbook, “Don’t Be Another Girl,” was a semi-finalist in the 2022 New Women’s Voices Chapbook Competition for Finishing Line Press.

PRAISE FOR Don’t Be Another Girl by B.M. Owens

Don’t Be Another Girl is a feminist reckoning and rallying cry from a thrilling new voice in the field. B.M. Owens chronicles personal history and public zeitgeist in these Promethean poems, borrowing fire from touchstone poets like Sharon Olds, Lucille Clifton, and Rachel McKibbens, then setting each page ablaze for a new generation of allies and advocates. In Owens’ own words, ‘my fire fuels/ forges/ floats up/ through my spine/ out of my mouth/ my voice scorching/ anyone who’d possess/ my words/ me.’ Handle carefully and gratefully. This book is hot.

–Julie Marie Wade, author of Skirted and When I Was Straight

B.M. Owens’ debut chapbook Don’t Be Another Girl perfectly captures what it is like to be female in this very fraught cultural moment. With pop culture icons (like Harley Quinn) and poetry foremothers (like Sharon Olds), Owens reverses the curse of hereditary and takes charge of her identity. Exquisite imagery, self-love and clear politics (despite “Your poems might make men uncomfortable,” said a man) inform these first-rate feminist poems.

–Denise Duhamel

Please share/please repost #flpauthor #preorder #AwesomeCoverArt #poetry #chapbook #read #poems

[the-novel-approach-reviews]

Review: Harley Quinn: Reckoning by Rachel Allen

Review: Harley Quinn: Reckoning by Rachel Allen #AmReading #BookTwitter

Title: Harley Quinn: Reckoning Series: DC Icons Series: Book One Author: Rachel Allen Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers Length: 390 Pages Category: YA/Teen Fiction Rating: 3.5 Stars At a Glance: Reckoning is all about the Girl Power. Rachel Allen unapologetically instills this as the foundation of her plot, and embracing that is a significant influence on the reader’s alliance with…