#ixta

[bookaddict24-7]

New Young Adult Releases! (January 9th, 2024)

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Have I missed any new Young Adult releases? Have you added any of these books to your TBR? Let me know!

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New Standalones/First in a Series:

Arya Khanna's Bollywood Moment by Arushi Avachat

Somewhere in the Deep by Tanvi Berwah

Dungeons & Drama by Kristy Boyce

Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen Yang & LeUyen Pham (Illustrations)

Shut Up, This is Serious by Carolina Ixta

The Atlas of Us by Kristin Dwyer

We're Never Getting Home by Tracy Badua

New Sequels:

The Lost Ones (The Dark Ascension Series #2) by Lauren DeStefano

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Happy reading!

[haveyoureadthispoll]

An unforgettable YA debut about two Latina teens growing up in East Oakland as they discover that the world is brimming with messy complexities, perfect for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo and Erika L. Sánchez. Belén Dolores Itzel del Toro wants the normal stuff: to experience love or maybe have a boyfriend or at least just lose her virginity. But nothing is normal in East Oakland. Her father left her family. She's at risk of not graduating. And Leti, her super-Catholic, nerdy-ass best friend, is pregnant--by the boyfriend she hasn't told her parents about, because he's Black, and her parents are racist. Things are hella complicated. Weighed by a depression she can't seem to shake, Belén helps Leti, hangs out with an older guy, and cuts a lot of class. She soon realizes, though, that distractions are only temporary. Leti is becoming a mother. Classmates are getting ready for college. But what about Belén? What future is there for girls like her? From debut author Carolina Ixta comes a fierce, intimate examination of friendship, chosen family, and the generational cycles we must break to become our truest selves.

[sodalite-fulll]

Apple needs a flayed man emoji. For tagging purposes

[arcimboldisworld]

Ixta Belfrage - Mezcla.

Ixta Belfrage - Mezcla. #Kochbuch #Fusioncuisine #mexikanisch #brasilianisch #italienisch #DKVerlag #Essen #Kochen #IxtaBelfrage #foodblog #yummie

[andylynes-blog]

Mezcla by Ixta Belfrage

It's five stars from Nick Dodd on cookbookreview.blog for Ixta Belfrage's latest cookbook from @eburypublishing

Mezcla, meaning ‘mixture’ in Spanish, is a celebration of fusion food and represents a journey through author Ixta Belfrage’s childhood experiences of Italy, Brazil and Mexico. You may recognise Ixta as the co-author of Flavour alongside benevolent culinary overlord Yotam Ottolenghi.  Many of the recipes are the meeting point of these cuisines. Cannelloni enchiladas for instance, with the…

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

❤‍🔥 Books for Hispanic & Latine Heritage Month

❓What's your favorite book written by a Hispanic or Latine author?

❤‍🔥 The Luis Ortega Survival Club - Sonora Reyes ✨ With the Fire on High - Elizabeth Acevedo ❤‍🔥 Brownstone - Samuel Teer & Mar Julia ✨ Suncatcher - Jose Pimienta ❤‍🔥 Mexican WhiteBoy - Matt de la Peña

❤‍🔥 The First to Die at the End - Adam Silvera ✨ Shut Up, This Is Serious - Carolina Ixta ❤‍🔥 Small Town Monsters - Diana Rodriguez Wallach ✨ I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter - Erika L Sanchez ❤‍🔥 Chronically Dolores - Maya Van Wagenen ✨ It's All Love - Jenna Ortega

❤‍🔥 Does My Body Offend You? - Mayra Cuevas & Marie Marquardt ✨ Bad at Love - Gabriela Martins ❤‍🔥 Northranger - Rey Terciero & Bre Indigo ✨ Before We Were Free - Julia Alvarez ❤‍🔥 Lucero - Maya Motayne ✨ Queerceañera - Alex Crespo

❤‍🔥 The Turning Pointe - Vanessa L. Torres ✨ Suddenly a Murder - Lauren Munoz ❤‍🔥 Always Isn't Forever - JC Cervantes ✨ It Sounds Like This - Anna Meriano ❤‍🔥 Flirting With Fate - JC Cervantes ✨ Undead Girl Gang - Lily Anderson

❤‍🔥 When We Make It - Elisabet Velasquez ✨ Diamond Park - Phillippe Diederich ❤‍🔥 Juliet Takes a Breath - Gabby Rivera ✨ Libertad - Bessie Flores Zaldivar ❤‍🔥 This Is How We Fly - Anna Meriano ✨ Viva Lola Espinoza - Ella Ceron

❤‍🔥 The Grief Keeper - Alexandra Villasante ✨ Just Another Epic Love Poem - Parisa Akhbari ❤‍🔥 Sanctuary - Paola Mendoza & Abby Sher ✨ Solis - Paola Mendoza & Abby Sher ❤‍🔥 We Are Not From Here - Jenny Torres Sanchez ✨ Azar on Fire - Olivia Abtahi

❤‍🔥 Up in Flames - Hailey Alcaraz ✨ Beyond the Break - Heather Buchta ❤‍🔥 Chasing After Knight - Heather Buchta ✨ Cemetery Boys - Aiden Thomas ❤‍🔥 The Sunbearer Trials - Aiden Thomas ✨ What the River Knows - Isabel Ibañez

[industrial-fishing-simulator-rpg]

 07/11/2024 - Actual Play Report

Xenosphere I

NOTE: Usually in Industrial Fishing Simulator player character’s are called ‘Survivors’ and scenarios/adventures are called ‘missions.’ But I won’t necessarily use that language here. 

Also I’m not trying to make this like the most perfect play report essay in the world, but I am trying to be somewhat thorough–so–know that.

Xenosphere I - Recording 1 - Introduction

Part I: Summary

Some time in the distant far future, when humanity has encountered a variety of extraterrestrial species and has spread among the stars, an ancient artifact is discovered on the oceanic planet Kestrasi Meridia (which is renamed from TOI-1452b, an actual possible exoplanet in the Draco Constellation). This artifact proves deeply mysterious, covered in strange writing, and is sending out a signal to a location deep underwater on Meridia. 

A team of Survivors, made up of language, archaeology, and biology researchers, as well as nautical explorers is assembled to investigate the signal emanating from the strange artifact. These are the players of the game Xenosphere I for Industrial Fishing Simulator. They are sent on this mission from the Ixta-B87 research station by Dr. Helene Lazara and have been assigned the following roles:

Crew Roles and Directives:

The Concierge (played by Spencer) - Captain (must be filled)

Report in with Dr. Helene Lazara or check for any messages in the office.

Sir Barnaby Stephus III (Justin) - Xenolinguist

A few days ago, you requested some final analyses on the tablet’s hieroglyphics. Check the lab computer for any readout results.  

deb (Emma) - Xenoarchaeologist

You’ve been researching the chemical composition of the artifact in relation to any compounds native to the planet Meridia. Your most recent test results should be available in the lab.

Shakes (Hannah) - Astrobiologist

Distract your peers from their tasks. (1) by alerting them of an incoming object of large size on the sonar computer; (2) destabilizing or sabotaging equipment; (3) lying. Or distract your peers from being suspicious of you by engaging in seemingly normal tasks for your role such as surveying the computer systems or asking for diagnostic information from NESSI.

You are a saboteur, a double agent–maintain absolute secrecy from your peers. You’ve received your orders from your implanted radio transceiver behind your ear. “Disable the emergency protocol system and sabotage docked submersible in Deep Search IX. Retrieve the Dialect Cube, designated Synta in the Xenosphere 45.909 W, -206.784 S. Assure you are the sole survivor. Press to alert.” 

You are working with an organization known as the Inquisitorium who is operating in deep secrecy within the Neb Corp, working to sabotage their efforts to exploit ancient alien technology by capturing it for themselves. You do not know what a Dialect Cube or what a Xenosphere is.

You have an Inquisitorium contact, an android called ‘Pann.’

You can press your radio implant behind your ear to ping the Inquisitorium contact and will receive rendezvous information or other communications

You cannot communicate back other than to press your implant button twice for “yes” and three times for “no.”

Patback (Alex) - Nautical Technician

That power outage was strange. You need to check on the engine room and power supply.

Assure that the docked submersible craft in the docking bay is secure and available for use.

Pancake (Zoe) - Computing Officer 

You kept it a secret from your fellow crew, but you touched the tablet with your bare hand and cut your index finger on its extremely sharp edge. You stopped the bleeding, but think you might have an infection. No one is allowed to touch the relic without safety equipment due to its radioactivity, and you need to check on the progress of your infection quickly. 

Allegra (Bee) - Medical Officer

Prepare the high yield pressure suits for all crew found in the store room and assure all crew have oxygen tanks. 

Check on the vitals of your crew mates. You might want to grab a bioscanner from the clinic. 

Their underwater journey commenced aboard the research submarine Deep Search IX and travel had proceeded for several days for some several hundred nautical miles when a sudden power surge occurred. During the surge, the lights went dark, the entire crew miraculously went unconscious and the vessel descended rapidly by about 3200m near to the depth of the mysterious signal. When they awoke, they found that only a few minutes had passed and they went about their tasks as well as investigating the power surge. 

The Captain of the submarine, a Khardimon called The Concierge (Spencer) went to the office and found a voice message from Dr. Helene Lazara which she had missed from last night.

Xenosphere I - Recording 2 - Message from Dr. Lazara

The voice message indicated that a power failure at another research station on the planet had blacked out communications and that the Captain should call Dr. Lazara soon to be briefed about a “situation.” Dr. Lazara also mentioned that she believed the artifact might be a key. 

Meanwhile, Allegra (Bee) immediately went about collecting high yield pressure suits and oxygen tanks for the entire crew, but was intercepted by Pancake (Zoe), who revealed a strange wound on her hand to Allegra. Allegra examined the wound and found that the inside of the laceration was beginning to crystalize. Under a microscope, it appeared that the crystallization was growing out from the wound and the edges of the crystallization were rotating like saws, chewing through Pancake’s flesh and churning out crystal formation. 

In the lab, Sir Barnaby (Justin) received the below readouts of a linguistic analysis of the glyphs that were found all over the artifact, which yielded strange and cryptic results. This was clearly some kind of alien language which was connected somehow to Khardimons, the enamel-based magnetically-sensitive alien species which appeared on Earth centuries ago. Also in the lab, deb (Emma) found a material analysis of the artifact which found a match. The artifact appeared to be composed of several chemical compounds: hydroxyapatite and fluorapatite crystals, and compounds from local corals. This meaning, the tablet was made of the teeth of some kind of creature in addition to the local coral component. 

At this point, Patback was also in the engine room, where he discovered that the power surge which briefly knocked out the Deep Search IX had nearly drained all of the power cells in the submarine which would soon go into emergency power failure. Patback immediately changed out the power cells for fresh ones and then assessed the submarine’s auxiliary submersible in the lower docking bay. He surreptitiously packed himself some survival gear into the submersible (which can only seat 2) and went to join the others, but was briefly followed by Shakes who seemed to be checking out the area of the docking bay and cargo hold. 

During this time, Shakes was receiving transmissions to their radio implant from an organization known as the Inquisitorium. Shakes was being ordered to distract the crew from their objectives but also to get to the signal first and retrieve an important relic for the Inquisitorium, betraying their crew mates. 

At the control room, the Captain (The Concierge - Spencer) called back Dr. Lazara and a strange pick-up occurred in which most of the crew heard the following:

Xenosphere I - Recording 3 - Alien Transmission

At the end, the receiver was shot and a tracking signal alert popped up on the console, indicating that the Deep Search IX was now being tracked by an unknown source. Ixta-B87 station was downed. With some quick thinking, the computing officer, Pancake, managed to dislodge the tracking signal and the crew made their descent to the complex, where they were met by an alien structure mounted into the side of a geothermal vent some 3200 or more meters below the surface of Meridia’s dark waters.

This complex seemed to have an entrance protected from the water by a deep magenta energy field which the Survivors were able to pass through in their scuba suits unharmed. They entered into a large chamber where they encountered a closed impassable energy field and an access panel of sorts with a slot just the size of the ancient table they’ve been carrying. However, a little while before leaving they had just made the agreement to leave the tablet on their ship so they had to send a few people back to retrieve it before they were able to unlock the energy field and proceed further into the complex. 

The next chamber was very large, containing two dais near the entrance which blazed with blue flames that smelled lightly of sulfur and at the opposite end two one-eyed statue-like figures who bared strange alien faces as seen in the image below (slightly resembling the Khardimon aliens). This room also had two magenta energy field doors and one green energy field door. But the Survivors didn’t have too much time to think before the statues began to wake up, chittering at each other before attacking the Survivors. 

A pith collector head

A crappy map of the complex. (1) Entrance, (2) Trophy Hall, (3) Holding Tank, (4) Xenosphere

A somewhat fraught and desperate battle raged on for some time, the statue-like figures (pith collectors) using strange Khardimon magics to gain various upper hands, but the Survivors discovered that by coating their various weapons in the blue flame from the dais they could deal devastating attacks to these creatures. During the battle, there were losses, however. While it was Pancake who helped deal a death blow to one of the creatures, the other began to absorb its shattered friend and in the process melted Pancake’s mind, killing her. Additionally, the Captain (The Concierge) attempted to cast a spell but failed, causing a paradox from the Whoops! Table which resulted in her being swallowed by a dark vortex and being jettisoned into deep space thus removing her from the game. Ultimately, the remaining Survivors destroyed the last creature and were able to recover themselves.

However, during combat, Patback had managed to wander off through the green unlocked energy field into the complex’s trophy hall where he discovered many strange relics including a great slate-black khopesh and a fragment of an enormous glass-like dragonfly wing with a single watering humanoid eye in its center which kept Patback in a catatonic state as he stared at it. Luckily, he was rescued by his companions who would help to study this strange chamber, revealing at the end of the hall–a mural depicting an ancient Khardimon raising a khopesh above its head and holding the head of a slain victim in its other hand. An inscription of text matching that from the xenolinguist’s analysis of the table was also carved into the mural on removable stone cartouches which thus began the puzzle that would end the game. 

Effectively, to summarize, the Survivors had to take clues from the analysis of the tablet, translating letters they learned there into words from an alien language, piecing together similar words into like meanings until eventually they could translate the puzzle in the final room of the complex–the Xenosphere, a large gyroscopic holding tank for an item called the Dialect Cube. 

In one room, the trophy room with the alien mural, the Survivors found the word for liar/lies, and in another room, a strange room where they found a glass sarcophagus where a seemingly human woman wrapped in vines was entombed alive, they found the word for truth. Then in the Xenosphere, placing the cartouches of the words lies and truth on either end of the scale there would balance it and placing the word for balance found also in the mural room in the slot on the Xenosphere’s control panel would unlock the device.

When the Survivors had finished their puzzle, the Inquisitorium had arrived at the complex, surrounding the Survivors, handing over a large carbine to the saboteur Shakes and taking the Dialect Cube. The game ended with the remaining Survivors surrounded at gun-point, Shakes with the Dialect Cube in hand, and a mysterious organization at the forefront.

Part II: System Check, Play-Report

This game was very fun, but also very complicated. I knew it was going to be very complicated going into it. Mostly because of the xeno-linguistic puzzle I had devised to end the game and unlock the end of the “dungeon.” But, as soon as Justin (who played Sir Barnaby the xenolinguist) got his hands on the readout prop I had made of the alien language, he began working on deciphering it right away, which I would bet saved the game about an hour when they actually got to the point where they were gaining more clues for the puzzle. I was worried the entire week prior to playing that I had created a puzzle that was wayyyyy too hard for a reasonable person to solve within the one-shot TTRPG setting, but they did it. And using the system I arranged within the game, they paid as a team, 50 Lore points to receive one hint from me, and of course, received a little bit of guidance on the structure of the puzzle which I felt was not really something that helped them solve it but rather helped them to understand how to think about it. 

Overall, I thought it was a fun experience. I had fun writing this game. I got to play with my linguistics chops which I always get a lot out of, and some of the repeat players like Bee (Allegra) and Emma (deb) said that they felt this was the best FishSim game yet and as newbies to TTRPGs in general felt like they got into their characters easier and had a more full roleplaying experience which made me very happy of course. Justin (Sir Barnaby) is a person that I’ve been playing D&D and other TTRPGs with for years and years and years–since the beginning and it was an absolute pleasure to have him and to see him immediately dive into the linguistics puzzle. 

I am also glad that I got to have Zoe (Pancake) and Alex (Patback) join us as first timers to any TTRPG ever. It's been so great that FishSim is getting to see so many first time TTRPG players. RIP to Pancake who was absolutely eviscerated by the pith collector using the Eyes of the Architect ability, but it is what it is and Zoe had to leave anyway. Alas. 

This is also the first FishSim game where we’ve gotten a lot of use out of the Whoops! Table which is rolled upon whenever a spell fails to cast. Unfortunately, it was mostly Spencer (The Concierge) who failed to cast any spells and died because of it, but in this game casting spells is extremely high risk, extremely high reward and I always warn all my players prior about this.

Once again, I am thinking of things to change mechanically in the game. I am thinking that Will is definitely not a necessary statistic separate from Stress. I am still pondering replacing it with Aware/Perceive or something similar. I think that could be beneficial. On the matter of spells–I am wanting to make spells a bit more sci-fi flavored so I’ve decided to rename them Compounds and I have decided that they are composed of ingredients in combinations of three which are combined in a device which helps a Survivor cast the Compound. When a failure occurs, a paradox occurs, and one must roll on the Whoops! Paradox Table to see what the resulting failure is. Thanks to Bee, I now have a list of 300 Compound recipes for these created by her swiftly programmed randomizer. So, I’ll be working on that for a long while, I’m sure.

Also thinking about Occupations as distinct from Species. Currently, FishSim only uses the term Occupation which refers to whether your character is Human, Android, Simulacrum, or one of three alien species. But I am wondering if it might be interesting to have Occupations as opposed to Species. That being said, it is still extremely helpful that every game starts with each character and player choosing a role on the ship and me sending them their personal directive. That really gets the game rolling and seems to be pretty fun for everyone prior to regrouping.

Part III: Personal Note

I put a lot of effort into Industrial Fishing Simulator, truly because I think it's fun to make my own TTRPG and I think it's fun to get my friends together in a room, play a silly sci-fi alien game, eat food, and gab. But I am also very grateful that people enjoy the stories I tell and see me as a good storyteller. And I’m glad I can make some of my friends’ very first TTRPG experience a good and memorable one. 

I’ll be tabling Industrial Fishing Simulator for a couple months so I can edit in some of the changes I want to make but I’ll be back soon! 

Thanks to everyone who reads these little play reports and who plays the game!

~ clio <3

[madmarkinabox]

Season 1

The Aztecs

After the travellers emerge from an Aztec tomb, Barbara is mistaken for the reincarnation of the god Yetaxa. She plans to use her knowledge of their history to change the Aztecs' course to a less violent path, but the high priest of sacrifice, Tlotoxl, doubts her divinity. Can Barbara maintain the ruse long enough for the travellers to find a way back to the TARDIS within the tomb?

I won't lie, I wasn't looking forward to this one. We know Verity Lambert wanted the show to have an educational slant, and I thought this was definitely going to feel like a history lesson. I resigned myself to thinking "just watch it, then we're one step closer to good stuff like The Dalek Invasion of Earth and The Tenth Planet." But for what I expected, it wasn't all that bad! Yes, it started off feeling like a history lesson, like something they'd put on at school on the TV/video trolley, but once it found its feet, it was enjoyable enough.

This story is Barbara's time to shine. We've already seen a little bit of how she responds to being treated like royalty in episode 2 of The Keys of Marinus, but here she's seen as a goddess and clearly relishes the opportunity. Ian has a fun sub-plot as he has to learn to be a warrior, using his common sense against his rival Ixta's brute force, and the Doctor, despite his warnings that you can't change history, finds himself stumbling into a romance. It's also nice to see him finally treating Ian as a friend, looking out for his wellbeing and actually calling him by his first name. The TARDIS crew is starting to feel like a family unit now. Unfortunately this is another story where poor Susan gets the short end of the stick, pushed into a seminary where her brains are mostly ignored/forgotten about and her attempts to chart her own course in a rather feminist way are pushed aside by the Aztecs.

Perhaps the real star of this one however is John Ringham as Tlotoxl, creeping about like the Joker playing Jafar, mugging and leering in an almost pantomime fashion, and chewing more scenery than a Drashig at an open buffet. The scenes where he and the high priest of knowledge, Autloc, are trying to outwit and trump each other are rather reminiscent of The Road to El Dorado. He's so crazed and devious it's hard not to enjoy his performance. Overall, not a bad story at all, but if you're looking for aliens and spaceships, you might want to give it a miss. But give it a shot anyway.

Next time, we meet The Sensorites.

[davros42]

Rewatching Classic Doctor Who, some episodes I haven't seen in years, some of the animated reconstructions I haven't seen at all.

The Aztecs AKA Serial F

The Aztecs is an incredibly strong showing this early in the series. Once again, when the team is on their A game (as they are in this episode), the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts.

John Lucarotti turns in an excellent script, drawing on his own experiences in Mexico and interest in Aztec culture to produce a wonderfully nuanced look at the Aztecs. The costuming is fantastic, the sets are great (despite some all-too-obvious backdrops), Jacqueline Hill goes to town in the lead role, William Hartnell gets a chance to do something besides be bitchy, Carole Ann Ford spends half the serial literally on vacation and still gets a great scene where Susan decides the true injustice of Aztec society is arranged marriage. Easily the best plotted and paced storyline so far, there's a reason most of the old serials ended up in the 4 episode/approximately 90 minute bracket. Oh and John Ringham turns in a marvelous performance as Tlotoxl, the show's first standout antagonist, performed with just the right amount of ham and cheese to give him a memorable Shakespearean flare without going too far over the top.

The TARDIS arrives in an Aztec tomb. Fortunately Axtec culture is Barbara's specialist subject. She grave robs a bracelet and when the crew exits the tomb... she's mistaken for a reincarnation of the priest Yetaxa but also a god? The Aztecs get full credit for not minding at all that their previously male priest has been reincarnated as a (white) woman. Barbara immediately decides to try to alter history, the first time one of the crew actively takes steps to interfere. She thinks (correctly) that despite the Aztec's bad reputation they deserve better than colonization and genocide at the hands of the conquistadors. And with her head full of the very best ideals of English white saviour-ism, she will force the Aztecs to cease human sacrifice by fiat. Which will in turn convince the Conquistadors (despite being just about the most ruthless, dishonorable, violent assholes in history... which is some stiff competition) to let them live in peace as co-equals. The Doctor reprimands her, insisting that you cannot change history despite having previously given fire to primitive humans, genociding the Daleks on behalf of the Thals, going on holiday with Marco Polo, and genociding the Voords. Ian goes off to warrior training, which he has quite a knack for, being a much better melee combatant than Ixta who has been training for life. Susan gets sent to a nunnery to learn how to be a good wife. And the Doctor gets sent to the Aztec equivalent of an old folks home. And then he accidentally gets engaged.

Barbara's plan goes as well as you might expect. The Aztecs, it turns out, quite like their culture the way it is. Instead of some hand wavey "fixed point in time" nonsense, this story makes it clear that history has an inertia. One person in the right place at the right time, more often that not, can't make a difference against history's flow. Barbara did manage to make an outcast of the Priest of Knowledge Autloc which the show counts as a win but... I'm not so sure. Tlotoxl is the real winner in the end, proving that Barbara was a false god and continuing on with his role, supporting the status quo and letting perfect sacrifice be made as the TARDIS crew moves on to new adventures. But not before the Doctor decides to take the bracelet from his Aztec fiance with him as a memento.

Next up: The sensual Sense-Sphere!

[thealmightyemprex]

Doctor Who Month :The Aztecs

For our second Doctor Who review we shall look at a First Doctor story ,and one called one of his best

In the Aztecs Barbara (Jacqueline Hill ) is mistaken for a God by the Aztecs ,and tries to change history and get rid of human sacrifices ,despite the warnings of the Doctor (William Hartnell ) that you cannot change history

This is a surprisingly nuanced Doctor Who story.OK so Babra is trying to undo the entire human sacrifice thing because she feels it will save the Aztecs from being conquered by the Spanish.We will forgive the fact that would do diddly squat to stop the Spanish,and focus instead on the fact Barbra ,one of our heroes , is kind of a bad guy here .She is pretending to be a god trying to undo an entire culture ,and the astonishing thing ,for an episode from the SIXTIES ,she is called out on her bullshit .The Doctor and Ian both point out its kind oif messed up she is trying to mess with history and change an entire way of life .I also like that while there is a clear bad guy ,The High Priest of Sacrifice, Tlotoxl, there nuance to him too. It wouldve been so easy to dismiss him as a bad egg ,but the story acknowledges he isnt the only person who thinks that way.Its also entertaining that he is perfectly justified in being pissed off at our heroes,cause they ARE false gods

There is als9o a great bit of tension as our heroes are stuck here ,the Tardis is trapped in a tomb and the spend the whole story trying to get back to it .There is also some great comedy with the Doctor unintentionally romancing a woman named  Cameca with one of the bgest Doctor lines "Yes I made some hot cocoa and got engaged " (Also I so wish Cameca and the Doctor did become an official couple and she joined him in the TArdis ,I really liked her and she is one of the Doctors best love interests )

We also get two great villains,the previously mentioned Tlotoxl played wonderfully by John Ringam who is wonderfully shady and slimey (Apparently the director told him to make every child hate him ,and by god he succeeded )one of the best one off villains ,a warrior named Ixta who is a rival for Ian which leads to a great dynamic and a bretty badass fight scene (Though spoiler: Ian kills Ixta and it is so weird when I am used to modern Doctor Who where the Doctor gets very self rightious about stuff like that ,but here Doctor dont even comment on it )

Overall I think this was one of my favorites. DEfinately my favorite First Doctor story

@ariel-seagull-wings @goodanswerfoxmonster @themousefromfantasyland @the-blue-fairie @angelixgutz @amalthea9 @filmcityworld1

[amoebaforce]

magic of Daeus :)

hi everyone! today's lore post will explore the magic system of the Continent of Daeus.

the Continent itself -- the land and the organisms native to it -- is inherently magic. this latent energy is mostly invisible and undetectable by human senses, because humanity is not a native species to this Continent (as discussed in the last lore post).

by this virtue, humanity as a species is unable to tap into the power that courses through the world around them. on the Continent, magic is a force that acts upon humanity, rather than a force which it can control. magic manifests itself in myriad ways. there are a few ways a human may encounter magic on Daeus.

anomalous weather events/natural disasters -- thunderstorms that form in the blink of an eye, gusts of wind strong enough to topple stone buildings, or tidal waves that drown entire cities.

2. mythic astronomical phenomena -- solar eclipses that last a week, comets that turn the entire sky gold, or the spontaneous appearance of new stars in the night sky

3. direct contact with a spirit or divine being

the final category here is the most diverse, varied, and expansive of the three. throughout recorded history, there are hundreds of written references to human-spirit encounters. these accounts come from every region of the Continent and span the course of nearly two thousand years, by the time of the modern canon.

spirit interactions come in all sizes and tones, depending on the individual spirit's demeanor and the context of the encounter. some humans report creatures who merely wish to talk or ask questions. others report hostile beasts with gnashing teeth. nearly every single account includes some mention of a strange "aura" that hung in the air around the spirit. it is often described as "oppressive", "intense", or "unearthly". humans report that a spirit's presence often makes the air or ground reverberate around them.

there are some few reports which mention a "connection" being forged between a human survivor and the spirit they encountered. the individual details vary widely, but each report some kind of "moment of connection" that had passed between them. wounded survivors often experienced this "moment" at the beginning of a malevolent creature's attack. others said it was as simple as meeting their gaze.

this specific type of encounter can happen anywhere, but the majority of recorded incidents are concentrated in three regions of the Continent: the far-western country of Azizah, the northern Empire of the Flood Lands, and the small pocket of forest that spans the south-eastern coast of Daeus, covering the nations of Esca, Mil Drak, and the Wicklast Republic.

some theorists believe this concentration is due to large numbers of spirits in these areas. this is certainly the case in the southern woods, since the notable spirit Ashira and her Brood are known to inhabit the region. it is also a plausible explanation in the north, as the Empire worships a pantheon of six benevolent spirits.

however, the reason for Azizah's high rates of spirit connection are actually quite well-known. Azizah means "kingdom of gods" in the local tongue, and the nation's rulers are personally selected by an ancient and powerful spirit named Ixta. it is not uncommon for Ixta to visit her charges personally, and she often communicates directly with the God-Kings. thus, many stories of magical connections in this region of the Continent stem from the Holy Court itself.

if you have any questions about magic on the Continent, please ask! thank you for reading! love, Eliza :)

[relative-dimension]

“The Bride of Sacrifice”

Season 1 episode 29 - 6th June 1964

[id: Ixta stands with his back to the camera, weapon raised. Through the gap between the weapon and his head Barbara is visible, holding a knife to the throat of Tlotoxl and staring at Ixta. /end id]

At this point, I really wish Tlotoxl had been given the chance to be an interesting villain. There’s so much that could be done with his relationship to his religion and why he so desperately fights to disprove Barbara, despite knowing that elements are engineered as propaganda, and contrasting him with Autloc, and so many things that could be done instead of just having him be Evil for vague reasons and therefore stand for all the different things that the Tardis team stand against.

Is it an entertaining watch: 3/5, regardless of how many missed opportunities there were, this is still a pretty solid story. It’s only when I start thinking about anything that I get actually annoyed, I do understand why this is one of the Absolute Classics. I don’t agree, but I understand.

Does the production hold up: 3/5, I always find scenes of actors pretending that a piece of scenery is heavy incredibly funny, but honestly? They don’t do that badly with the big stone blocking the tunnel entrance.

Does it use its time well: 3/5, there’s enough development and so on, and the build-up to the cliffhanger is well-paced.

Are the characters consistent and well-used: 3/5, often, when characters are missing from serials for whatever reason, they’re just left out, either they’re sat offscreen or left behind or go on ahead, and the story focuses on the others apart from the occasional “oh, I wish [x] were here...” moment. I can’t decide if the way this story deal with that problem, by having Susan as essentially an element of the plot to be moved around and argued over until Carole Ann Ford gets back from holiday, is better or worse, but it does make it much more obvious that she’s missing.

Dr Who also gets a subplot where he gets engaged which is cute I guess. My favourite part of that whole thing is Ian’s reaction, and it’s fun enough that I can ignore how hilariously distracted Dr Who has to be in order to accidentally do that after all of the hints Cameca drops.

Is there anything actually going on under the surface: 2/5, I have more to say about the simplistic ideas of “evil” in stories that deal with much more complicated factors than that, but I think that’s worth saving for a few episodes time, as The Sensories does a lot of weird shit with it and I want to wait until then to dissect it because there’s more to say. For here, I just still think that presenting Tlotoxl as “evil” and the Tenochca as “savages” is just racist.

Does it avoid being a bit dodge with its politics: 3/5, the “oh look we’re being educational” bit with the cacao and all that is probably the most earnest attempt to educate about Tenochcan culture without being weird about it.

Overall Score - 17/30

[hollywales]

Foodie illustrations for a limited edition Lunch Planner for Merchant Gourmet as a collaboration with Ixta Belfrage

https://www.hollywales.com/#/merchant-gourmet/

[winningthesweepstakes]

Shut Up, This is Serious by Carolina Ixta

Shut Up, This is Serious by Carolina Ixta. Quill Tree Books, 2024. 9780063287860  Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 4.5 Format: Hardcover Genre:  Realistic Fiction What did you like about the book? A coming of age book about two Mexican-American teen girls. The girls each face difficult circumstances with hard choices ahead. Belén is a Mexican American in East Oakland,…

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

January 2024 Young Adult Releases

🦇 Good afternoon, my bookish bats. I hope you're bundled up with a fur baby, hot bev, and good book as you ward off this (lovely) chilly weather. No TBR is complete without a few young adult novels, and plenty were released in January! Here are a few YA releases to consider adding to your shelves.

January 2 ✨ A Fragile Enchantment - Allison Saft @allisonhsaft ✨ Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White - Amélie Wen Zhao @ameliewenzhao ✨ Just Happy to Be Here - Naomi Kanakia @rhkanakia ✨ If You Can't Take the Heat - Michael Ruhlman @ruhlman ✨ Stay With My Heart - Tashie Bhuiyan @tashiebhuiyan ✨ Cupid's Revenge - Wibke Brueggemann @wibkebrueggemann ✨ Ghost Roast - Shawnee Gibbs @shawnee.gibbs and Shawnelle Gibbs @nelletheelle ✨ Okay, Cupid - Mason Deaver @mason_deaver ✨ Sky's End - Marc J Gregson @mjg_write

January 9 ✨ Somewhere in the Deep - Tanvi Berwah @tanviberwah ✨ The Atlas of Us - Kristin Dwyer @kristindwyer ✨ The Lost Ones - Lauren DeStefano @laurendestefanoauthor ✨ Arya Khanna's Bollywood Moment - Arushi Avachat @arushi.24 ✨ Dungeons and Drama - Kristy Boyce @kristylboyce ✨ Shut Up, This Is Serious - Carolina Ixta @carolinaixta ✨ Lunar New Year Love Story - Gene Luen Yang @geneluenyang ✨ We're Never Getting Home - Tracy Badua @tracybaduawrites

January 16 ✨ A Drop of Venom - Sajni Patel @sajnipatelbooks ✨ Most Ardently - Gabe Cole Novoa @thegabecole ✨ If I Promise You Wings - A.K. Small @aksmallwords ✨ Evergreen - Devin Greenlee @Dev.L.Lee ✨ So Let Them Burn - Kamilah Cole @wordsiren ✨ Beasts of War - Ayana Gray @ayanagray_ ✨ Sun Don't Shine - Crissa-Jean Chappell @crissachappell ✨ Escaping Mr. Rochester - L.L. McKinney @ll_mckinney

January 23 ✨ Destroy the Day - Brigid Kemmerer @brigidkemmerer ✨ My Fair Brady - Brian D. Kennedy @bdkennedybooks ✨ The Invocations - Krystal Sutherland @km_sutherland ✨ Into the Sunken City - Dinesh Thiru @dineshmt ✨ You're Breaking My Heart - Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich @olugbemisolarhudayperkovich ✨ The Getaway List - Emma Lord @dilemmalord ✨ Out of Our League: 16 Stories of Girls in Sports - Dahlia Adler @missdahlelama & Jennifer Iacopelli @jennifercarolyn ✨ The Colliding Worlds of Mina Lee - Ellen Oh @elloecho ✨ Not Dead Enough - Tyffany D. Neiheiser @writer_tyffany

January 30 ✨ Just Say Yes - Goldy Moldavsky @goldywrites ✨ Red - Annie Cardi @anniecardi ✨ A Reckless Oath - Kaylie Smith @kaylsmoon ✨ Poemhood Our Black Revival - Anthology ✨ Wander in the Dark - Jumata Emill @brownboywriting ✨ The Dark Fable - Katherine Harbour @katharbour77

[vincentdunn]

Chef, Ottolenghi protégé and author of recipe book ‘Mezcla’ — Ixta Belfrage’s love for food is inspired by Italy, Brazil, Mexico and beyond. During this episode of A Slice of Life, Ixta makes her famous prawn lasagne and talks us through how her unique upbringing with influence from Italy, Brazil and Mexico nurtured an approach to cooking like no other.

http://dlvr.it/T0VJ88