#lucie bryon

[heyluchie]

Another great update ; I released a new graphic novel ! Omg !

Happy Endings came out in France in August 2024, it’s a short story collection. I’m no expert but it truly has it all : hot dates ! Boys kissing ! Time travel ! Cats ! A comic full of good things.

Disponible aux editions Sarbacane !

Also available in Italian, Spanish, and soon in English !

[automatismascrive]

Un consiglietto corto per dei fumettini a tempo: ShortBox Comics Fair 2023

Ciao cari. Un blog meno discontinuo e raffazzonato dedicherebbe diversi paragrafi a scusarsi per l’assenza prolungata, spiegherebbe nel dettaglio ciascuno dei motivi che hanno portato ad un completo stop di pubblicazione e perché no, darebbe succosi aggiornamenti sulla vita privata del suo curatore, ma come è chiaro ed evidente questo è proprio un blog discontinuo e raffazzonato: un post ogni tanto, quando a) mi capita sotto il naso qualcosa di interessante (frequenza: alta) e b) la vita mi permette di trovare le energie per scrivere della suddetta cosa interessante (frequenza: beh, lo vedete da voi). Dunque senza perdere ulteriori energie a spiegare i motivi dei miei dilatati tempi di postaggio, passiamo all’argomento del microconsiglio di oggi: la ShortBox Comic Fair, edizione 2023.

Come specificato nelle succinte ma esaustive FAQ del sito, l’evento funziona come una classica fiera del fumetto, semplicemente in formato virtuale: gli artisti selezionati hanno diversi mesi per sceneggiare, disegnare ed eventualmente colorare un fumetto completo, che sarà poi ospitato nella bacheca virtuale del sito e venduto esclusivamente in PDF per cifre piuttosto modiche (si va dalle 2 £ alle 10 £ per i fumetti più lunghi); l’artista può eventualmente decidere di rendere disponibile il suo fumetto anche al di fuori delle tempistiche della fiera, che dura fino all’ultimo giorno di Ottobre, ma le regole stabilite dal sito prevedono che i diritti di pubblicazione della ShortBox cessino con la fine del mese – si tratta dunque in buona parte di fumetti a tempo, disponibili per poche settimane ad un costo modico. Ho scelto dunque di comprarne tre per farmi un’idea del genere di materiale ospitato, degli artisti coinvolti e certo, anche perché sospettavo che ci sarebbe potuto scappare un consiglietto (guarda un po’, sempre a pensare al lavoro) – e non ho avuto torto, perlomeno nel caso di due dei tre fumetti acquistati.

Iron (Alissa Sallah)

Sfortunatamente la fiera non offre tavole dei fumetti da usare per recensioni e segnalazioni, quindi mi limiterò a postare altri lavori degli artisti citati. Notare che Sallah ha uno stile molto variegato.

Or, leader di Ferrum Magalo e attualmente impegnato in una guerra che sembra destinato a perdere, ha una speranza: convincere uno dei principi dell’Argntum, nazione notoriamente (anzi, “violentemente”, come ci viene segnalato nel testo) neutrale, ad entrare in battaglia e ad uscirne vincitore per compiere la profezia che viene annunciata ormai da anni dai profeti – che godono di ben poca fiducia presso la popolazione, considerando quanto poco azzeccano previsioni semplici come quelle del tempo. Tuttavia la situazione è talmente disperata che Or decide di partire alla volta della montagna sulla vetta della quale dovrebbe risiedere il principe Vrgl; vetta piena di pericoli nonché pattugliata da mistici uomini-angelo dalle straordinarie abilità, che testeranno il coraggio e la risolutezza del nostro protagonista, anche perché ad attenderlo non ci sarà certo una persona particolarmente collaborativa...

Sarò onesta: la storia è davvero tutta qui. Complice il numero di pagine davvero esiguo (27, includendo titolo e bio dell’autrice) la vicenda raccontata è estremamente essenziale, priva di ribaltamenti, sviluppi nelle relazioni tra i due personaggi rilevanti che non vadano oltre l’ovvio e in generale poco incisiva nei momenti cardine che dovrebbero avere un certo impatto emotivo – come quello del rituale che lega Or a Vrgl. Quello che davvero spicca di questo fumetto è lo stile di disegno: fin dalla copertina è davvero semplice riconoscere in quei corpi slanciati, nei visi delicati e nelle proporzioni una chiara ispirazione agli shōnen-ai/yaoi di qualche decennio fa, o, per andare a pescare manga un filo più recenti, alla produzione delle CLAMP; l’intero fumetto combina questa cifra stilistica con una certa originalità nel design dell’armatura del protagonista e nelle armi utilizzate, nonché nella fauna incontrata nel corso del viaggio – con design che non sfigurerebbero troppo di fronte al bestiario di uno Shin Megami Tensei qualsiasi.

Tuttavia, qualsiasi carica sensuale ed erotica promessa dalla copertina piuttosto suggestiva nonché dal content warning viene del tutto abbandonata con il passare delle pagine, privando quindi il fumetto del nocciolo essenziale alla base dello stile a cui si ispira senza però rimpiazzarlo con delle ritualità o dei gesti altrettanto forti; la storia fatica a compensare il suo formato estremamente ridotto con immagini dalla potenza tale da coinvolgerci in una vicenda così breve, mancando oltretutto di arguzie particolari nello storytelling e anzi spesso e volentieri ricorrendo a dialoghi piatti e occasionalmente in un inglese un po’ stentato. Insomma, se vi interessa per studiare uno stile così particolare non è una brutta idea acquistarlo, ma il mio consiglio è che a fronte di un budget limitato conviene tuffarsi su altro.

Ocean (Lucie Bryon)

I character design con gli orecchioni sono una mia debolezza.

Toots & Boots sono due agenti segreti della continuità spazio-temporale (smaccatamente inseribili in quel filone di film che ha come capostipite Men in Black) a cui è stata affidata l’ennesima missione di routine: tornare negli anni duemila, trovare il bersaglio colpevole degli smottamenti sulla linea temporale e riportarlo alla base; l’unica peculiarità della missione sembra essere nella natura del suddetto bersaglio – un adorabile gattino – almeno fino a quando il trasmettitore dal design appropriatamente didascalico smette di funzionare, bloccandoli nel ventunesimo secolo senza un soldo e senza la maggior parte delle competenze che permetterebbero loro di trovarsi un lavoro, una casa in affitto o anche solo un pasto caldo… Inizia così la lunga vacanza di Toots & Boots, che vedremo ritagliarsi il loro spazio nella ridente cittadina marittima di Châtelaillon grazie ad un inaspettato colpo di fortuna che permette loro di diventare parrucchieri improvvisati nonostante la loro inesistente competenza in materia di tagli di capelli (come evincerete facilmente dalle loro assurde pettinature).

Per quanto la vicenda sia facilmente prevedibile nei suoi sviluppi, i siparietti che vedono i nostri protagonisti alle prese con la vita quotidiana della cittadina sono divertenti e strappano più di un sorriso; ciascun personaggio ha una fisionomia riconoscibile ed espressiva che permette di affezionarsi facilmente al ristretto cast e di seguirne le vicende con trasporto. Oltretutto, il tratto semplice e netto delle prime vignette, assieme alla palette essenziale nera, bianca e blu, fa spazio man mano che passano i giorni – scanditi dal diario di Toots – a delle linee più morbide e soffici, e a colori pastello che accompagnano il rilassarsi dei due protagonisti, che piano piano iniziano a dimenticare la loro missione originaria per scoprire che una vita tranquilla fatta di appuntamenti, gelati e giri in motocicletta potrebbe essere migliore di quella che hanno vissuto fino a quel momento. È anche questo accorgimento che ci avvicina emotivamente ai due agenti e ci tiene almeno un po’ con il fiato sospeso fino alla fine, curiosi di sapere se entrambi decideranno di tornare alla loro vita precedente o se invece almeno uno dei due farà una scelta differente… Sempre che la loro organizzazione lo permetta.

Insomma, un fumetto assai simpatico che utilizza bene lo spazio a disposizione per raccontare una storia prevedibile ma ben narrata nei suoi elementi essenziali, nonché disegnata in maniera adorabile. Approvato!

When Death Comes, I Will Follow (Val Wise)

Full disclosure: ucciderei un numero significativo di persone per imparare a disegnare come Wise.

In ordine di gradimento crescente, ecco il mio fumetto preferito tra i tre che ho avuto l’opportunità di leggere. Lady Elaine, nobildonna e cavaliere, siede alla tavola della sorella Charlotte, unica suora che rimane ad abitare un monastero ormai deserto; sono entrambe sopravvissute alla morte per mano di quelle che Charlotte chiama le Donne Piangenti (Lamenting Ladies) – misteriose entità attratte dalla morte che uccidono chiunque si trovi vicino ad una persona che esala l’ultimo respiro – per tenacia o per puro caso, ma si trovano in quel momento ad un bivio: rimanere assieme rischiando che la morte accidentale dell’una condanni anche l’altra, o Lady Elaine dovrebbe ripartire immediatamente, continuando ad errare in totale solitudine? Come se non bastasse, Charlotte non ha detto tutta la verità circa la strage avvenuta nel monastero…

La prima cosa che salta all’occhio di When Death Comes è indubbiamente la struttura delle tavole: lo sfondo delle vignette, inchiostrate in bianco e nero, è infatti decorato in maniera coerente rispetto ai dialoghi o agli avvenimenti, talvolta rappresentando un nesso logico fondamentale – ad esempio, quando Charlotte offre della carne ad Elaine che ricorda il cavallo morto, accasciato sullo sfondo, di cui si è probabilmente cibata; assieme alla gestualità e alla forte componente non-verbale presente in tutte le tavole, che anziché venire soffocate da enormi balloon pieni di spiegazioni sono caratterizzate da dialoghi brevi, secchi ma perfettamente comprensibili, questi espedienti aiutano ad immergere il lettore nella cupa atmosfera di queste sessantaquattro pagine. La scelta assai felice di non mostrare mai le cosiddette Donne Piangenti fino alla fine, e anzi di alludervi solo in termini vaghi e criptici, risulta particolarmente azzeccata per aumentare il senso di tensione che trasuda da ogni interazione tra i personaggi, tragicamente consci della fragilità del loro corpo (e soprattutto di quello altrui) che potrebbe in qualsiasi momento portare a conseguenze disastrose.

Altro punto di forza che mi preme sottolineare sono i dialoghi: se la prosa di Iron era a tratti un po’ rigida e sgradevole, ciascuna delle interazioni tra Elaine, Charlotte e un terzo personaggio di cui non dirò nulla di più sono curate, realistiche e decisamente abili nel restituire le dinamiche che si possono creare tra persone che vivono una situazione di costante attesa per qualcosa che potrebbe come non potrebbe avvenire. Tensione che esplode nel finale, in maniera del tutto coerente con gli avvenimenti precedenti e lasciando un senso di smarrimento non solo nei personaggi sopravvissuti, ma anche nello stesso lettore. Insomma, fatico a trovare qualche pecca in questa storia che raggiunge esattamente l’obbiettivo che si prefigge in così poche pagine; spero solo che un’ambientazione così promettente possa essere riutilizzata dall’autore anche per un fumetto più lungo, visto che spulciando il resto della sua produzione mi pare di capire che questi temi siano particolarmente nelle sue corde.

… And more!

Le mie risorse mi hanno permesso di acquistare solo tre dei fumetti esposti, ma spulciando il catalogo è molto facile trovare altre opere accattivanti: c’è Pearl Hunter, della bravissima Hana Chatani di cui ho avuto l’occasione di leggere Love Condemns Me (se lo trovate in giro, lettura super consigliata a chiunque interessi La sirenetta in tutte le sue varianti), c’è Pinball Wizard, che accompagna una descrizione da shōnen manga con uno stile di disegno incasinato ma buffissimo, e c’è History Grows Like a Tumor, dalla palette essenziale e dalla premessa assai intrigante… E molti altri titoli che vuoi per il prezzo irrisorio, vuoi per lo stile peculiare o per l’idea alla base sembrano meritare una lettura. Di certo dal cestone della ShortBox Comic Fair è possibile pescare anche roba noiosa o deludente (come nel caso di Iron), ma se volete fare una prova e destinare una parte del vostro budget mensile all’acquisto di qualche fumetto di artisti contemporanei non posso che consigliare questa fiera.

[rickchung]

Strip Panel Naked x "Examining the Storytelling of Thieves."

A great reverse-heist romcom comic [...] due to the wonderful craft in it, Lucie Bryon has populated the book with brilliant storytelling techniques and tricks. [Dive into a sequence from near the beginning of the comic [...] and explore some decisions it takes to see what we can learn from it.

[queerographies]

"Happy Endings" di Lucie Bryon: un fumetto toccante che intreccia storie di incontri inattesi, agenti temporali parrucchieri e un legame speciale in un cimitero. Lasciati avvolgere da emozioni autentiche e finali che scaldano il cuore. Un libro luminoso per un tempo buio.

[battlinghugetbr]

2995 (+7)

Was desperately trying to find something to read on christmas day, ended up removing two books from tbr.

First removed "Food Baby" by Lucie Bryon, because I tried looking around where I could read or buy it and the answer is nowhere, so there is no need to hold on to it.

Then removed from the tbr "Tidesong" by Wendy Xu, which is, so far, rather dissapointing (am on page 50). Overall, this year is not ending too well for me, so I am just hoping that the next one will begin well.

[cubistemoji]

All of my comic recs from 2022 posted on WWAC and cobbled together in a single post- Jan 11

This was saved to my drafts in January and never posted, but here it is now because I stand by these recs!

Thieves by Lucie Bryon

Thieves is so, so pretty! I’ve been a fan of Lucie’s art for a while, and I was excited to see her use her talents for a full-length graphic novel. The limited color palette, off-white paper, and adorable art style create a dreamy, classy reading experience. It’s also a lovely story about partying, first love, the end of high school, and stealing stuff! Ella has a problem: it’s the day after a party at her crush’s house and her apartment is full of things that do not belong to her. Fortunately, Madeleine not only likes her back, she’s willing to help Ella secretly return all the stolen stuff to its rightful owners... and more. Ella, Madeleine and their friends all feel like such real, believable characters. I love how cheerful and extroverted Ella is and how well that contrasts with Madeleine’s more reserved nature. Thieves is funny, beautiful, and full of heart!

Love and Leashes by Winter

Love and Leashes is the only Webtoon I’ve read this year that made me laugh out loud at every single episode. Ji-u Jeong and Jihu Jeong, coworkers with similar names, enter an unusual arrangement in which Jihu, a submissive who’s been hiding his kinks from everyone around him his whole life, asks Ji-u to be his master. Ji-u, who’s cool and competent on the outside and shy on the inside, considers running away immediately, but instead decides to try this thing out for a bit and see if she likes it. Spoiler: she does! Despite the subject matter, the actual content of this Webtoon is fairly safe for work.

What really makes Love and Leashes stand out is the eccentric cast of characters surrounding the main couple, as well as the couple themselves. They care a lot about each other and prioritize clear communication, trying to figure out how to best make each other happy while not causing problems at work or with their friends and family. And boy, are their friends and family... a lot. Jihu has a group chat of fellow BDSM enthusiasts he met on a forum, Ji-u has a younger brother and work friends, Jihu’s high school friend owns a bar, and they all have so much going on. And whenever all of these people intersect, it is so, so funny. I don’t know how accurate the BDSM stuff is as depicted here, but the characters focus on consent, communication, and mutual enjoyment, and figuring out how to live in a way that makes them happiest.

I spent money on this comic! I can’t think of anything else I straight-up enjoyed, just had fun reading, as much as Love and Leashes this year. I’m going to tell my kids this was 50 Shades of Grey or however that meme goes.

Clown Corps by Joe Chouinard

If you’ve seen that Frasier meets Columbo comic going around on Twitter, you may not be surprised to learn the guy who drew it also does an ongoing webcomic about organized battle clowns. Clown Corps follows the adventures of reformed burglar turned reluctant clown college student Mary McBell and her clowning cohort as they work to stop a shadowy organization bent on destroying the entire Clown system. It’s hysterical, with great stylized action sequences, physical comedy and fourth-wall-bending humor, but also moments of surprising gravity as the characters grapple with the troubled pasts that brought them to clowning in the first place. The art improves quickly for a webcomic, and the characters are both silly and serious (one of the best fighters in the class can only kick ass when he’s asleep!) I caught up in a day and wished I could keep reading.

Pyramid Game by Dalgonyak

I am so obsessed with the Webtoon Pyramid Game right now it is unreal. I made a Youtube video about it. I drew fanart for it. It’s SO GOOD and NO ONE UNDERSTANDS.

Pyramid Game, by Dalgonyak, is a comic about gaslighting, gatekeeping, and girlbossing all at once. Suji is the new kid at an elite private school and it turns out her new class has a complicated hierarchical system of bullying, created by the richest and most powerful teenage girl in Korea specifically to get back at the nicest girl in the world who slighted her in some way the readers haven’t learned yet. It’s SO MUCH. It’s got some very messy homoerotic subtext (and text!) It’s got the most toxic friendships I’ve ever seen in a Webtoon. It’s got really appealing character designs and a fun and interesting protagonist who takes no bullshit from anyone ever and is going to beat the billionaire at her own game. Eventually. I believe in her!

I like Pyramid Game because I love this kind of mean girl drama; it’s got all the fun parts of a political intrigue story with none of the confusing world building to go with it. The bullying the girls take part in is creative, high-energy and visceral, but what really makes this comic so hard to put down is how keenly observed every character is, how real and complex and distinct they all feel, even the minor players in this game that act more like pawns for the leads to take turns pushing around. … Maybe I will write a full review about this comic someday.

Suji Seong could beat L in Death Note but Light Yagami could not survive a day in “The Happy Class” of Love High.

What Happens Next by Max Graves

I am at all times thinking about What Happens Next by Max Graves. It’s a pretty dark comic about what happens when some terminally online Tumblr tweens… have to deal with the aftermath of committing a gruesome murder, years after the fact. What I find really fascinating about this comic (besides the fact that I can never remember the title D:) is how accurately it portrays every detail of this hyperspecific internet community I remember so vividly from my own teenage years, and the kinds of people that participated in those spaces. It really captures… something. I don’t know. It does make me want to know What Happens Next.

Black and White: Tough Love at the Office by Sal Jiang

Do you think all yuri manga is too soft and sweet and schoolgirl-ish? You should check out Black and White by Sal Jiang, a workplace lesbian comic that I hesitate to call a romance, given how the two leads resolve their sexual tension by hatefucking in the conference room. Not appropriate for all ages, this yuri. The rivalry between Shirakawa and Kuroda crackles with chemistry, and Jiang draws the two of them fighting and having sex with a specificity that makes the whole thing feel grounded, rather than the ethereal above-it-all purity older yuri comics often have. I also like how they’re both good at their jobs and have good relationships with their coworkers, who see them as reliable and helpful and sweet. The contrast between their public personas and how they beat each other up in private makes Black and White impossible to put down.

Drip Drip by Paru Itagaki

I think Paru Itagaki should be allowed to draw whatever she wants forever. Drip Drip (which I discussed in a past Pubwatch) is incredibly weird, gross, and horny, much like her acclaimed longform series BEASTARS. But it’s also extremely interesting, and definitely a comic I will never forget reading. Drip Drip is about a woman so sensitive to germs that she gets a nosebleed every time she touches anything that isn’t 100% sterilized. She wants to find love and have sex, but every time she tries, her nosebleed scares men off and ruins the mood. When she finally finds a guy she thinks she can be with, it turns out he has dark secrets of his own. The single-volume story follows several of her attempts to rid herself of her curse, with a bonus unrelated one-shot about Santa Claus thrown in at the end.

Itagaki’s imagery and unusual choices of environments and locations make her comics very memorable: I haven’t reread this since October and I can still see the splash pages in my head like I’d read it yesterday. Itagaki and Tatsuki Fujimoto (of Chainsaw Man and Look Back fame) kind of occupy the same space in my head in their commitment to their singular, very specific vision. A kind of boldness I wish I were capable of.

[goodjohnjr]

Bloods Season 2

Season 2 – Bloods What Is It? The 2022 British paramedic comedy TV show Bloods Season 2. Bloods | Season 2 | Official Trailer | Hulu This is how Wikipedia describes this TV show: Bloods is a British television sitcom. It was created by Samson Kayo and Nathan Bryon[2]. It premiered on 5 May 2021 on Sky Comedy.[1][3] The series stars Kayo and Jane Horrocks as South London paramedics, as…

[ghost-bison]

Hi everybody. I'm making this post because tonight, I learned of the departure of a dear friend of mine.

She was also a tumblrina, @nell-darnel !

I'd met her in secondary school, in year 11, as she was insulting everybody's musical taste and the fact that no one knew this band she liked, Oh Wonder. To which I said I liked their song "All We Do" and she stared at me and she said "You. I like you". That night we had a videochat on Skype and we exchanged our playlists. She liked Cavetown, and cottagecore music in general.

I remember those weird little biscuits she always ate, round little things with pink and beige meringues on top and they were honestly not that tasty but they made her happy (I think she mostly liked the aesthetic but shhhh)

Once with another friend we spent the afternoon elongating furbies while watching High School Musical like the group of lil freaks we were. It was really cool.

She had her own ikea yellow armchair and she loved her cats so much that she'd let them steal it all the time.

She also always made gifts for her friends. Like everytime i'd see her or phoned her or texted her I could be certain she was crafting something for someone she liked.

One day she got me her favourite graphic novel, "Voleuse" by Lucie Bryon just cause it was so good, she said, and she wanted me to have my own copy.

She was chronically ill but she'd still listen to me complain about my back problems because nevertheless, she had a positive outlook on life and thought people mattered.

She was social af and had the most funky stupid laugh ever. I remember how she'd say something totally bonkers, for example tell a pigeon it was fat, and then start laughing so loud.

She had quite recently moved very close to where I live and she'd adopted a cat she'd named "Soup" and honestly it was hilarious.

I once visited her in the hospital to bring her some croissants and I have a video of her staring into the camera with crazy eyes while using her remote to very slowly lift up the hospital bed.

She loved frogs more than anything and she tried to be mysterious but she couldn't stfu lmao

She was a huge Doctor Who fan! We had fights cause she loved Amy while I don't and she kept calling Nine "the shark" and saying he was scary. But her faves were Clara and Eleven and now I'll never get to tell her that I was starting to fall for Eleven as well and she'll never get to see series 15. And I'm sad.

Anyway. I love her. I realize now how much i'll miss her. How much of a good egg she was. She was so peculiar and my favourite arsehole and it's not fair she was taken so soon when she still had so much to see and do.

This post is for you. I hope wherever you are there's frogs everywhere, and Doctor Who dvds, and your fave pastries and no more fucking suffering. Your whole body ached all the time yet I remember your laugh and your jokes more than your tears and your sighs. And I wish i'd told you that. Goodbye babes 💙

[lizziethereader]

January 2024 wrapup

(better late than never) not pictured: - Better than the movies by Lynn Painter - The Fine Print by Lauren Asher - Flawless by Elsie Silver - A Semi-Definitive List of Worst Nightmares by Krystal Sutherland

I got a lot of reading done in January, though not all of the books were my own choices (see all the ebooks). It was a bit of a mixed bag, but there were enough really fun reads for me to still consider the month a success overall!

favorites of the month: Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett, System Collapse by Martha Wells

nonfiction of the month (1): The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene

classics (1): The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

poetry (1): The Wild Iris by Luise Glück

graphic novel (1): Thieves by Lucie Bryon

[lohstandfound]

It's been months since I've done a book display at work, so I present my pride blind date with a book/judge the book by its first sentence

List of books in this display:

How to Be Ace by Rebecca Burgess | Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe | Orlando by Virginia Woolf | Straight Up by Ruby Tui | Thieves by Lucie Bryon | The Pirate and the Porcelain Girl by Emily Riesbeck | Heartstopper by Alice Oseman | If We Were Villains by M L Rio | A Language of Limbs by Dylin Hardcastle | The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller | Spoiled Fruit (from badapple.gay) | Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston | Echidna by essa may ranapiri | In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado | Not That I'd Kiss A Girl by Lil O'Brien | The Love That Dares by Rachel Smith | Ace Voices by Eris Young | A Magical Girl Retires by Park Seolyeon | Āria by Jessica Hinerangi | Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers | After Sappho by Selby Wynn Schwartz | Native Son by Witi Ihimaera | That's What I Am by Lois Cox

[libraryleopard]

It’s nearly 2025, so of course I finally got it together and made a nice little graphic of my favorite books of 2023 (swipe for a fairly length list). I would say that 2023 is the year my reading tastes became so eclectic as kind of impossible to concisely describe, something I am maybe overly proud of! In episode 35 of @neverthetwinsshallmeet, me & Pie attempted to discuss our top 10 books of the year (narrowing the list down was an agonizing feat) if you want to hear about my absolute favorites.

Full list below cut

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

The View Was Exhausting by Mikaella Clements and Onjuli Datta

The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins

Kindred by Octavia Butler

The Family Outing by Jessi Hempel

Seven Days in June by Tia Williams

Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson

The World Keeps Ending, and the World Goes On by Franny Choi

How Far the Light Reaches by Sabrina Imbler

Never Have I Ever by Isabel Yap

She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan

Your Emergency Contact Has Experienced an Emergency by Chen Chen

Little Blue Encyclopedia (For Vivian) by Hazel Jane Plante

Thieves by Lucie Bryon

If You Still Recognise Me by Cynthia So

Manywhere: Stories by Morgan Thomas

Here Lies Arthur by Philip Reeve

High Risk Homosexual by Edgar Gomez

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

Sensible Footwear: A Girl’s Guide by Kate Charlesworth

Nettle and Bone by T. Kingfisher

Homie by Danez Smith

The Unspoken Name by A.K. Larkwood

The Groom Will Keep His Name by Matt Ortile

Something Spectacular by Alexis Hall

The Thousand Eyes by A.K. Larkwood

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by K.J. Charles

In the Country: Stories by Mia Alvar

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert

A Power Unbound by Freya Marske

The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez

The Renunciations by Donika Kelly

All Down Darkness Wide by Seán Hewitt

A Lady For a Duke by Alexis Hall

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

Girls at the Edge of the World by Laura Brooke Robson

Choosing Family by Francesca T. Royster

Night Tide by Anna Burke

Going Postal by Terry Pratchett

When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb

Did Ye Hear Mammy Died? by Séamas O’Reilly

Tender by Sofia Samatar

Bellies by Nicola Dinan

Native Guard by Natasha Trethewey

The September House by Carissa Orlando

Wylding Hall by Elizabeth Hand

Wrath Goddess Sing by Maya Deane

Water and Salt by Lena Khalaf Tuffaha

And Then She Fell by Alicia Elliott

The Tiny Journalist by Naomi Shihab Nye

Idlewild by James Frankie Thomas

The Mossheart’s Promise by Rebecca Mix

The Pomegranate Gate by Ariel Kaplan

Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

Unraveller by Frances Harding

The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue

The Feast Makers by H.A. Clarke

Beating Heart Baby by Lio Min

[atlantidea]

a fun catch up tag

tagged by @rhaenyra-the-gracious thank u <3

last song you sang out loud: juno - sabrina carpenter lmao

what is you favourite crisp flavour: paprika (???)

the last book I opened: happy endings - lucie bryon <3

earbuds, headphones, or nothing?: headphones

last place I went to other than home: flying tiger

a colour that looks good on you: red (???)

last trailer you saw: a ts4 trailer (???)

tagging @hexcoreviktor @theoldgaylion @siuanssanche @eyeldritch @elinordash @uitzinnigmp3 <3

[itslegribou]

Les Carnets de Lucie Bryon, juin 2025.

[amesliu]

You’re so good at telling stories! I’ve never been one to read any type of comic and clearly I’ve been missing out because yours is so top tier!!

Thank you so much!! Comics are genuinely a great medium for telling stories. I’m not the strongest prose writer so it rlly allows me to bring subtleties into a story without coming off too blunt/all tell no show.

If you like SOHAE, my biggest comic inspirations are Thieves by Lucie Bryon and Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Jillian Tamaki. I also recommend Operation: True Love on Webtoon if you want something easier to access than a book.

[queerographies]

[Ladra][Lucie Bryon]

Amore, crescita e rispetto di di sé in Ladra, graphic novel di esordio di Lucie Bryon.

A Ella piace Madeleine, ma non sa come dirglielo. Forse però le cose che non sa di lei sono tante e tali da far sì che, quando si conosceranno meglio, Ella metterà in dubbio non solo il suo rapporto con Madeleine, ma anche se stessa, e il modo in cui affronta ciò che le fa paura. Lucie Bryon confeziona e intesse una storia sul progressivo svelamento di sé quando incontriamo qualcuno che ci fa…

[elliizzzabeth]

One (or two) sentence reviews of all of the books i read in 2024.

1. A Power Unbound by Freya Marske (4/5 stars)

End to gay magical edwardian england trilogy. Wrapped everything up nicely but still slightly meh on whole series.

2-8. Secrets and Scrabble series by Josh Lanyon (4.5/5 average)

Cute, sweet murder mystery series set in New England. I want to move to pirates cove :)

9. The Dawnhounds by Sascha Stronach (4/5 stars)

Maori eco-futurism pirates. Interesting concept, too much going on.

10. The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune (3.75/5)

Saccharine sweet found family in a magical foster home. Too sweet in fact, should have been a kids book.

11. Dinner Lady Detectives by Hannah Hendy (4/5)

Sweet old lady lesbians solve a murder mystery. Funny and silly but didn't blow me away.

12. This is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone and Amal El-Mohtar (5/5)

Star-crossed time-travelling killing machines on opposite sides of an intergalactic war. So short and yet packed such a punch!

13. Nine Liars (Truly Devious book 5) by Maureen Johnson (3/5)

Teenage detective prodigy comes to england to solve a murder. Also happens to be most annoying character of all time!

14. Heartstopper vol. 5 by Alice Oseman (5/5)

Nick and charlie so sweet and lovely forever

15. The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw (5/5)

Short stories about southern black women and their relationships (and sometimes the church). Felt like i could step right through the page every single time.

16. Hidden in Snow by Vivica Sten (3.5/5)

Translated swedish murder mystery. Suffered from fatal combo of slow pacing and predictable plot :/

17. Babel by R.F. Kuang (4.75/5)

What if language magic was used for colonialism? Unfortunately the tiktok girlies are right about this one it slays

18. Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin (3.5/5)

The Tiktok girlies were NOT right about this one. Not unless you like listening to two people hate each other for 13 hours

19-22. The Singing Hills Cycle by Nigh Vo (4.75/5 average)

Nonbinary monk travels around asia collecting stories and folklore. Again, how can such a short books pack such a fucking suckerpunch!!!

23. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab (4.75/5)

What if you made a deal with the devil and then he fell in love with you? How can you live 300 years and only manage to meet white people 😭

24. Thieves by Lucie Bryon (5/5)

Dumbass Lesbians hatch a plan to un-steal people's belongings. Silly and cute as hell

25. Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (5/5)

Nona I love you!!!!!!!

26. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Oseman (4.5/5)

Pensioners solve a murder at their retirement home. Pleasantly suprised for such a popular book, looking forward to the rest of the series

27-29. The Broken Earth trilogy by N.K. Jemisin (4.5/5 average)

Earth magic + racism + the world is ending + colonial power is the root of all evil = everybody having a bad time forever (but in a good way). The Fifth Season slapped so severely that I was let down a little by its two follow ups.

30. The Spirit Bares its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White (4.5/5)

Violent and unflinching look at how they treated women, queer people and the mentally ill in the victorian era. I am so so so brave for sitting though all the medical descriptions are you proud of me

31. Everything is Under Control: a Memoir with Recipies by Phyllis Grant (4/5)

Memoir of a recipie blogger but tbh i don't really think she had anything that groundbreaking to say.

32. Ring of Solomon by Aden Polydoros (4.25/5)

Percy Jackson but he's gay and jewish. Fun and funny but middle grade and I could feel it

33. Cultish: The Language of Fanatacism by Amanda Montell (4.5/5)

How cults will use language to trap you and keep you in their greasy little hands. Also why you should never ever join an MLM

34. Saltblood by Francesca De Tores (4.25/5)

Was famous pirate Mary Read a Non-binary icon? We literally have no way of knowing but its a nice thought I guess

35. On Earth We're Breifly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong (3.75/5)

A long and emotional letter from a traumatised son to his traumatised mother. Unfortunately i am nauuuurt a literary fiction girlie and I could feel it

36. Fun Home by Alison Bechdel (4.75/5)

Musings of a lesbian daughter on the suicide of her closeted gay father. More academic than I expected but still real good

BONUS - my 3 books I am currently reading

37. House of Leaves by Mark Z Danielewski

Sooo confusing and yet sooo compelling. Whoever is holding this hostage at my local library please give it back please please please pl-

38. Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle

What if the local gay conversion camp/cult was a little bit tooo into demons. Chuck Tingle really said I know I've made a career of writing gimicky gay porn books but what if I wrote this slam dunk of a mystery/queer horror/sensitive look into the relationship between faith and queerness Chuck you can't do this to me why is it so good

39. Half Arse Human by Leena Norms

Been a big fan of Leena's youtube channel so I am very excited to read! Its been getting a lot of promo so I hope it does well for her :)