#i’m not anti sci-fi and fiction and fantasy

[sapphosclown]

looking for book recommendations!!

would love it if there are sapphics, there doesn’t have to be but it makes me happy

shows i like for taste reference: rise of the pink ladies, stranger things, community, i am not okay with this, heartstopper, school spirits, wednesday, umbrella academy

books i’ve liked in the past: one last stop (casey mcquinston), will grayson will grayson (john green), solitaire (alice oseman), radio silence (alice oseman)

[dlbookediting]

Image Text:

Hello, I’m Dominique! A freelance book editor.

With a keen eye for storytelling and a decade of experience editing fiction and non-fiction, I’m ready to help bring out the best in your writing! My edits are affordable, precise, constructive and geared towards enhancing your unique voice and vision.

See my qualifications below:

Philosophy BA (Pontificia Universidad Javeriana) Magna Cum Laude Specialized in Aesthetics, the theory of Art and Literature. Editorial Internship With World Renowned Art Historian and Curator Sir John Richardson. Philosophy MA Specialized in Anti-Fascist Ethics and Aesthetics, the theory of Art and Literature.

Services: 1. Proofreading Package

Your ticket to great prose! Get rid of any errors that may have slipped through previous edits. Includes a revision of your text’s grammar, spelling, and punctuation. $5 USD per 500 words. Every 500 words takes 2 days to check. Need it sooner? If you pay a rate of $15 USD per 500 words, I’ll check 500 words a day. *Best for final drafts

2. Standard Editing Package

Enhance your text’s overall readability. Includes a revision of your grammar, spelling, punctuation, word choice, syntax, style and tone, as well as a 1-page review and critique of your text. $0.01 USD per word; 5000 words min. Every 5000 words takes 3 days to check. Need it sooner? If you pay a rate of $0.015 USD per word, I’ll check 5000 words in 2 days (1 day faster). *Best for completed chapters, ACTS or drafts

3. Developmental Editing Package

Inline comments and a detailed report pinpointing your manuscript's strengths and potential for growth. Includes feedback on story elements such as: plot structure, character development, worldbuilding, pacing, and more. $0.015 USD per word; 5000 words min. Every 5000 words takes 5 days to check. Need it sooner? If you pay a rate of $0.025 per word, I’ll check 5000 words in 3 days (2 days faster). *Best for completed ACTS or drafts

FAQ

Are you a native English speaker? Yes, my first language is English. I grew up in the UK and went to university in the US, so I'm comfortable editing for UK or US grammar. What file formats do you accept? Please submit Microsoft Word files. This allows me to use the Microsoft Track Changes feature to make edits. What genres do you edit? I edit most fiction genres (YA, Fantasy, Romance, Sci-Fi, Horror, Mystery, Literary Fiction). Do you use AI? No, I provide 100% AI-free editing services. All comments and edits on your file are exclusively made by me.

Contact

therealsorcerersapprentice@gmail.com or DM Please include your name (or pseudonym), what service you’d like to request, the genre you’re submitting and your text’s word count. Sit back, relax, and let a seasoned editor bring out the best in your writing. You've earned it!

On the fence? Request a sample edit!

I’ll provide a sample edit of 1000 words of your writing free of charge. This is an excellent way to get a feel of my editing style and assess whether it’s right for you! *Only available for the standard editing package and the developmental editing package. Original text must be 5000 words min.

[ozzgin]

ok but now I’m curious about what’s on the whiteboard (unless it’s just random scribbles)

[Referring to the Yan!Professor doodle]

It is indeed a genuine snippet about the Dirac Sea!

Short answer: Dirac proposed the existence of an Anti-world (Dirac Sea) containing antiparticles, a model which was later disproved. It still remains a popular Sci-Fi trope.

Long answer: Let us briefly return to the time when Schrödinger had published his famous equation which described the wave function of a particle. Many physicists asked themselves if this new mathematical formula could be formatted in a relativistic way, according to Einstein's laws.

Now, I won't go into the mathematical details, but you essentially take the time-dependent Schrödinger equation and flip it around using operators and the mass-energy equivalence. What you get, if you're curious, is the Klein-Gordon Equation. If you try to solve it, you will get a -E solution.

Basically, they hit an impasse. Combining Schrödinger's equation with Einstein's relativism resulted in a mathematical solution which suggested there's negative (kinetic) energy. Is negative energy possible? This is where Dirac comes in. He sees the numbers and proposes the following idea: that our world is a sea of particles, and there's another anti-world which contains anti-particles.

The theory was quickly discarded, as it came with too many additional issues. If such anti-particles existed, for example, their mass and gravitational force would be so massive, they should be impossible to ignore. Where were these forces?

Later, Feynman would take over and clear up the confusion. These anti-particles of negative energy merely appear to travel backwards in time, but it's a mathematical trick which can be quickly "fixed" using CPT symmetry. An electron with negative energy traveling from A to B is really just a positron with positive energy that goes from B to A.

While Dirac's Sea turned out to be false, it was a massive source of inspiration for science fiction and fantasy. Surely you must've seen the trope of evil/opposite self from an alternate world. This is where it stems from.

[bootstrapparadoxed]

Writeblr Introduction

[image description: a somewhat foggy/blurry photo of a green valley with a thin strip of a village in the middle and a cloudy, lightly blue sky above]

Author name: Mattie Bukowski, he/him

Country of residence: Poland

Preferred genres: horror, sci-fi, fantasy (in that order) – all preferably mixed with literary, plus literary on its own

Preferred mediums: novel, short story, video essay

Occupation: PhD student (evolutionary biology)

Age: mid-twenties

Hi, my name is Mattie, I write unhinged fiction inspired by my various existential crises and make video essays about whatever I am hyperfixated on in that moment. I’m queer, autistic, and disabled. English is not my native language but at this point I use it more than my native. My debut novel will hopefully come out late this year from a small press.

I want this side-blog to be mostly about writeblr, so my updates on my stories (both WIP and published), interaction with other people, tag games, etc etc - but I will also talk occasionally about video essays (both mine and other people’s), books I’m reading (will mostly be reblogs from my personal blog or links to a website – coming soon) and other random things I think are important.

If you feel like I would be interested in your stories, please feel free to reply to this post or tag me!

Links:

Main WIP

My existing works

Hyper-specific genres and tropes I love

Personal blog

YouTube channel

Full WIP list under the cut:

FrankensteinWIP – novel, working title “Offspring of Unhappy Days”: a literary horror with dark academia vibes and a dark m/m romance; tag line: “When two scientists discover a horrifying truth about consciousness and death, their obsessive devotion to each other pushes them to do the unthinkable.” Comps: “Babel”, “Leech”, “These Violent Delights”, “Call Me By Your Name”

30% drafted, fully outlined, want to finish the full draft and edit this year

Disability and Horror – video essay; explores the relationship between disability portrayal in horror, the ableism of the horror genre, and the way horror media/fiction can reflect or portray experiences of disabled people, albeit accidentally

Fully drafted, partially edited script, planning to release it this year

Hitchhiker's Guide is an Existentialist Masterpiece – video essay; starts off talking about how the works of Douglas Adams can be deeply philosophical and existential and goes into a lot of things, including chance, luck, and free will.

Partially outlined, planning to have it released this year, hopefully around August/September.

Ideas for novels or novellas that are spinning around in my head 24/7:

“eulogy”, a literary dystopia about a woman trying to document the full scope of humanity before the last human dies of old age; started drafting ages ago and dropped

a space horror novella about a space colony living on a planet that wants them dead, and an outcast accidentally stuck on it, with inspiration from one of my most obscure fears – ball lightning

a “soft-boiled, sybir-punk” novel – set in a future dystopian Russia and follows a bizarre conspiracy; comps: “The Author of My Immortal Emailed Me…” video by Sarah Z and Dirk Gently novels

rewrite of my first novel, “before the stardust” – an anti-capitalist space opera about five young people trying to find their place in the universe; started re-drafting a year ago and dropped

[a-strange-inkling]

What’s the?

Worst ask you’ve gotten

Weirdest ask

Funniest ask

Dumbest ask

Creepiest ask

Second ask(so I don’t bombard you)

What are your favorite?

Tv shows

Hobbies

Food

Movies

Scent(for example lavender)

Music

Book genre

1. Worst ask you’ve gotten?

Oh, I don’t know. I think anon hate is so pathetic that I don’t even make note of it. Even antis needing to be nasty about a ship or interest I have amuse me more than anything else. Anon asks demanding that I post or demanding to know when I’m posting something can be pressuring and rude. It can make me feel like I’m not doing enough or that I’m failing readers, so probably one of those. Those can actually hurt.

2. What’s the weirdest ask?

The anon ask for pictures of my feet probably wins. I’m sure it was just a troll fishing.

3. What’s the funniest ask?

God, I could never narrow that done, I’ve gotten asks where I can’t breath I’m laughing so hard. These days, Maggie headcanons have me wheezing.

4. What’s the dumbest ask?

I always say there are no dumb asks. Only if someone asks something on a post they clearly did not read all the way through that has the answer to their question. That always makes me chuckle a little, but we’ve all done that before.

5. What’s the creepiest ask?

Any anon asking anything super personal, like where I live, my relationship status, etc. 😬

…

Favorites

Shows: Outlander, Poldark, Downton Abbey, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Being Human, Buffy, Doctor Who, Friends, Parks and Rec, Stranger Things, The Borgias, etc

Hobbies: Reading, writing, journaling, hiking, drawing, watercolor painting, scrapbooking, baking, photography, antiquing, repurposing, farming, soap making, candle making

Foods: Breakfast foods 😋

Movies: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Star Wars, The Mummy, Rebecca, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Knives Out, The Count of Monte Cristo, Pride and Prejudice, Titanic, Ever After, Tangled, The Hunger Games, Breakfast Club, Clue, Labyrinth, Ophelia, Little Women (1995), Beauty and the Beast, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Sound of Music, The Lion King, The Greatest Showman, Tristan and Isolde, etc (it’s a long list 😆)

Scents: Vanilla, cinnamon, clove, old book pages, masala chai, black locus blossoms, honeycombs

Music: Folk, classic rock, indie, classical

Book genres: Fantasy, sci-fi, historical fiction, suspense/thriller, romance, mystery, fairy tales, folk tales

[le-trash-prince]

About Me

Hi, I’m Em. I’m biracial, queer, genderfluid, and autistic. I don’t have preferred pronouns. I’m grey-a and polyamorous leaning. I’m in my 30s.

My AO3

What to expect from my blog

Sometimes I post NSFW content here—the fannish headcanon sort, so this is not a space for minors.

I grew up on kinkmeme rules, so I don’t particularly care to control what people do with fictional characters, whether it’s my cup of tea or not. I don’t align with anti beliefs on puritanism within fandom. I think ppl should just tag things so they can be avoided at will.

This is not a space for radfems, tradfems, or white supremacists.

I am a very political person, but this is not really a political space, for the sake of my mental health. I’m a queer latine living in Texas, and sometimes I need to not think about the fact that my government wishes I were dead. 👍 Me not engaging with a political or activist post is not a moral failing. I also don’t think social media is a reliable source of news.

I will tag content warnings when I am asked to. I am here to have a good time and I want other people to enjoy themselves. I aim to not be a bigot. But I will not make performative claims that this is a safe space for xyz group, when I know that I can and will make mistakes.

The fun stuff

I enjoy queer media and sci-fi/fantasy.

I watch a fair amount of BL/GL.

I like both wholesome ships and fucky ships.

I’m into Broadway musicals and anime theatrical adaptations.

I listen to a lot of different music, and I follow a few kpop groups.

I am very autistically into tea.

I love Murderbot.

I enjoy arts and crafts, particularly home decor related things. I do a little bit of cosplay here and there.

I spend a lot of time looking at and thinking about the weather.

I love baseball and I also kind of hate baseball.

I’m a monsterfucker and a robotfucker and a furry, I guess.

Select Meta Posts

Pit Babe

Pit Babe 2 Pilot Trailer Kenta Meta

Pit Babe ep 13 Kenta

Kenta & Dean pt 1

Kenta & Dean pt 2

Kenta & Pete pt 1

Kenta & Pete pt 2

Alan ep 10

OFMD

Calypso's Birthday

[pesbianlanic]

march 2023 reading

books in bold are especially recommended! i had the pleasure of reading some absolute bangers this month.

Gilded by Marissa Meyer - 5/10. i dunno. i loved the Lunar Chronicles, which is the main reason i picked this up. while i enjoyed a lot of the horror-lite world-building, there were parts of it that confused me. i also thought that the pacing and the ending were off. i’m going to read the sequel in hopes that it gets better. we’ll see.

Empty by Susan Burton - 7/10. hard to get through. but i appreciated the writing and her insights.

On A Sunbeam by Tillie Walden - 8/10. beautiful art and cute gay story. what’s not to love?

Blackfish City by Sam J. Miller - 9/10. y’all. i am obsessed with this. i want to live inside sam j. miller’s mind because OH MY GOD this was amazing. we love queer-centering anti-capitalist speculative sci-fi about a world after climate change! literally want a tattoo inspired by this book immediately.

Babel, Or the Necessity of Violence by R.F. Kuang - 10/10. i was once again entranced by Kuang’s prose, world-building, and commentary. i’ve been thinking a lot recently about the *apparent* inevitability of imperialism and capitalism, so this was very cathartic.

Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon - 9/10. an enchanting and powerful book. i will be thinking about this one for a long time.

Our Colors by Gengoroh Tagame - 8/10. i always love gay coming-of-age stories. 

Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo - 8/10. i think i preferred Ninth House, but this sequel still holds up! it’s fun, bloody, mysterious, and magical.

Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters - 9/10. i enjoyed this novel. it was an interesting exploration of gender and parenthood, and it made me go down a rabbit hole investigating queer temporality.

Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir - 10/10. DEVASTATING! I NEED ALECTO THE NINTH IMMEDIATELY. I WILL NOT BE NORMAL ABOUT THIS BOOK

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens - 2/10. the more i reflect on this book, the more i wish i hadn’t wasted my time reading it. a few reasons why: (1) the characterization of the two Black people in this book seemed racist in a song of the south way. (2) i think i’m losing my patience for straight people lit. i think i’m becoming heterophobic. (3) kya gave me mary sue vibes (don’t get me started on her poetry). (4) the ending was rushed and cliche, and i skipped most of it. (5) also, SPOILERS but kya did turn out to be the murderer in the end, so where was my murder scene hm???? i wanted to see that asshole get killed. it gets a 2 for its excellent descriptions of nature, because that is clearly delia owens’ true wheelhouse.

The Jakarta Method by Vincent Bevins - 9/10. excellent exploration of US-backed anticommunist violence (mass murders), its personal and devastating effects for the victims and survivors, and how it shaped the world we live in today.

Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White - 10/10. holy shit. this was everything my queer, religiously traumatized ass needed. this is the kind of queer representation i’ve been waiting for. beautiful, messy, horrifying, cathartic, and inspiring all at once. i will be following AJ White! i’m so excited to read The Spirit Bares Its Teeth later this year.

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata - 8/10. this was a really interesting exploration of work culture, non-conformity, and the ways that essential workers (such as the titular convenience store woman) are looked down upon by society.

Dolly Dingle, Lesbian Landlady by Monica Nolan - 8/10. a fun, modern take on lesbian pulp fiction of the ‘50s/’60s! don’t expect anything too deep or artistically aspirational, because that is not the point. it’s just an entertaining, gay, easy read.

The Bruising of Qilwa by Naseem Jamnia - 9/10. a beautiful, magical, queer book that examines the complexities of immigration, empire, and violence in the guise of a blood magic fantasy novel.

The Silence of Our Friends by Mark Long - 6/10. as a telling of the author’s father’s real experiences in the ‘60s, it’s personal and compelling. however, this graphic novel mainly centers white people grappling with racism (because we don’t have enough stories about that /s). could be appropriate for introducing young (white) kids to the history of the Civil Rights Movement and issues of racism.

bonus - a book i stopped reading:

The Library of the Unwritten by A.J. Hackwith. the premise of this book was intriguing and sounded like exactly the kind of thing i’d enjoy reading. however, something about the characterization and dialogue grated on my nerves. the main character, claire, especially annoyed me. also, when i see 8 ellipses within the span of a few paragraphs, i start to get peeved. it made me want to reread Good Omens as a palate-cleanser with similar vibes. maybe i’ll try it again at some point, but for now this book is not for me.

goodreads shenanigans here

[bingsoo-jung]

This or That

I was tagged by @writinglittlebeasts if anyone else wishes to do this, please just do it. I grant you permission to tag me saying I tagged you okay?​

I am also incredibly opinionated and this is about to show.

|| HISTORICAL or FUTURISTIC ||

So while I almost exclusively write historically set fantasy, I’m actually far more of a scifi girlie! I just... struggle to write it. But I tend to enjoy scifi set in the future a bit more and find the tropes easier to understand. I just tend to get caught up in the granularity of writing it and the science of it. This is very likely because I study astrophysics and math.

|| OPENING or CLOSING CHAPTER ||

While I love closing chapters from other people. I’m better at writing openings. What can I say, I’m a ‘make a fucking splash’ person.

|| LIGHT+FLUFFY or DARK+GRITTY ||

I love fluff. I read so much fluff. I, however, write fucked up little dudes in fucked up little worlds. I also think that keeping your eyes to purely hopeful things can limit the stories you want to tell. While the same can be said for dark and gritty, let’s be honest, no anti-colonial story is ever told with a purely light and fluffy setting. The premise of addressing such violence predicates darker themes. And I really enjoy telling colonizers to fucking shove it.

|| ANIMAL COMPANION or FOUND FAMILY ||

While I can intellectually appreciate a good animal companion. I’m going to be so real with you, I don’t care enough about animals for that. I was never into cats or dogs as a kid, never wanted to be an animal. I like being human so much. On top of which, I think found family is so sweet. While I tend to keep more to ‘actual family’ rather than found family in my writing, I like the idea of making your own fate and comfort and friends, and of binding yourself to people out of choice and dedication and blood. So found family all the fucking way.

|| HORROR or ROMANCE ||

I don’t write horror or romance. But I think there is something shocking and beautiful in the macabre of twisted delights as we fall together and apart and back together again. Also most romance is just written so badly that I think I have to choose horror for this.

|| HARD MAGIC SYSTEM or SOFT MAGIC SYSTEM ||

So legally I should say hard for this, since, once more, local science bitch here. But in reality, soft magic systems I think allow for magic to be more of a mechanic of the plot and relationships than something that must be defined for “plot purposes.” As long as a soft magic system maintains its internal logic system I will often prefer it to a hard magic system. I also think a lot of hard magic systems end up being weirdly sexist (@brandonsanderson you mfer.)

|| STANDALONE or SERIES ||

I love love series. But I think people’ve lost sight of what a good standalone can mean. I also think a lot of people are being pushed into writing series because publishers want money more than they want quality.

|| ONE PROJECT AT A TIME or ALWAYS JUGGLING 2+ ||

I used to be always juggling, but I like having one thing to focus on and spiral about. It also means I’m going crazy over one story, but that’s fine.

|| ONE AWARD WINNER or ONE BESTSELLER ||

Bestseller statuses are meaningless. You know what’s not? A Ignyte or Hugo or Nebula. I like having shiny statues that let you know I was very good at a very specific thing.

|| FANTASY OR SCI-FI ||

See this goes back to the original thing. I am a scientist, most of the media I consume by myself is science fiction. While I do play ttrpgs and almost only play them in fantasy settings, and only write fantasy, this is because I can’t convince other people to play science fiction games with me. I almost only watch scifi shows and listen to scifi podcasts. While I tend to read more fantasy this is because of a lack of good modern scifi in my opinion. Science fiction is at it’s best when there is research behind it, when people bother to realise that the universe is near infinite and thus there are near infinite possibilities for different existences out there.

Magic to me, while beautiful, is something of fairy tales and unrealities in a way we use to discuss the past. Fantasy is how we discuss what was and unpack the yesteryears of existence. The past, no matter how we memorialize what was and what we lost, will always have been imperfect. That’s an unfortunate reality. I write Asian fantasy, and even though I celebrate what was good and what was lost, the deal is that was lost, and we can never truly regain it. And for all the things that were beautiful, there were a hundred more things that weren’t. Like while queerness was more acceptable in Siam and Ayutthaya, it wasn’t perfect. There was still sexism and structural homophobia, and no wishing for what was will change that. But the future is what we make of it, and thus science fiction is how we set down the roads to dream of those better and more perfect futures. I want to make a better world and I think we do that through dreaming a better one.

|| CHARACTER DESCRIPTION or SETTING DESCRIPTION ||

I appreciate a good character description, but I think people tend to focus too much on the reality of what someone looks like rather than the impression it leaves. I also just enjoy writing the setting more. I don’t think character description is always necessary. But knowing where you are and the ways in which location fill characters with sensation are just more fun.

|| FIRST DRAFT or FINAL DRAFT ||

I WANT TO BE DONE. I WANT TO BREAK FREE.

|| LOVE TRIANGLE IN EVERYTHING or NO ROMANTIC ARCS ||

Am I currently trying to solve love triangles with polyamory? Yes. Do I think people need to stop acting like romance is the end all be fucking all of stories and existence and that love comes in more forms than romantic overtures? Yes. Draw back on the romance folks. Sometimes a good plot with solid friendships is better than two people kissing. 

|| CONSTANT SANDSTORM or RAINSTORM ||

I hate both of these. But I hate sand more than I hate water. I am a SEAsian from SoCal. I need humidity to live.

[adamwatchesmovies]

Eragon (2008)

While I didn't enjoy this film, that doesn't mean you won't. No matter what I say, the people involved in this project did it: they actually made a movie. That's something to be applauded. With that established...

My craving for new Star Wars stories has reduced me to looking up knock-offs of the popular franchise. I’ve seen all kinds of stories, but most ended up being simply generic sci-fi/fantasy tales or movies that had a last-minute coating of laser swords, robots and blasters added onto them. What I was looking for was Eragon; a Star Wars rip-off so blatant you could write the script yourself - just remember to substitute “lightsaber” for “dragon” and there you go!

It’s all set in Middle-earth... I mean a world named Alagaësia, home to humans, elves, dragons, and dwarves. Actually, there aren’t many dragons. Years ago, all the wizard/knight dragon riders were betrayed by the evil Galbatorix (John Malkovich), who killed them all and now rules unopposed. Our hero is Luke SkyPotter... I mean Dragon... I mean Eragon (Ed Speleers), a 17-year-old boy who finds a dragon's egg stolen from Galbatorix by Princess Leia, I mean Arya (Sienna Guillory). Eragon and the newly-hatched Saphira (voiced by Rachel Weisz) meet with Obi-Wan Kenobi... I mean Brom (Jeremy Irons), who sets them on a path to save the kingdom.

The comparisons to other franchises are obvious. A Star Wars-like story structure, set in the world of Lord of the Rings, complete with Uruk-hai chasing our hero, ringwraiths, elves, etc., there’s a dash of Harry Potter thrown in with the scar on Eragon’s hand and his spellcasting abilities. I already started poking fun at the movie in my synopsis, but you would too if you'd seen the film. “Alagaësia” is no "Middle-earth", Galbatorix sounds like the name of an anti-depressant, and other wild titles like Durza, Murtagh, Nasuada are all lost upon audience members who have not read the books.

Eragon sounds silly and looks ridiculous. Granted, the dragons and flying monsters are convincing but everywhere else, the word of the day was “cheap”. I feel terrible for Djimon Hounsou as Ajihad, forced to wear a bad wig or a ridiculous hat in every scene. All the costumes look like they’ve been dug out of every generic fantasy setting, or are so wild they make you wince. The armies of Urgals (the orc-like creatures) are just a bunch of dirty barbarians with war paint. If they had horns, yellow-ish gray skin, or their own language or something, then this movie would begin to stand out.

This movie is a mess. Events that should take years take days, none of the characters are interesting, and the world isn't the least bit immersive. Even if you forgive the unoriginal plotline or get past the inherent silliness, the story’s just not well told. Eragon's bad decisions don’t make him look like an overeager youth, they brand him as a colossal fool. The magic is easily recognized as a plot device whose “rules” only apply when the plot demands. It feels like a bad fan-fiction.

Scenes are so badly assembled they become confusing. At one point, Eragon and his mentor see a group of villagers being attacked by Urgals. Eragon exclaims that they need to help them and instead of doing anything, they go off to train. I understand you can't jump into a fight without being prepared, but those people are being killed right now! After the training montage… the people they were training to help are never seen again! I guess Brom or Eragon took too long to get through those lessons? If you're writing a story like this, have the heroes arrive right as the massacre is ending so Eragon can lament that he could have done something and then have Brom tell him that after this training, that statement will be true!

I will give Eragon this. It’s so derivative, so poorly directed/written and so easy to ridicule I’m upset we didn’t get a sequel. I’d love to see another one of these movies! Doesn’t the idea of dragon riders make you excited? Even badly done, it gets your adrenaline flowing. If you want a movie that’s easy to make fun of, and I mean REALLY easy, watch Star Wars to see what a good movie is, and then see Eragon. It’s a trainwreck but one I watch with affection. (Fullscreen version on Dvd, January 1, 2016)

[zueps]

izuom’s rules

hi! before i start , there are few things for me to clarify. first! please be informed that every single person that writes on here, or any writing platforms comes in different ways of writings/delivering emotions through words online and may have unconsciously trigger anyone who read to what they're writing to. and i am certainly sure things like these will occur on my blog someday. so, from here i'll be listing on few things based only on my comfortable perspective and not anyone's taste in reading/dislikes. i highly respect everyone here to always stay responsible in things they consumed online especially when it comes to this platform. secondly, such as what i'm writing and what i am not gonna write, both as in present and future works are stated as down below details. everyone are advised to read before proceeding to read/interact with my works, therefore, please take the time to read carefully.

byf

first thing first, when it comes to groups i'm writing to, please be reminded that i listen to lots of groups including the year in 2nd-3rd gens which is controversial enough especially when you’re a certain fan of a particular group. with much respect, kindly leave if you're an anti/hater in general to any, i repeat, ANY groups i'm listening to (read carrd for better references). any hatred spotted in dealing fanwars that invades in my works are forbidden to stay within interacting. however, if it does happen on my blog someday, please be acknowledged that any dispute will not be entertained and strictly will be blocked.

also, this blog do not stand for only one specific group's writing blog, so if you're only looking for a blog that writes for only a group you're interested to, then it is safe to say that this blog is not for you.

here's a list of groups i'm writing and may be writing in the future : tomorrow x together, nct dream, enhypen, aespa, riize, le sserafim, the boyz, zerobaseone, more to be added!

what i'm writing : genre / sub-genre / other details

i am a person with curiosity and i will write everything in subject that fits to genre i'm writing to. as everyone can see, most of my works will be written in romance, either comes with sub-genre such as romance-fantasy, romantic comedy (rom-com), dark romance, contemporary & historical romance.

other significant genre that i’ll write includes; science fiction (sci-fi), fantasy, comedy, horror, adventure, crime, action, thriller, mystery and historical. (list will be updated from time to time as for my writing progression increases but these are the genres that i definitely will write).

for mature contents such as sexual/violence/crimes act and themes applied in each fic will be informed and stated in details as a friendly warnings before proceeding to read further. i write based on my common understanding and knowledgeably sense in terms of kinks, mental problems, self-harm, and so on.

other reliable concerns, sensitive topics and questionable subjective such as yandere, kidnapping, or somnophilia are completely fine for me to write. one thing you’ve to learn about staying aware ; don’t like it, don’t read.

what i'll not write : details

any BDSM related topic; degradations except for spitting. (it is fine to me but never exceed to ‘terms of spitting’).

any idols that were born after the year of 02 will not engage with sexual themes, smut writings or even a suggestive. no apologies advanced, indeed i am extremely uncomfortable writing, let alone imagining any people that are younger even by only a year younger than me involving in a sexual activity. / no smut and related mature contents for idols starting 03 and after.

request

i don’t do requests. all fics that were announced in public are mostly written based on my preferable pace. i don’t put pressure on writings as serious as most of writers does here. and i’m mostly only here to share and see my writing progression evaluation for fun. it’s a self-practice that will not take for future self me so..

others which considered as things you need to know about this blog ;

i yap, unfortunately. most of the posts if not about updating posters/outlet/taglist are mostly just me rambling. once again, my ults are txt and nct dream + (enha) and i religiously talk about them on a daily basis like there’s no tomorrow and if it’s bothering you in any kind of way, i softly demand to leave. also, please keep in mind that i am a full-time office worker, thus, my times on tumblr are limited in case of replying, texting, updating or even staying for more than 5 hours. you’ll find me disappear most of the times, so please, be easy on me.

also!! anyone who wants to be moots/close friends are always welcome to interact with me (ofc after proceeding with the first part of the rules). anyone who wants to talk about non-kpop stuff, political, literature, music, films, video and photo editing, just anything in general pls don’t hesitate to hmu!! i am always interested to talk about anything.

[therandomavenger]

Favorite Books of 2023

When this year started, I set myself a challenge on Goodreads to read 100 books. Currently, I have read 159 books, so I guess you could say I overperformed. Those are print books, eBooks, and audiobooks. I make no distinctions. There’s nothing on the list under 100 pages, either, so I didn’t really count individually published short stories, though I did count the collections.

I love books and I love talking about them, so I’m going write about my favorite books I read this year. A word about the list: This is a list of books that I read this year, not necessarily books that were published this year. And while I am numbering them (sort of), this is also not necessarily a list of the best books I read this year, merely my favorites. Most of the books I read tend to be science fiction and fantasy, though I do read a healthy amount of nonfiction as well, as well as some general fiction. I do not read horror, except in rare cases. This list is merely to give me a chance to talk about things I loved.

Also, I have combined entire series or multiple books in a series as one entry. I do not apologize for this.

So, because no one demanded it, here are my favorite books I read this year, in reverse order. The order changed several times while compiling the list so don’t get too hung up on the number assignments.

Honorable Mentions

The Creative Act by Rick Rubin (Nonfiction) This is a meditation on creativity in all its forms, though Rubin is primarily known as a music producer and his examples reflect that. It’s about how creative minds work. There’s a lot of talk about process, and how to get unstuck, but mostly it’s about how to live as a creative person.

The Undiscovered Country Vol 1-4 by Scott Snyder, Charles Soulle, and Giuseppe Camuncoli (Graphic Novel). This series takes place a number of years in the future, after the United States has sealed its borders and cut off all communication with the outside world. Thirty years later, a group is invited to return, and see what the US has become. What has it become? A bunch of independent regions who are all some flavor of fucked up. Also, time inside may be broken? This is a fantastic, thought-provoking adventure story. The characters are fascinating, the art is amazing.

How to be an Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi (Nonfiction). This is a book about racism in all its forms, the effects it has had on society, and how to combat it within yourself and within the culture at large. Kendi lets no one off the hook for any of this. It really made me think about several things in new ways.

And now the top ten, in reverse order.

10. Winter’s Orbit/Ocean’s Echo by Everina Maxwell (Science Fiction). I told you I was combining books, though I’m really cheating here because while these are linked, they are essentially standalones. In Winter’s Orbit, an arranged marriage ends up overturning the political system of an entire star system. In Ocean’s Echo, Maxwell gives us a sci-fi spin on the fake dating trope. The world is Queer normative, which was refreshing. Both couples in each book were male/male. Exciting sci-fi concepts plus relationship drama. What’s not to love?

9. The End of Everything by Katie Mack (Nonfiction). I inhaled this book, I found it so fascinating. In it, Mack discusses, in an entertaining and surprisingly hopeful way, the current theories about how the universe might end, going into detail about when it might happen and what it might look like to the people (or beings) who are around for it. Some of these are distressingly plausible and could happen at any moment. She concentrates on the science, and how we know what we know, as well as what the implications are for our current world.

8. Far Sector by N.K. Jemison and Jamal Campbell (Graphic Novel). Rookie human Green Lantern Jo Mullen is assigned to the City Enduring, on the other side of the cosmos, and has to solve a series of murders and attempt to start a war from breaking out among the city’s thousands of factions. I usually don’t read stuff from the major superhero universes, but Jemison brought me in to this and it did not disappoint. It is also enough of a standalone that you can read it without caring about what else is going on in the wider universe. The art is gorgeous, which is a bonus.

7. The Engineer/The Gangster/The Doctor by CS Poe (Fantasy). A federal agent hunts down criminals in a steampunk world, while hiding from his own past as a war criminal, and along the way falling in love with an outlaw. I read the first book and immediately downloaded the rest that were available. The fantasy concepts and worldbuilding are original, and the love story is swoonworthy, which is all you can ask for with something like this.

6. Once and Future Vol 1-5 by Kieron Gillen, Dan Mora, and Tamra Bonvillan (Graphic Novel). As prophecy foretold, King Arthur has returned to reclaim his crown, accompanied by a motley assortment of creatures out of legend. This is not a good thing, because King Arthur is a powerful psychopath who does not have the people’s best interests at heart. An aging warrior, her grandson, and the grandson’s maybe girlfriend are all that can oppose the new order, as the British Isles are plunged into chaos. It’s a startling take on the legends, as well as a meditation on what heroism actually is. The story is complete in these five volumes.

5. Nettle and Bone by T. Kingfisher (Fantasy). This is not a story about a princess who wants to marry a prince. This is a story about a princess who wants to kill one. She has her reasons, and will assemble a collection of allies to help her. Also, a really sweet slow-burn love story. This won the HUGO, so it really doesn’t need me to recommend it, but I do.

4. An Echo in the Sorrow/A Veiled and Hallowed Eve by Hailey Turner (Fantasy). These are the final two volumes in Turner’s Soulbound Series, about a wounded battle mage illegally soul-bonded to his werewolf boyfriend. And this conclusion did not disappoint. A lot of amazing urban fantasy concepts, a veritable war of the gods, plus all the feels. I was eager to see Jono and Patrick find their happy ever after, and she made me sweat for it, but Turner delivered.

3. Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman (Nonfiction). This is more than a book about productivity. It is a book about our entire relationship with time itself, and our sense of progress. It made me think of these things in new ways, and was also an enjoyable, engaging read. A book about what we’re really looking for and how we might go about finding it.

2. Last Exit by Max Gladstone (Fantasy). Ten years ago, a group of college studentsembarked on an epic quest through many possible worlds, on a mission to save reality. They failed, and one of them fell. Now, the survivors must complete the quest even though they now have hard-fought-for lives they are leaving behind. Serious Dark Tower vibes here, and a twist I did not see coming, but made perfect sense. A book about what we owe to the past, and what we owe to each other. Also, hope.

1. The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune (Fantasy). An easy pick for one of my favorite books of all time. Linus is sent to investigate Arthur’s Home for Magical Youth, and ends up finding more than he bargained for. A book about finding your family and your true love at the same time, and the lengths you’ll go to to fight for them. Also, about discovering who you really are, and the strength waiting inside you. I bawled like a baby through the last fifty pages, not even kidding.

And that’s it, my favorite books of the year. What were your favorites?

[screamingiminlovewithyou]

bestie do you read online books too? because i honestly still read a lot of fanfic and complete book/movie rewrites and they are really good, 30-40+ chapters and i love with my whole heart but i feel like if i were to tell people i would be looked at as immature and like i’m not reading real books (i’m almost 24) and i get so disheartened when i see people tell others their book lists don’t count cause they read fiction or fantasy or ya or sci fi ☹️ anyways sorry for this ranting/question 😔

No I personally dont, but i don’t think it’s anything odd to say you’re reading a book you found online!

I personally haven’t seen that because I don’t really interact with anyone like that (thankfully). I think if you’re reading a book then who is to judge you. You should enjoy reading, end of story. Unless it’s like some racist, xenophobic, homophobic, anti-Semitic horrible book then I don’t think it matters what you read.

[nadiawrimos]

It’s the most wonderful time of the year

 …. NANOWRIMO PREP SEASON IS HERE!!

I’ve written 0 words of fiction since July 5th, which is the last time I tried to edit Good People and I had a meltdown because I hate editing :)))

As a treat, I’m going to draft something new for NaNoWriMo 2022. I have 3 potential ideas to choose from:

1. Eve of Dragons - fantasy (obviously), pretty much already zero drafted with a 20K outline 

PS I’m finally watching Game of Thrones (yes, in the year of our lord 2022) because i’ve been to the real King’s Landing, and Astapor, and I’ve sat in the iron throne used in season 3 so I figured OK fine time to watch the show

2. Breath of Fire - sci-fi/ cli-fi, dune adjacent (because there’s a giant crab) post apocalyptic story planned out last year using the jot bin pants method and intended to be my NaNoWriMo 2021 project before I realized I shouldn’t write 50,000 words immediately before going to a 3 week intensive yoga teacher training in the jungle 

3. Office Lady - some kind of paranormal anti-capitalist and side hustle culture story about a witch who gets trapped in a magical MLM

I’m leaning towards the last 2 ideas; BoF has the most planning done, even though the major plot line is tenuous at best and OL is really more of a spark of an idea than anything. less than a month until NaNo and it’s also the busiest season for my work; I might cheat this year and start writing early to save my wrists (and my sanity)

[bereft-of-frogs]

I think why my brain keeps sort of zeroing in on the ‘these kids know there’s fun, silly, escapist genre fiction made in countries other than the US and Britain right’ is because

1. people who are much smarter than me are covering the important parts about anti-intellectualism, the issues with culture vs counter-culture, the importance of art, etc

2. I like foreign genre fiction. A lot of it is really fun. I try to always be respectful that subtitles are not always accessible to people, but if you’re avoiding media in languages other than English because you think it’s all stuffy or boring or difficult, please reconsider because you will find fast-paced, funny, engaging works from all over the world.

3. It really comes down to: hey, you kids know that mocking and dismissing any non-Hollywood, non-Anglophone film is not the zinger blow to elitism you think it is right? Reducing international film to exclusively like, idk Tartovsky is just denying that people outside of your immediate Western social circle also have a diverse range of cultural experiences that include both difficult art pieces and comedy and romance and escapist speculative fiction.

4. For the people saying that this isn’t the important consequence of anti-intellectualism and we should be focusing on politics instead, that film is just entertainment so it doesn’t matter as much as other forms: how many young, self-proclaimed progressives and leftists just spent the last four months falling hook, line, and sinker for a whole bunch of Russian propaganda because they could not conceptualize Ukraine as a full society and culture.

I’m not saying that film is going to solve the problem of people falling for Russian propaganda, but it is a lot harder to just eat it up (or any other kind of propaganda) when you’ve got a perspective on the culture that’s not limited to what you see on the news or in documentaries. The point of any art is to give people insight into experiences they can’t have, and I think that’s why international film is so important, even if it’s fiction, even if it’s fluffy sci-fi/fantasy or romance.

[4alarmfirecracker]

So... The Nevers. What's it all about? I've seen your gifsets and my interest is piqued. I 100% trust your taste in shows as you got me into Astrid and Raphaelle last year and am a keen follower of your wlw journeys haha

OMG where do I startttt. First, thank you for trusting me with your choice of shows to watch (and ships ^^). ♥ I always seem to choose the small fandom ships though :D

I call them Truedair but the fandom doesn’t seem to have come to a choice ... On twitter you have TruePenance you also have Trudair and that’s mostly the main ship names. I love “Truth and Dair” and ThunderCloud (when you see the scene in ep 3 you’ll know ^^)

No Ann it’s not Adue and no Laura it’s not Pamalia :D

Everything under the cut ♥

---------- General ----------

Ok so now ... a general comment about what the show is. Took it from wiki tbh ^^

The series is set in Victorian London and follows a group of people, mostly women, known as the Touched, who suddenly manifest abnormal abilities. Among them are Amalia True, a mysterious and quick-fisted widow, and her best friend Penance Adair, a brilliant inventor.

The Nevers is described as "an epic science fiction drama about a gang of Victorian[s] who find themselves with unusual abilities, relentless enemies, and a mission that might change the world."

At first I'm not the kind of person who loves Victorian London settings BUT this show honestly made me like love it ^^ (sorry youtube for all the Victorian dresses making videos I watched lately and NO I do not plan on creating one it's just ... hyperfixation) I love fantasy, I love sci-fi... so that's why I might like this show. The sci-fi part is the powers but also the big TWIST. (Nope won't tell you about it and yep I was sadly spoiled about it ... I know I shouldn't have went through the tag :D) Oh and also ... SteamPunk energy. I swear, at the start of ep 6 you will be ... Is it the right show I’m watching ? :D

It’s HBO so ... yeah sex and nudity sometimes are a thing. Sometimes it’s kinda dark but it also has humor and amazing lines/quotes. 

There’s some White Old Man™ talks especially in the first two eps where they discuss in their closed clubs about the fate of the Touched ... You know :D Boring talks where you wanna rip their throats when they’re talking about woman/Touched but it’s kinda necessary to get the feel of the situation they’re in.

It’s created by Josh Whedon but after what happened in other shows he decided to leave the show after ep 4 and Philippa Goslett took back the showrunner chair. Then you have  Jane Espenson as a writer ... Buffy, OUAT, Jessica Jones, ...

---------- Soooo the characters ----------

You have Amalia True, the number one main char who has the ability to see glimpses of the future. She doesn’t control it, she doesn’t know when her glimpses will manifest themselves and she doesn’t know when she sees an event that will happen, when it will actually take place. "The most irresponsible, spontaneous, and psychologically broken hero of 19th-century London, and a danger to the British elite. She is dedicated to her cause and never turns down a drink."

So yeah, you've guessed it, she's the perfect anti-hero, absolutely badass (in a corset and dress nonetheless), dark soul/past character. Who ... weirdly (we all know it and love it in our ships) is all soft and loving when one Penance Adair is concerned. Shocker, right? :D I swear the hearteyes I’ve seen x_x She’s also very protective of Penance. She’s got PTSD and doesn’t like large crowds.

She runs the Orphanage where a great number of Touched are gathered and live as a community. She protects them, she helps some others to get to safety and so on.

She’s played by miss Laura Donnelly who’s perfect for the role and amazing at doing different sorts of accents because, you might have recognized her from Outlander (Jamie’s sister), she doesn’t talk the same way AT ALL in both series. Also I’m in love with her voice in the Nevers I don’t make the rules. She’s 40 but honestly looks way younger. MILF am I right? Also Amalia fighting scenes are amazing and Laura has done the majority of it by herself !

You might have guessed ... I immediately thought of Jessica Jones when I saw her face ^^ But that’s kinda irrelevant here. She’s beautiful and messy and my kinda gal.

Then you Have Miss Penance Adair “Amalia's best friend, and a Touched with the power of 'seeing' electrical energy patterns and a skill for inventing. She is both religious and heretically progressive.”

She’s an amazing inventor, creating all sorts of gadgets for Amalia to fight with :D Our own 007 ... She’s her BeSt FriEnD ... When you know, you know. (Xena flashback ^^) She’s her wife right hand man and goes in the field to help Amalia. They also have this cute dynamic where Penance name an invention and Amalia calls it another way (the right way) and they bicker about it lovingly.

She’s THE sunshine character. Amalia is the Sunshine protector of course. But we all know who’s the top in the relationship and it ain’t Mrs. True. All her interactions with Amalia are WIVES™. She’s the cutie, she’s the hope and compass of Amalia. She loves to touch Amalia too ♥ Amalia is her idiotic suicidal wife and Penance has to deal with that but she doesn’t love her less. Like Laura said, Amalia loves Penance more than she loves herself. We all know it’s because she doesn’t think highly of herself but also because who doesn’t love Penance.

She’s played by Ann Skelly and has an amazing, lovely, Irish accent (Laura is Irish too but not in the show). And OMG I just checked and she’s only 25 ? She’s 6 months younger than me and I’m kinda shocked because I thought she was at least 28 :D Listen to her saying ‘fabric of the world’ at the end of ep 1 and not fall in love with her I dare you. You’ll fall in love with Penance way before the end of ep 1 tbh.

---------- Queer rep ??? ----------

They are not canon, I prefer saying it before anyone thinks that they are. (Like Astraëlle)

I honestly thought they would become canon until Laura Donnelly called them sisters in a IG live ... (Honestly the showrunner might make them canon who knows) but like Astraëlle even if they don't become canon I don't even care. Their interactions are magnificent and their relationship is everything that’s good in this world. Like I said, they have the WIFE™ energy, they’ve know each other when the show starts for about 3 years. “You’re supposed to be inseparable.” is an actually quote from ‘the bad guy girl’ (Maladie) or as I could say the misunderstood woman who’s kinda crazy too though don’t get me wrong ^^ But everybody is his own hero in his story. Maladie = Disease in French.

They both have what seems like male love interests too. One for Amalia who honestly I’m not a fan of. He’s cheating on her wife with Amalia so ... let’s not ship them. And then you have an adorable being as Penance’s LI aka Bird guy ^^ aka Augie. He’s a cutie like Penance and honestly if they go that way I won’t be mad.

Now ... the CANON queer rep ... I give them from the top of my head so if I forgot some sorry and please add them in the comments !

Amalia : She’s bi or pan ... given by an info in ep 6. Won’t spoil.

Hugo : pan man, of course we ship him with Augustus (Augie). Give them to me. They aren’t canon.

Won’t spoil it but there’s a repressed (kinda homophobic it feels like or at least not well in his shoes) gay man in the show too who’s as much as a main as Hugo and Augie. I personally am not a fan of him.

Nimble Jack is they/them (probs ?) not sure about it but the person playing them said this : “androgynous trans character” they’re not a big part of the show though so only a supporting char.

You have Bonfire Annie who looks kinda close to Maladie at some point so yeah probs not canon but she seems to be pan too. supporting char too

------------

It has for now 6 eps because it stopped in the middle because of covid but s1 will have 12 eps overall ... 6 more eps will prob come in april or summer 2022.

If you can’t tell, yes I’ve become obsessed with this show and this ship. I love them with all my heart ... They’re blonde x brunette, sunshine x sunshine protector, they’re wives your honor.

OH AND I ALMOST FORGOT ... You’ll see miss Claudia Black in ep 6 and let me tell you I so ship her with an other character ^^

[dasha-aibo]

I’m so tired of this stupid-ass “what ~true~ Cyberpunk is about discourse”, because Cyberpunk is about NOTHING. It’s a goddamn genre. No genre has an inherent message, unless you think all Fantasy must push anti-war Catholic values or all Sci-Fi is about idyllic space communism.

Cyberpunk as a genre can be defined in just four words: “high tech, low life”. That’s all it takes. It must be set in a stupidly technologically-advanced world that failed to ease the social stratification and where the poor and downtrodden were not uplifted by the technology as we all hope.

That’s it. That’s all it takes. Neon, hacking, cyber implants, megacorps, runners - all of it is just window dressing.

Megacorps pop up so often as villains for the same reason evil empires are always villains in fantasy: we already hate them in the real world and they make easy unproblematic punching bags for our heroic underdogs.

The actual themes of individual Cyberpunk works are rarely just “capitalism bad” and can talk about all kinds of different topics, such as:

What measure is a human in an age of cyborgs and androids

Is synthetically extending your life worth it

How do you survive in a world where everything is commodified, bought and sold.

Is it worth it to leave behind the real world to live in virtual bliss.

In an age of total surveillance, how do you stay true to yourself.

Progress VS Tradition.

Who are the heroes in the society that’s rotten from inside out?

And that’s barely scratching the surface.

Please stop projecting your adolescent commie fantasies on a massive swath of fiction and demand it fit to your standards and your standards only.