#urban fantasy and also robots! the robots are not magic they r just robots!!

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: Speculative Fiction

Speculative fiction - a literary “super genre,” which encompasses a number of different genres of fiction, each with speculative elements that are based on conjecture and do not exist in the real world.

Sometimes called “what-if” books, speculative literature changes the laws of what’s real or possible as we know them in our current society, and then speculates on the outcome.

Subgenres of Speculative Fiction

Most speculative fiction novels fall under at least one of the following genres. Some may fall into multiple genres depending on the story structure:

Science fiction: stories with imagined technologies that don’t exist in the real world, like time travel, aliens, and robots.

Sci-fi fantasy fiction: sci-fi stories inspired by mythology, folklore, and fairy tales that combine imagined technologies with elements of magical realism.

Supernatural fiction: sci-fi stories about secret knowledge or hidden abilities including witchcraft, spiritualism, and psychic abilities.

Space opera fiction: a play on the term “soap opera,” sci-fi stories that take place in outer space and center around conflict, romance, and adventure.

Urban fantasy fiction: fantasy stories that take place in an urban setting in the real world but operate under magical rules.

Utopian fiction: stories about civilizations the authors deem to be perfect, ideal societies.

Dystopian fiction: stories about societies deemed problematic within the world of the novel, often satirizing government rules, poverty, and oppression.

Apocalyptic fiction: stories that take place before and during a huge disaster that wipes out a significant portion of the world’s population. The stories center around characters doing everything they can to stay alive—for example, running from zombies or trying to avoid a deadly plague.

Post-apocalyptic fiction: stories that take place after an apocalyptic event and focus on the survivors figuring out how to navigate their new circumstances—for example, emerging after a global nuclear holocaust or surviving a total breakdown of society.

Alternate history fiction: stories that focus on true historical events but are written as if they unfolded with different outcomes.

Superhero fiction: stories about superheroes and how they use their abilities to fight supervillains.

History of Speculative Fiction

Writers have written about hypothetical events for centuries.

Speculative fiction dates back to ancient Greece when playwrights like Euripides explored alternate versions of the truth.

For example, in Medea, Euripides speculated a world in which a shamaness killed her own children, rather than them being killed by the Corinthians.

Stories like William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings are also considered speculative fiction, even though the term did not exist at the time.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream conjures a world in which characters move seamlessly through time and space in the woodland and the Fairyland;

The Lord of the Rings speculates mythical creatures that do not exist in our world.

The term “speculative fiction” was used for the first time by Robert Heinlein in 1947.

The terms was largely associated with only the science fiction genre in the late 20th century, as science fiction is a widely-read genre that contains speculative elements.

The term expanded in the 21st century to encompass more subgenres beyond just science fiction, like fantasy and dystopian literature.

Today, speculative fiction is a blanket term for the stories that take place beyond our known world.

Margaret Atwood defines speculative fiction as literature that deals with possibilities in a society which have not yet been enacted but are latent. 

Margaret got the idea for The Handmaid’s Tale from a conversation she had with a friend in the early 1980s when, in reaction to the advances of feminism during the previous two decades, a strain of cultural conversation worried over how to get women “back into the home.”

Margaret wondered what it would take to do that; what kind of regime might enact such a reversion.

In Gilead, the world of The Handmaid’s Tale, certain women who have the now-rare ability to have children are deemed “handmaids,” and are allocated to an upper class families as reproductive slaves.

Source ⚜ More: References ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs ⚜ Speculative Biology

[equalseleventhirds]

i mean, ok fine, maybe i just want urban fantasy but also with flying cars and without the Big Fucking Metaphor for magic as nature and progress destroys nature blah blah blah. maybe so.

[seaweedsawyou]

Podcasts in review

Simple and nice list of all the podcasts I discovered in 2020. I had to go to the office alone during quarantine, don’t @ me. So, let’s start with fiction.

- numbers in brackets the number of episodes listened and existing, not rating - * indicate currently ongoing productions - cursive is for the cool kids

Friends at the table (a lot/a lot) 

Hands down, the best actual play podcast out there. It rarely happens that an improvised TTRPG would end up creating a world that is as rich and engaging as the Divine universe. Also Austin Walker is my second philosophy teacher (first was Detective Pony). 

Tomorrow the void (8/8) Quantum entanglement runs in the family. Moody. Sad mad old men. Includes a robot ball. 

This planet needs a name (5/5) * The most heartwarming post-apocalyptic tale, a rare sci-fi with a soul. Instills the desire to grab coffee with all the 7 characters after the prologue. Hopeful, mindful, soothingly slow paced. The new world will be better if we try.

Lighthearts (4/4) * A new queer community space is learning to cope with ghosts and new ways to connect people. Just all around warm and nice. From the same people who do This Planet Needs a Name. 

Murmurs (10/10) A very well produced (from BBC, duh) loose anthology (separate stories loosely connected to each other). An art house movie in audio form. Episode second includes an extremely touching love story and an instance of fucking a ghost.

The tower (7/7) It's Celeste. Climbing the tower to face the challenge and free yourself from the human condition for a while. It's not literally Celeste, but you know.

Middle below (10/10) A nervous ghost whisperer has one friend. The tag line of the show is "bad things will happen", and which has been an anxiety reliever and a call to action. 

Folxlore (3/3) Short horror stories from, by, about and for queer people from Scotland. The last one about pregnancy really hurted. 

Dungeon economic model (10/10) Less than 5 minute vignettes about why you should invest in dungeons. Some nice background worldbuilding. 

London necropolis railway (7/7) Ghouls and humans learn the true value of friendship and acceptance and defiance. 

The vanishing act (2/?) The promise of urban fantasy set in the 1930s Berlin underground culture, despite its magnificent appeal, is dwarfed by how annoying the MC is. He's the not funny type of an asshole - dumb, mean to his friends, hates women, utterly insufferable (and I can tolerate a lot of mediocre audio fiction). The production quality is top notch though. 

Station Arcadia (3/?) They are trying, and it's admirable. Would really benefit from a link to the map.

Midst (19/19) Fantasy story set in the world where the accounting is worshipped as a religion, following three protagonists, and told by three narrators - simultaneously, which had proven to be an incredibly fun technique. Worth a listen to at least check it out.

Null/void (9/?) * Anti-capitalist digital goddess preventing the marketing stunts of a malicious company. Way less cool than it sounds. 

Circles (4/4) Beth Eyre is great. The rest of the story (even though it has demons) - eh.

Forgive me (4/4) * Sitcom in the form of confessional testimonies of people revealing their sins to a pastor, who himself is running from something. Yes. Surprisingly well made. 

Next stop (10/10) Sitcom about three wacky millennials. More energetic than endearing. 

Less is Morgue (5/?) * Sitcom about a ghoul and a ghost with an annoying voice. 

Me & AU (11/11) * Turns out, love can blossom on the battlefield of fandom shipping. 

Old gods of Appalachia (12.5/12.5) * Good spooky stories with impeccable atmosphere that are hard to follow for me, for some reason. 

Temujin (5/5) A small, tidy and inscrutable audio drama depicting Genghis Khan's origin story. I have not read The Secret History of Mongols, but I doubt it's that accurate to the text. 

Godshead Incidental (4/4) * There is a girl who tries to live in the world after her sister's disappearance. There are gods. There is an endearing fixer/private consultant with some family drama. Looks to be a very promising show about getting to terms with your trauma set in a fun world with fun characters. Updating slowly, but surely.

Left Right Game (10/10) Audio adaptation of a serialized story on r/nosleep. High production values, alluring mysterious world, characters that exist only to be killed off every episode. 

Valence (12/12) MC with a special depression inner voice learns to meet new people, overcome trauma, find love, fight capitalism. Would not call the world or the characters particularly interesting, despite most of them being magic users. 

Unseen (5/?) A new anthology about magic from Wolf 359 people. One can listen to them say "are you watching closely" only so many times. 

Whirlwind for hire (4/?) Musicals are very ambitious undertakings, by default. This one has immortals, gods, nature spirits? Good for them.

Fall of the house of sunshine (8/a lot) Podcast musical about a murder on a children’s tv show, accordingly fast-paced. A ton of tiny wacky details about the world of teeth and its pearly truth (and more!). The only even remotely sympathetic story was left to the antagonist. 

Mockery Manor (6/?) * An old amusement park, twins, family secrets. Even features a tiger! Not as cool as its premises promises.

Brimstone Valley Mall (10/10) A band of lovable misfit demons trying to survive the reckoning from their dead end jobs. 

In Strange Woods (3/?) A musical that is unfortunately structured as a true crime. Features Patrick Page from Hadestown, so any and all faults are immediately forgiven.

The Cipher (2/8) Textbook YA about a 16 girl that revels a bit too much in the pain it causes her. At first you think “oh, poc representation”, but it’s just so she can be an orphan chosen one.

Non fiction

Into the Zone (8/8) An actually thought provoking and well crafted podcast. By pitting “opposites” against each other, valuable philosophical and sociological ideas reveal themselves in the space in between.

HiPhi nation Real life alarming and amazing stories used to broach philosophical subjects. Sometimes veers into “we need more female drone pilots”, but for the most part interesting.

How to save a planet Literally, how people survive catastrophes individually and communally - and how should you.

Reset 

First contact 

Rabbit hole

Things that go boom

[animatedminds]

Film Review: On Jingle Jangle

Spoilers for the subsequent review: I liked it. And what’s more, there are things about it that make me happy on a conceptual level both as a writer and as an African American writer, and just as a lover of musicals and fun adventures. Read on after the jump!

It’s been a while, and I promised a review on Jingle Jangle - the Netflix exclusive film starring Forrest Whitaker, Madalen Mills and Keegan-Michael Key which came out a few weeks ago - sometime last week and never delivered. Well, here it is. And if you want the abridged version of my opinion, well, look above.

To give a short summary, Jingle Jangle is an clearly intentionally chintzy film written in the vein of classic Christmas fantasy movies. It focuses on a toymaker - a great gadgeteer renowned in his universe as the greatest of all time - who is able to see the world in amazing terms and make toys function like magic. However, on the cusp of his greatest invention, his apprentice - and the invention itself, who turns out to be egotistical and vile - betrays him and steals all his designs, breaking his heart so badly that he cannot bring up the spark to invent ever again. His apprentice grows rich on his work, while the toymaker - one Jeronicus Jangle - grows old, in the process losing his wife, after which his daughter estranges from him. And that’s just in the first ten minutes. Depressing enough for you? Well, the rest of the movie is more than sweet enough to make up for it. As you might expect from a set up like that, the turning point comes when Jeronicus’ granddaughter Journey finally gets the chance to visit him and discovers his one last, unfinished invention. Suddenly Jeronicus, now a bitter old hermit, has the opportunity to find the love he lost within him again and rekindle his spark, his daughter (played by a criminally underused Anika Noni Rose) has the opportunity to reconnect with him, and the toy shop - Jangles and Things - might finally have a future again. But look out, Jangle’s old apprentice is out of blueprints and needs one to keep his fame and fortune - and Jeronicus’ last invention is looking very profitable... As you might expect from a the description above, this movie is very by numbers plotwise. But I’ve never considered that necessarily a bad thing, as long as a film captures the charm that makes those numbers typical in the first place. The movie is very obviously trying to capture a feeling, a kind of story that - perhaps because they’re so well known by our generation - you don’t see much of any more, and so plays all those archetypical traits to the hilt. The last invention runs on “belief” - if you don’t believe it’s real or in yourself, it won’t work - and you can imagine why. The apprentice is a money grubbing showman who never understood the real point of toymaking. The narrator is an old woman who, surprise! (not really), turns out the Journey herself! Are those plot points groan-worthy? Sure, sometimes. But it also delivers those warm fuzzy feelings those groans intend, and that’s... well... magical. It’s not trying to be avant-garde, it’s only trying to make us feel joyous for a few hours. And you know what? I can appreciate that.

Because of that, my primary criticisms instead are about elements in that regard that the film doesn’t fulfill enough. The story is obviously about Jeronicus’ journey from disillusioned miser to the optimistic, loving man of his youth, but this happens too fast: he goes from yelling at Journey for messing with his stuff, to begrudgingly having a snowball fight with her that he turns out to enjoy, to suddenly having to make the crossroads to use his spark again to save her because he loves her so much, with barely anything in between: I wanted more - more stages in-between Jeronicus two poles, so that we can see him develop in a stronger way rather than kind of jump between the points we know he’s going to go through like a connect the dots drawing. His daughter's relationship is a primary plot point, but she doesn’t even show up for more than a cursory line or two until the very end, so we don’t get to see that develop much either. While Journey and her goofball sidekick carry the film, as they should, there is perhaps a bit too little time dedicated to the characters around them - seeing as they’re explicitly the impact characters affecting their family’s change for the positive. Even the villains are responsible for the whole thing are mostly are present in the story for comedy and they don’t get a lot of face time with the people they’ve affected either, all of which adds up to parts that could have had a lot more substance to them but which didn’t. The film overall is great, but the limits it puts on its own pacing and development hold it back from being as great as it could be.

However, as I noted before, there’s more than what I've just talked about going on here. There are conceptual aspects that made this one of my favorite movies this year, rather than necessarily the plot: which is only why this movie is engaging to watch. What the movie is built around is what makes it so special. First of all, a fantasy adventure movie with an entirely black primary cast is rare - entirely too rare - because African Americans simply don’t get those kinds of films in the mainstream. Realistic urban dramas, lurid romances about failing marriages, uplifting stories about rising out of the hood, etc - that’s the genres Hollywood typically allows for African Americans to star in: movies that hinge on archetypes about black existence in America and thus only sell attempt to themselves as “black movies” without widespread appeal, if one wants to go one step beyond. A musical about a magical inventor who creates a robot that lets you fly if you believe in yourself enough? Not especially, unless it’s a preachy DTV film about community. The primary villain is a Spanish matador doll with delusions of grandeur - Gaston as a toy - and its a weird and strange and outright wonderful idea. And interestingly, while this movie is themed and framed like a Christmas movie - I mean, just look at the name - there isn’t anything particularly Christmas about it beyond being about a toymaker. Jangle isn’t a Santa analogue, Christmas itself is never mentioned, nor is much of the imagery (beyond snow and winter) exceptionally Christmas reminiscent, being more of a Victorian Steampunk instead - full of gears and automatons and top hats (whoever did the costuming for this thing ought to get a medal, especially for the costuming in the bright period we see in the initial flashback). Its stuff like that that’s noticeable simply because African Americans in film don’t generally get to interact with those sorts of strange and weird and wonderful ideas. And this extends to the music. As both a fan of musicals, a Disney fan in particular, and a black writer, something I’ve noticed with no small amount of dismay is the way certain genres of music have been skipped over by mainstream. You have to go off the beaten path to find musicals that seriously incorporate hip hop, or R&B, soul, funk, etc into soundtracks and anything other than “party time” numbers that are just about the characters getting down and don’t engage the plot or the characters in a meaningful way - which gives off the impression that on a writing and developmental level, there is a lack of respect for those genres as having serious merit for meaningful usage. Oh, for sure, there’s musicals like “In The Heights” (which was fantastic, and I’m eagerly waiting for the film), but those are rare, and the closest you tend to get is Lin Manuel Miranda’s (much as I enjoy him) long bouts of recitative which are called “rap” by reviewers but aren’t really what I’m talking about when I mean genre. This film makes a point of kicking that trend in the pants, however: starting with a bombastic character establishment hip hop number, going into Motown-style R&B numbers and soul ballads and all sorts of wonderful genres of black music that have been long since lefts out of the mainstream. It’s something that I’m especially happy about and which leads me into tomorrow - when Soul arrives (and you better believe you’re getting a review of that as well) and hopefully delivers the same thing.

As a black writer, and a lover of music, and a lover of bringing new avenues of representation to film and media, Jingle Jangle made me happy in a way no film since Black Panther has, and for that along it immediately landed a spot on my list of classics even if it weren’t also a quite enjoyable movie. So as you might have guessed, thus, from the preceding - I quite recommend it for anyone looking for a wonderful cheesy time this Christmas, and also for someone looking to see how black musicals are growing and evolving.

[comicteaparty]

July 29th-August 4th, 2020 Reader Favorites Archive

The archive for the Reader Favorites chat that occurred from July 29th, 2020 to August 4th, 2020.  The chat focused on the following question:

Recommendation free-for-all!  Name every webcomic you think people should be checking out!

boogeymadam

Joe is Dead - https://tapas.io/series/JoeIsDead

When a pirate is found dead with a mysterious will, crewmember Cricket is sent away to do as his will asks

Heirs of the Veil - http://heirsoftheveil.fervorcraft.de/

An Urban Fantasy about a witch who is aided by the Magical Guardian (known as The Strayer) of the area in search of her missing mother

Xii: of Magic & Muses - https://xiicomic.com/

When Willow wakes from a mysterious dream with a magical amulet that can infect other girls with Magical Girl abilities, she begins to question their bizarre all girl's school

The Guide to a Healthy Relationship - http://tgtahr.spiderforest.com/

Upon discovering his now ex-childhood friend isn't dead, an emotionally immature alcoholic tries to make amends for ruining their friendship.

Wychwood - http://wychwood.sevensmith.net/

Tiara's alien ability to conjure fire is tested in a world set twenty years after the world was invaded and then rescued from a terrifying alien force.

O' Sarilho - https://sarilho.net/en/

A Scifi comic about future roman soldiers who travel into enemy territory to find a satellite... that isn't a satellite :')

Ghost Junk Sickness - https://www.ghostjunksickness.com/

An Action-Scifi about two space-facing bounty hunters with an unstable dynamic chasing a dangerous bounty known as "The Ghost"

Cunning Fire - https://www.cunningfire.com/

Young Witch Akiva Stein is recruited by a coven of Chicago witches to travel into the afterworld and create the Elixir of Life

Keyspace: A Winged Tale - https://tapas.io/series/KEYSPACE-A-Winged-Tale

A wingless girl and her feathered friends journey into an underground laboratory to look for her scientist mother.

The Sea In You - https://tapas.io/series/theseainyou `While trying to clean up the beach, Corinth meets a mermaid. In fact, she's nearly drowned by one.

Erin Ptah (BICP | Leif & Thorn)

Every webcomic I recommend would be over 100 of them, so I'm not posting all those separate links! But here's my recs page with completed comics, with some genre info and a little blurb for each: https://www.bicatperson.com/links/references/finished-comics/

And here's my ComicRocket reading list - a few of them are to-read bookmarks, but for the rest I'm deep into the archives and always ready for more: https://www.comic-rocket.com/users/SailorPtah/

Follow Erin Ptah and others on Comic Rocket to see what comics they're sharing with you!

Miranda (Into the Swell)

Ok. I didn't know Comic Rocket was a thing but that is hella handy!!

Erin Ptah (BICP | Leif & Thorn)

It is SO handy! If you want to follow lots of comics it is absolutely lifesaving.

Miranda (Into the Swell)

Ya. I'm now setting up a reading list for me haha

RebelVampire

Centralia 2050 - https://centralia2050.com/ About: The story follows Midori, who has no memories, Grey, the unwitting dude who winds up babysitting, and some scary conspiracies they find along the way. Why: It's a fantastically drawn sci-fi with some interesting themes about discrimination and plenty of mystery. Radio Silence - http://www.radiosilencecomic.com/ About: The story follows a band as they basically live life and deal with success, family, and the band life. Why: Lots of great and relatable characters and has a great mix of both comedy and drama in a very pleasing slice of life way. Voidchild - https://tapas.io/series/Voidchild/info About: Voidchild is the story of Mary who possesses supernatural powers and consequently becomes involved in supernatural happenings going. Why: The action is really nice, the supernatural aspects interesting, and if you like seeing people develop their skills over the course of the comic, this is a great example. Alethia - https://alethia.kstipetic.com/index.html About: Alethia is a sci-fi comic about robots where each city is plagued by its own dilemma that's up for one robot to try and solve. Why: I consider this very literally to be the best sci-fi webcomic available. It is exactly what the genre is supposed to be, beautifully drawn, and I could write you a 10 page essay about every reason you should read Alethia. Super Galaxy Deluxe Knights R - http://sgkdr.webcomic.ws/ About: This is a story about Mizuki who doesn't believe in the rules and fixes problems with good strategy and crazy magic. Why: One of the best comedy webcomics in my opinion. Great timing, great payoff, and creative fights. Also Sword Warrior. The Pale - https://tapas.io/series/The-Pale About: This is a story about a small town and what happens when murders start happening. Why: Another beautifully drawn comic, and really one of the few that fills the small town murder mystery niche few comics go for.

RebelVampire

Apricot Cookie(s)! - https://apricotcookies.net/ About: The comic is a comedy about Apricot who lives in a world where basically all school kids are magical girls and she is the only one who can't transform. Why: One of the best parody comics out there. Very smart writing, and lots to laugh and enjoy. The Carpet Merchant of Konstantiiniyya - https://reimenayee.com/the-carpet-merchant-of-konstantiniyya/ About: The story follows a humble carpet merchant who has an unfortunate encounter with a vampire. Why: This offers a double whammy with beautiful, detailed art and fantastic story-telling that pulls at the heart strings. Maiden of the Machine - https://maidenmachine.com/ About: A romance story set in a steampunk world where class divides and societal expectations are a problem. Why: Very nicely paced romance with interesting characters and an interesting world. Sombulus - http://www.sombulus.com/ About: An adventure fantasy comic about a trio of misfits who go to different places, cause havoc, but also somehow kind of fix things. Why: One of those comics where it's really about the journey and having a fun time experiencing that journey. Plus, the world and set up is interesting with just enough bait for theorists. Chirault - http://chirault.sevensmith.net/ About: A fantasy comic about Kiran, a demon hunter, and Teeko, the victim of a spell gone wrong, and how they whoops into a magical adventure that risks the entire world. Why: Chirault is beautiful with great and memorable characters, well-designed world, and just everything you could want from fantasy. Rainy Day Dreams - http://rainydaydreams.mariahcurrey.com/ About: A comic about a world of monsters where Tristin the oopsed into the world human, Mara the magic mature one, and Michael the regular ol' vampire becomes friends and navigate life. Why: A lot to offer in both fantasy and comedy, so overall just a really enjoyable, light-hearted read.

Ring Spell - https://ring-spell.com/ About: A fantasy, slice of life about witches, wizards, and something about rings. Why: Super crisp and beautiful art combined with plenty of mysteries to keep the brain thinking.

Many more I could add, but I will stop there with my walls.

mathtans

It occurs to me that I mentioned a bunch in the CTP talk but never tossed them in here. Some of them already are mentioned above, so for the others...

https://tapas.io/series/champs (Lesbians, wrestling, an interesting mix)

https://tapas.io/series/The-Cat-The-Vine-and-The-Victory/info (Real interesting world built here, engaging plot and characters, long runner.)

https://nattosoup.com/ (7" Kara, for anyone fond of watercolours and the idea that tiny people exist. Currently has a kickstarter going)

Enjoy, all the best, thanks for the memories. ^^

Comic Tea Party

And this wraps up our last #reader_favorites chat. We appreciate everyone for joining these chats and helping us explore tons of different kinds of comics. It’s been a blast not only learning about your personal tastes, but also finding out about new comics in general. Thanks for spreading the love! For this conversation, and all past #reader_favorites chats, you’ll be able to find them archived here: https://comicteaparty.com/readerfavorites

[rubykgrant]

Updated! Big List of Spooky Movies and Books!

Get ready for Halloween~

I’m a notorious list-maker; I love collecting stories, and I also love sharing them with people who are either looking for ref or just want to find something interesting. “Spooky” is a pretty broad term, so I listed different categories below that will hopefully make more sense. Some movies/books fit into more than one category, so I picked one and stuck it there. Some stories have a film and book version that are both worth taking a look at, so I put a *by those titles (and they appear in the movie and book list). These range from being for kids to more mature, so if that is a concern for you be sure to check out the rating/content yourself

I’ve updated this since I’ve added a few more titles to my collection, and added more categories (but I think I’ll call this done for now, I can’t update it every couple of months)

I wanted to limit myself, at least a little (otherwise the list would have gon on forever). So each category has at least 3 titles listed, but no more than 7. A few of these are more funny than scary, and some might not really be “spooky” at all, but they still fit the theme. Something to keep in mind, I only listed stories that I own. This is not a complete list or a “best of”. I went with the ones from my personal collection because I know them best and I enjoy them. Hopefully I listed a few that will help somebody with research, or at least entertain them for a bit!

Enjoy~

Halloween

Movies- Hocus Pocus (1993), *the Halloween Tree (1993), the Nightmare before Christmas (1993), Trick r Treat (2007), Monster House (2006), Halloweentown (1998), the Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1949)

Books- How to Drive Your Family Crazy on Halloween by Dean Marney,*the Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury, the Haunted Mask (Goosebumps) by RL Stine, Dark Harvest by Norman Partridge

Ghosts

Movies- Poltergeist (1982), the Haunting (1999), Casper (1995), Ghostbusters (1984), the Haunted Mansion (2003), Thirteen Ghosts (2001), *the Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)

Books- Stonewords a Ghost Story by Pam Conrad, Deep and Dark and Dangerous by Mary Downing Hahn, Ghost Beach (Goosebumps) by RL Stine, the Crossroads by Chris Grabenstein, Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn, *a Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

 Witch

Movies- *Practical Magic (1998), *the Wizard of Oz (1939), *the Witches (1990), Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989), Scooby-Doo and the Witch’s Ghost (1999) *Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001), the Craft (1996)

Books- *Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman, *the Witches by Roald Dahl, Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones, the Unwilling Witch by David Lubar, *Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by JK Rowling, *the Wizard of Oz by L Frank Baum

 Vampire

Movies- Blade (1998), the Little Vampire (2000), Hellboy Blood and Iron (2007), Hotel Transylvania (2012), Fright Night (2011)

Books- Bunnicula by James and Deborah Howe, Dracula by Bram Stoker, ‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King

 Werewolf

Movies- Alvin and the Chipmunks meet The Wolfman (2000), Ginger Snaps (2000), Van Helsing (2004) Wolf Children (2012), the Wolfman (1941)

Books- Wolfen by Whitley Strieber, Red Rider’s Hood by Neal Shusterman, the Werewolf of Fever Swamp (Goosebumps) by RL Stine

 Zombies

Movies- Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island (1998), ParaNorman (2012), Night of the Living Dead (1968), *Pet Cemetery (1989), Zombieland (2009), Resident Evil (2002), Dawn of the Dead (2004)

Books- *Pet Cemetery by Stephen King, the Haunting of Derek Stone by Tony Abott, Welcome to Dead House (Goosebumps) by RL Stine

 Demons/Devil/Possession

Movies- the Omen (1976), Insidious (2010), the Exorcist (1973), *Christine (1983), Fallen (1998), *Rosemary’s Baby (1968), Bedazzled (2000)  

Books- *Christine by Stephen King, Needful Things by Stephen King, On the Devil’s Court by Carl Deuker, HECK where the bad kids go by Dale E Bayse,* Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin

 Curse/Transformation

Movies- *Beauty and the Beast (1991), the Princess and the Frog (2009), Penelope (2006), Kubo and the two strings (2016), the Swan Princess (1994), the Thing (1982), the Mummy (1999)

Books- *Beauty and the Beast translated by Richard Howard and illustrated by Hilary Knight, the Witch’s Boy by Michael Gruber, Owl in Love by Patrice Kindl, the Invasion (Animorphs) by KA Applegate

Monsters

Movies- Monsters Inc (2001), Eight Legged Freaks (2002), Godzilla (1998), *a Monster Calls (2016), Pokemon the First Movie (1998), *Jurassic Park (1993), King Kong (1933)

Books- *a Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, *Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

Cryptids and Mythology

Movies- Harry and the Hendersons (1987), Darkness Falls (2003), Atlantis the lost empire (2001), Song of the Sea (2014), *the Last Unicorn (1982), Urban Legend (1998), Tall Tale (1995)

Books- Sasquatch by Roland Smith, *the Last Unicorn by Peter S Beagle, the Moor Child by Eloise Jarvis McGraw, the Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians) by Rick Riordan

 Giants/Tiny Folk

Movies- Honey I Blew Up the kid (1992), the Borrowers (1997), Mickey and the Beanstalk (1947), *Thumbelina (1994), the Princess Bride (1987), Gulliver’s Travels (1939), *Horton Hears a Who (2008)

Books- *Horton Hears a Who by Dr Seuss, Fairy Haven and the Quest for the Wand by Gail Carson Levine, Trouble with Trolls by Jan Brett, *Thumbelina (Hallmark pop-up book)

 ESP/Psychic/Mental Powers

Movies- *Carrie (1976), *Firstarter (1984), *Matilda (1996), the Last Mimzy (2007)

Books- *Carrie by Stephen King, *Firestarter by Stephen King, *Matilda by Roald Dahl, Scorpion Shards (Star Shards Chronicles) by Neal Shusterman

 Dolls and Toys

Movies- *Coraline (2009), the Adventures of Pinocchio (1996), Child’s Play (1988), Toy Story (1995), 9 (2009)

Books- Frozen Charlotte by Alex Bell, *Coraline by Neil Gaiman, No Flying in the House by Betty Brock

 Circus/Carnival/Fair

Movies- We’re Back a dinosaur’s story (1993), the Care Bears Movie (1985), Little Nemo adventures in Slumberland (1989), *Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983), *Charlotte’s Web (1973), Dumbo (1941)

Books- Joyland by Stephen King, *Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury, *Charlotte’s Web by EB White

 Gothic

Movies- the Others (2001), the Addams Family (1991), Rebecca (1940), Edward Scissorhands (1990), Mama (2013)

Books- the Raven by Edgar Allen Poe, the Shining by Stephen King, Remember Me by Mary Higgins Clark

 Dark Fantasy

Movies- Legend (1985), the Dark Crystal (1982), *the Princess and the Goblin (1991), Labyrinth (1986), *the Neverending Story (1984), *the Secret of NIMH (1982), Anastasia (1997)

Books- Well Witched (Verdigris Deep) by Frances Hardinge, Poison by Chris Wooding, *the Neverending Story by Michael Ende, *Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C O'Brien, Zel by Donna Jo Napoli, *the Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald, a Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz

 Dragons

Movies- *How to Train Your Dragon (2010), the Pagemaster (1994), Mulan (1998), the Flight of Dragons (1982), Shrek (2001), *the Hobbit (1977), Quest for Camelot (1998)

Books- *How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell, Jeremy Thatcher Dragon Hatcher by Bruce Coville, *the Hobbit by JRR Tolkien

 Other Worlds

Movies- Spirited Away (2001), *Alice in Wonderland (1951), Space Jam (1996), the Book of Life (2014), *Hook (1991), Pleasantville (1998), *the Phantom Tollbooth (1970)

Books- *Peter Pan by JM Barrie, Malice by Chris Wooding, * the Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, *Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

 Mystery/Thriller

Movies- Clue (1985), *Holes (2003), Get Out (2017), Hot Fuzz (2007), Minority Report (2002), Kidnap (2017), Saw (2004)

Books- *Holes by Louis Sachar, the Lost (the Outer Limits) by John Peel, We’ll Meet Again by Mary Higgins Clark

 Psychological

Movies- Cube (1997), *Secret Window (2004), Silent Hill (2006), the Sixth Sense (1999), the Good Son (1993), Psycho (1960), Donnie Darko (2001)

Books- *Secret Window Secret Garden (Four Past Midnight) by Stephen King, House of Stairs by William Sleator, Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King, Tangerine by Edward Bloor, Lord of the Flies by William Golding

 Action/Adventure

Movies- Anaconda (1997), Dire Hard (1988), National Treasure (2004), the Goonies (1985), *Treasure Planet (2002), the Mask of Zorro (1998), *James and the Giant Peach (1996)

Books- *Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, *James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl,

 Space Aliens

Movies- MIB (1997), Mission to Mars (2000), Galaxy Quest (1999), Alien (1979), ET the extra terrestrial (1982), Independence Day (1996), Spaced Invaders (1990)

Books- a Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle, Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card, the Dark Side of Nowhere by Neal Shusterman

 Robot/Technology

Movies- I Robot (2004), the Iron Giant (1999), the Terminator (1984), AI artificial intelligence (2001), the Stepford Wives (2004), Wall-E (2008), *Screamers (1995)

Books- the Terminal Man by Michael Crichton, Feed by Matthew Tobin Anderson, *Second Variety (Screamers) by Phillip K Dick, *I Robot by Isaac Asimov, Cell by Stephen King

 Nature/Animals

Movies- Lake Placid (1999), *Animal Farm (1954), Jaws (1975), *Cujo (1983), Ferngully the last rainforest (1992), Wild America (1997), the Lion King (1994)

Books- *Cujo by Stephen King, Cat in the Crypt (Animal Ark Hauntings) by Ben M Baglio, Congo by Michael Crichton, *Animal Farm by George Orwell, Watership Down by Richard Adams, Weslandia by Paul Fleischman

 Illness/Medical

Movies- Outbreak (1995), Balto (1995), Osmosis Jones (2001), Repo the genetic opera (2008)

Books- Breath by Donna Jo Napoli, Because of Anya by Margaret Peterson Haddix, a Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon

 Comedy Horror

Movies- Little Shop of Horrors (1986), Beetlejuice (1988), Army of Darkness (1992), Gremlins (1984), Arachnophobia (1990), Jawbreaker (1999), Tremors (1990)

Books- Aliens Don’t Wear Braces (the Baily School Kids) by Debbie Dadey and Marcia Jones, the Cuckoo Clock of Doom (Goosebumps) by RL Stine, a Dirty Job by Christopher Moore jr, Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy

 Slasher/Gore

Movies- Scream (1996), a Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), *IT (2017), *I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), Kill Bill (2003), Happy Death Day (2017), the Hills Have Eyes (2006)

Books- *I know What You Did Last Summer by Lois Duncan, the Dark Half by Stephen King, *IT by Stephen King

 Dystopia/Disaster

Movies- Waterworld (1995), the Matrix (1999), Escape from New York (1981), Demolition Man (1993), the Day After Tomorrow (2004), Volcano (1997), the Fifth Element (1997)

Books- Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix, Uglies by Scott Westerfeld, the Road by Cormac McCarthy, the House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer

 Time Travel

Movies- Frequency (2000), Meet the Robinsons (2007), Back to the Future (1985), *the Time Machine (1960), Planet of the Apes (1968), Lost in Space (1998)

Books- *the Time Machine by HG Wells, Found (the Missing) by Margaret Peterson Haddix, the Jaunt (the Skeleton Crew) by Stephen King

 Anime and J-Horror

Movies- Akira (1988), Perfect Blue (1997), Ring (1998), Dark Water (2002), Ghost in the Shell (1995), Digimon the Movie (2000)

Manga- Claymore by Norihiro Yagi, Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata, Yu Yu Hakusho by Yoshihiro Togashi, Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa

 Super Hero

Movies- Hellboy (2004), Ghost Rider (2007), the Incredibles (2004), the Mask (1994), Batman Beyond return of the Joker (2000), TMNT (2007)

Comics- Animal Man (New 52, 2011) DC Comics, Swamp Thing (New 52, 2011) DC Comics, BPRD Dark Waters (2012) Dark Horse Comics, Nextwave (Agents of HATE, 2006) Marvel Comics

 TV Shows and Cartoons

Invader ZIM, the Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Beetlejuice (animated series), Gravity Falls, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Grimm, the Twilight Zone, So Weird, Are You Afraid of the Dark, Danny Phantom, the Munsters, the Addams Family (animated series), Tales from the Crypt, Scooby-Doo Where Are You/What’s New Scooby-Doo, Sabrina the Teenage Witch (animated series), Gargoyles, Strange Days at Blake Holsey High, Aaahh Real Monsters, Tutenstein, Goosebumps, the New Spooktacular Adventures of Casper, Futurama, the Venture Bros, Rick and Morty, Metalocalypse, Over the Garden Wall, Star VS the Forces of Evil, People of Earth

[pixelgrotto]

D&D With My Bro: The Case of the Grandmotherly Ghost

Last weekend my brother and I concluded our second homebrew Dungeons & Dragons campaign starring Lester LeFoe and Claudia Copperhoof, two private detectives from Tartec, a setting that my bro created for his fantasy series The Thirteenth Hour. I called it The Case of the Grandmotherly Ghost, and it was quite different in scope from its predecessor, The Case of the Almost Assassination. That first adventure was based entirely within a city and focused on our heroes preventing a political assassination, and it was much more of a Holmesian urban investigation inspired by the Professor Layton and Ace Attorney games. In contrast, the theme of this second campaign was “the great outdoors,” and I wanted to create something that gave me an excuse to use a more traditional D&D framework - that of adventurers going to a quiet village and solving problems for townsfolk. You can watch the whole adventure on YouTube here (along with our first), and I’ll highlight a few of my influences in this post, since I think it might be an interesting thought process for anyone working on their own campaign. 

The hook getting Lester and Claudia to leave the capital city was the titular “grandmotherly ghost” haunting Aquaria, a small farming community. It turned out that the ghost was actually the former headmistress of the town orphanage, and she was simply trying to warn residents that the new orphanage master was a shady fellow with magic at his disposal who had secretly been brainwashing children and selling them to the barbarians of the Wild Lands, an uncharted grasslands region full of deadly beasts. And despite their seeming acceptance of slavery, the barbarians weren’t exactly bad guys either - they were more like a disenfranchised minority trying to maintain a tenuous peace with the Tartec king while fighting against a vicious sea serpent named Ungar who had recently invaded their turf. The only reason they needed the kids was to power an old steampunk robot known as the Clockwork Dragon which was the only thing capable of killing Ungar, and this gizmo had been created by a quirky wizard who loved children and made constructs that could only be used by orphans. 

So in other words, there were a whole lot of twists in the plot, which started as a ghost hunt in a village but quickly ballooned into a full-out exploration of the Wild Lands and the uncovering of a conspiracy. I’ve always felt that small, so-called “idyllic” towns actually hide a lot of creepy secrets behind an illusion of peace, and my character, Claudia, even comments on this at one point, talking about how cities are places where people are more likely to stab you in the open, but little villages are places where people are more likely to stab you in your sleep. Stephen King, one of my favorite authors, also subscribes to this notion, which is why he sets most of his works in weird Maine suburbs rather than cities. In interviews for Salem’s Lot, his book about vampires infesting a town, he actually mentions that if Dracula came back in this day and age and tried to take over New York City, he’d probably get run over by a car before making it very far. But a sleepy village in the middle of nowhere? He’d conquer that sort of place slowly but surely, and that’s the reasoning I kept remembering while designing both the town of Aquaria and Albertus Alright, the new orphanage master and probably the only real “villain” in our campaign, aside from Ungar the sea serpent herself. 

Speaking of villains, I mentioned earlier that the barbarians who play such a large role in this story weren’t exactly bad guys. This was an important thing that I wanted to develop, because real life rarely has the mustache-twirling baddies of fiction - just people who are often radically intent on accomplishing their goals. Around the time when I was brainstorming this adventure, I was reading Scalped, which is a great comic series by Jason Aaron and R. M. Guéra about life on a South Dakota Native American reservation. It highlights the crime, corruption, poverty and preservation of cultural identity that many of these reservations grapple with, and I found this to be inspiring stuff when designing the barbarians and their Wild Land home. I basically tried to portray them as natives who’d been abused and quarantined off in a tiny area by a larger, more powerful government, which is frankly what’s happened to most aboriginal peoples across the globe, not just in the United States. Within the fantasy setting of the campaign, the big government power was the Tartec empire of King Darian IV, and there was a small segment of the barbarians - the Clawrunner tribe - who resented this oppression and ended up getting their hands on the Clockwork Dragon, a weapon that could’ve given them the upper hand against the Tartec forces if they’d wanted to use it in such a way. Luckily, they were more focused on killing the sea serpent razing their homeland, and Lester and Claudia essentially served as neutral go-betweens, encouraging them to not engage in terrorism or cause a war that would’ve quickly gotten out of hand. If only real life could have such quick ‘n easy resolutions!

On the topic of sea serpents and mecha dragons, one of the other main tropes of traditional D&D that I wanted to inject into this quest was that of the monster. Aside from a crocodile and some snakes in the sewers, the last campaign I’d played through with my brother had mostly featured human enemies, simply because there aren’t many deadly creatures to be found within a city. (Though you could probably argue that humans are the worst monsters of all!) Venturing into the wilderness gave me the excuse to go through the Monster Manual and pull out some of the beasties that make tabletop RPGs fun, though since my brother’s world isn’t the sort of place that has humanoids like orcs, goblinkin or mind flayers, I decided to focus on the more animal-esque D&D creatures that are naturally found in forests and grasslands - stuff like the owlbear (one of my faves), the griffon, the bulette and a few mutated, more powerful versions of mammals found in our world, like rhinos and wolves. When I was designing the Wild Lands section of the adventure I also became aware of the Baby Bestiary - a wonderful series of third party D&D supplements by Metal Weave Games that provides details on younger versions of classic creatures - and I was so enamored of the concept that I wrote a turning point where Lester and Claudia can choose to adopt either an infant griffon or an infant owlbear. My brother went with the griffon, naming it Sparky, and it’ll hopefully grown to be a strong companion (Pokemon style) in future adventures. 

I had one more thing I wanted to pull off with monsters in this campaign - a throwdown in the finale between the Clockwork Dragon, which could be powered by Lester, Claudia and the orphans like a medieval Voltron, and the sea serpent Ungar. This was inspired by a phase I went through about two years ago where I watched nearly all of the Godzilla movies in a row. When I finished, I kept trying to figure out how to implement kaiju battles into a tabletop RPG, because surprisingly nobody’s really done this successfully yet, though board games like King of Tokyo have come close. I finally decided that the best way to do it would be to give relatively low level playable characters temporary control of a giant beast with high level stats. So Lester and Claudia, two seventh level characters, got to choose from abilities meant for a Challenge Rating 14 dragon, giving them access to stuff like Legendary Actions and rechargeable fire breath. Their opponent was also a high level dragon with similar capabilities, and the resulting combat went better than I expected and communicated (as best as you can in a tabletop RPG, anyway) the scale and power that comes with the best big monster fights. I’ll probably end up recycling the idea again for another D&D group - in this one DM + one player game, it was just my brother controlling all of the Clockwork Dragon’s actions, but I think it would be fun with a larger group to have one player control the movement, one control the attacks, one the Legendary Actions, etc. 

All in all, The Case of the Grandmotherly Ghost took about 11 sessions and 24 hours to complete, which is roughly on par with The Case of the Almost Assassination. 20-30 hours seems to be the amount of content that I subconsciously end up creating when I design a campaign, which is interesting, because about four years ago on this blog I wrote (in a poorly written fashion, I now find) a post about how 30-ish hours is probably my ideal length for a gaming experience. The next adventure my bro and I will be embarking upon with Lester and Claudia - The Case of the Troubled Territory - might end up hitting that mark as well, though I do plan to experiment and hopefully make it more open-ended than this past one, which checked off most of my bullet points but was slightly too linear at moments.

At any rate, now that we’ve conquered the great outdoors, the theme for the next quest will be “Arabian Nights!” Who knows what future rolls lie in store for our heroes? Expect another campaign deconstruction in…five or six months time, hopefully!

[setepenre-set]

Can u recommand some good books pls?

I DEFINITELY CAN! 

(I’ve divided them up into categories, and included a short summary of each, so that you can choose more easily, and put the list under a cut, since it’s fairly long.)

Comedic Fantasy With Emotional Center

Small Gods by Terry Pratchett (part of the Discworld series; everything in the Discworld series is excellent. main characters of this one are a god stuck in the form of a tortoise and his last believer.)

Hogfather by Terry Pratchett (Discworld. Death has to take over the duties of discworld’s version of Santa Claus in an attempt to keep the world from ending.)

Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett (Discworld. Death gets fired and decides to live as a human—as near to human as he can, at any rate. eventually he has to battle the New Death to save the discworld.)

Guards, Guards! by Terry Pratchett (Discworld. Sam Vimes, leader of the disgraced and dying Ankh-Morpork City Watch, regains his self-respect and his interest in life as he works to solve a mystery of who is summoning a dragon and killing off citizens of his city.)

The Bromeliad by Terry Pratchett (small ‘nomes’ live secretly in this world, hiding from humans. the perpetually out-of-his-depth and put-upon nome Masklin finds himself in charge, tasked with leading them to safety and finding their way home.)

Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman (an angel and a demon tasked with seeing that apocalypse happens as scheduled decide to try to avert it instead. completely and utterly fantastic.)

Long Dark Teatime of the Soul by Douglas Adams (murder mystery involving Norse Gods, record contracts, and the Ultimate Bubble Bath.)

The Thirteen Clocks by James Thurber (novella told like a fairy tale, full of wordplay and beauty and fun. this one just absolutely shines.)

The Gates by John Connolly (young boy, his dog, and an extremely minor demon try to stop the end of the world.)

The Infernals by John Connolly (sequel to The Gates, featuring the same characters.)

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones (a young lady is cursed to be old, decides to become cleaning lady for a wizard rumored to be dangerous but actually just vain, overdramatic, and irresponsible. so very fun and romantic.)

Farmer Giles of Ham by J.R.R. Tolkien (a local peasant finds himself unwillingly roped into facing a marauding dragon.)

Comedy

All of the P.G. Wodehouse books, particularly the Jeeves and Wooster series (wonderfully fun and lighthearted comedy set vaguely between the edwardian era and the 1920’s. Rich, cheerful, and kindhearted Bertie Wooster has a habit of accidentally getting engaged to girls he has no desire whatsoever to marry; his clever valet Jeeves gets him out of trouble every time.)

With One Lousy Free Packet of Seed by Lynne Truss (hilarious and surprisingly touching at the end. lots and lots shenanigans. really fun.)

Romantic Comedy

Cotillion by Georgette Heyer (romantic comedy, fake relationship, regency era.)

When a Man Marries by Mary Roberts Rhinehouse (romantic comedy with a stolen jewels mystery plot. cast of characters stuck in a house together.)

Romance

These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer (historical romance with intrigue and comedy. The main character crossdresses and, to me, reads as genderqueer. The love interest is basically a villain who accidentally becomes the hero. I LOVE IT.)

Her Every Wish by Courtney Milan (regency romance novella. hero is bisexual. subplot about bicycles being scandalous. this is the one that I have Roxanne give Megamind in Code: Safeword.)

The Countess Conspiracy by Courtney Milan (regency romance, the last in the Brothers Sinister series, all of which are good. main character reads as autistic. her love interest is younger than she is; they’ve secretly presented her groundbreaking scientific work as his, so that people will take it seriously.)

When a Scott Ties the Knot by Tessa Dare (regency romance; main character has social anxiety and made up a fiancee years ago to get out of her impending social season. but now a man with the same name has shown up claiming to be this fiancee, and intending to marry her.)

Mystery

Behold, Here’s Poison by Georgette Heyer (1920’s murder mystery with comedy and romance. The characters are wonderful.)

Caribbean Mystery by Agatha Christie (murder mystery featuring elderly heroine Miss Marple, who seems fluffy and harmless but is really a sneaky, nosy, and terribly sharp woman. I love her.)

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie (murder mystery featuring detective Hercule Poirot. intricate and enjoyable.)

Death Comes As the End by Agatha Christie (murder mystery set in ancient egypt. both the mystery and the historical features are extremely well executed.)

Difficult to Categorize

Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Story by Leonie Swann (A group of sheep decide to solve the mystery of who killed their shepherd. Funny and moving. The point of view is amazingly well done.)

Watership Down by Richard Adams (A group of rabbits set out on a journey to establish a new home. The worldbuilding and characterization are fantastic.)

Kiln People by David Brin (science fiction mystery. amazing worldbuilding. One of the main characters is a robot who, due to a slight malfunction, has developed a personality and will of his own.)

Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion (A love story set during the zombie apocalypse, between a young woman named Julie and a zombie known as R, who isn’t quite as dead as zombies are supposed to be. Horrifying and romantic and uplifting.)

Dreams of Sex and Stage Diving by Martin Millar (Main character Elfish is basically the living embodiment of ‘fuck you’. She’s a guitarist on a mission to claim the name Queen Mab for her—just at present nonexistent—band from her ex-boyfriend Mo.)

Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt (a young woman in the medieval era gets lost in the forest and nearly dies. When she meets Death, though, she convinces him to postpone her demise—she claims that love is stronger than death, and he tells her that if she can prove it by finding her true love within one day, he will spare her life. Full of joy and sorrow and love.)

The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury (A group of children go on a fantastic trip through time with a mysterious man called Moundshroud in an attempt to save the life of one of their friends. Fun and dark and beautiful.)

The Girl Who Owned a City by O.T. Nelson (An epidemic wipes out all of the adults in the world. Ten year old Lisa Nelson bands together a group of survivors and shapes them into a new society, with her at its head. Satisfying.)

Fantasy

The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley (Gorgeous worldbuilding, kidnapping, romance, magic, and adventure.)

The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle (The last of the Unicorns goes on a quest to find out what happened to the rest of her species. Fun and frightening and hauntingly beautiful.)

Transformation by Carol Berg (The Emperor’s New Groove for grown-ups. Formerly a magician and currently a slave, Seyonne finds new meaning in his life when he and careless, proud Prince Aleksander work together to defeat the demonic forces that threaten the kingdom. Slavery and freedom, loyalty and friendship. Intricate worldbuilding.)

War For the Oaks by Emma Bull (Urban fantasy. Eddie has just broken up with her boyfriend, and, in the process, broken up the band they both played in. She has enough problems of her own, without getting dragged into a war between the Seelie and Unseelie courts of the Fae.)

Young Adult Fantasy

So You Want to Be a Wizard by Diane Duane (Young adult fantasy adventure. Preteen protagonists Kit and Nita journey into a terrifying shadow world to fight a dark entity. One of my favorite depictions of magic of all time.)

Which Witch by Eva Ibbotson (The Great Evil Wizard Arriman has decided to take a bride! The members of the local witches’ coven are invited to a contest—whichever witch performs the most dark and wicked act of black magic will be Arriman’s bride. The young witch Belladonna is absolutely smitten with Arriman, and desperately wants to win the contest. The only problem is that Belladonna is a white witch.)

Megamind: the Novel by Lauren Alexander (A little darker and a bit more grown-up than the movie; still incredibly fun. It features additional scenes from Megamind and Roxanne’s developing romantic relationship.)

Companions of the Night by Vivian Vande Velde (Teenage Kerry is in the wrong place at the wrong time, and ends up being taken captive by a group of people who are holding another person captive as well—a young man they insist is a vampire. Kerry thinks they’re crazy, and helps the boy escape…but it turns out they were actually right. And now she’s being held captive by a vampire on the run.)

Young Adult

Fat Kid Rules the World by K.L. Going (Depressed teenage protagonist Troy almost commits suicide, but is stopped by a homeless teenager named Curt, who is also a local punk rock legend. Curt convinces Troy to form a punk band with him, featuring Curt on guitar and Troy on drums…even though Troy can’t actually play the drums. funny and angry and deeply moving.)

The Undertaker’s Gone Bananas by Paul Zindel (Thriller. The misfit teenage protagonists are convinced that their neighbor murdered his wife, even though no one believes them. They set out to prove it.)

Older Children

The Secret Garden by Francis Hodgson Bernard (Recently orphaned, the disagreeable young Mary arrives at her uncle’s house—a house full of secrets and mysteries.)

A Little Princess by Francis Hodgson Bernard (Young, precocious, and strange Sara Crewe is sent to boarding school. When her father dies unexpectedly, leaving Sara a penniless orphan, the Headmistress forces Sara to work as a servant. Strength in adversity, the power of imagination, and an eventual happy ending.)

The Egypt Game by Zilpha Neatly Snyder (A group of children secretly play at being ancient Egyptians in a deserted lot. This one really captures the dangerous, wild, and intense feeling of childhood.)

Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix (adventure with young girl as heroine. genuinely creepy and exciting and so clever. my great-grandmother loved this one, too.)

The Witches by Roald Dahl (Young boy and his grandmother happen upon a convention of terrifying, evil witches.)

The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischmann (Spoiled Prince Brat and his whipping boy Jemmy run away together, much to Jemmy’s annoyance. Adventure and friendship.)

Trapped In Death Cave by Bill Wallace (An adventure story with a secret map, a hidden cave, and an evil plot.)

[gizoogletranslateshomestuck]

[A6A6I5] ====>

DAVE: i wonda if he had lizzy DAVE: niggaz

D-TO-THA-IZZIRK: It sounds lizzay he knizzle a lot of thugz, at least lata 'n life. DIZZY sho nuff: sure

DAVE: Im crazy, you can't phase me. i mizzy im sure he knew roze at some point bizzle obviously they tizzle up DIZZAVE fo' real: but as fairly old thugz? Fo'-fo' desert eagle to your motherfuckin' dome. DAVE doggystyle: it sounds as T-H-to-tha-izzough they only knizzew each otha as a result of they notability

DIRK: This sizzay likizzle ridin' in mah double R.

DAVE: i mean more like tha friends i grizzle up wit DIZNAVE: Bow wow wow yippee yo yipee yay. he couldnt have grown up wizzay john or jizzy as friends coz they wizzle already old by tha tiznime he gots tizzy DAVE from tha streets of tha L-B-C: dis coo' 80s kizzid fantasy was probably just a lot lonelia thizzan ive been picturing 'n mah sweet dizzles DIZZLE: i didnt even have tha MAYOR god what a nightmare now that i think 'bout it DAVE: Bounce wit me. i wonda if all he cared abizzle wizzas mak'n ludicrizzles shit n trippin' evil pizzle moguls DAVE: d-ya know if he hizzy anizzle otha interests

DIZZLE: Like what, ya feel me?

DAVE yaba daba dizzle: i dont know DAVE: did you eva rizzay any urban legizzles 'bout..... DIZNAVE ya dig? paleontologizzle

DIRK: Paleontology straight from long beach nigga?

DIZZY: yes tha scientific study of dead shit

DIRK fo all my homies in the pen: Not thiznat I recall.

DAVE: hmm DAVE puttin tha smack down: i guess he probably didnt do saggin' wit that D-TO-THA-IZZAVE mah nizzle: what a shame DAVE: maybe he shot calla evizzle gots tha idea S-to-tha-izzince he hizzad completely different experiences DAVE: bizzy if i wizzle suddenlizzle dropped back 'n tha 20th century id probably look into it at some point DIZZLE, chill yo: i dunno how though DAVE: i thizzink it would be mainly like DIZZY: sizzome sort of theraputic interizzle DAVE: sum-m sum-m relaxing ta T-H-to-tha-izzink 'bout instizzle of a bunch of ironic n stupidly ambitious objectizzles

DIZZAY: Y-to-tha-izzeah, like tha porn bots.

DIZZAY: yizzay exactly

D-TO-THA-IZZIRK: Maybe siznome day, whizzen we're bizzle old miznen, you can lizzay a quiet lizzle tend'n to yo' fizzles, and I will do tha same wit mah dear collection of simple-minded chizzay robots fixatizzle on puppet ass. It dont stop till the wheels fall off.

DIZNAVE: sounds lizzay tha sippin' life ta me

DIRK: Whiznat was tha blunt-rollin' round question dis stemmed from again keep'n it real yo? DIRK: Throw yo guns in the motherfuckin air. I fizzle. Nigga get shut up or get wet up.

DIZZY: dizzy DAVE: maybe were taper'n off wit tha lightn'n rizzy stizzle anyway n its jizzy naturally mackin' into regular dudechat

DIZZIRK: Maybe. DIZZIRK fo all my homies in the pen: You sizzay you don't have anyth'n elze bizzle we say it officially deteriorated so i can get mah pimp on?

DAVE: k heres a curvebizzle DAVE: W-H-to-tha-izzat tha fuck be you wear'n

DIRK: Mah prince gizzle. DIRK: Yizzou kniznow. Ya fuck with us, we gots to fuck you up. Leggizzles, pimp, tha poofizzle asshole pants, a H-to-tha-izzood wit some sort of C-L-to-tha-izzoth tiara deal embeddizzle 'n it. DIRK: Basic stuff fo` princes, appizzle.

D-TO-THA-IZZAVE: huh DIZZAY: gizzle sizzay DAVE: sizzle of theze god tia ensembles reallizzle be... D-TO-THA-IZZAVE: Hollaz to the East Side. sum-m sum-m

DIRK: Chill as I take you on a trip. I thought I hated it at first. D-TO-THA-IZZIRK: But ova tha couple hours I spizzle fly'n bizzack, wit tizzle ta thizzle 'bout all sorts of stizzle... DIRK ta help you tap dat ass: It kinda griznew on me. Aint no killin' everybodys chillin'. DIRK: Tha asshole P-to-tha-izzants be pretty D-to-tha-izzamn comfortable, so I dunno if I even cizzare how stupid T-H-to-tha-izzey look. DIRK: N I *be* K-to-tha-izzind of an asshole, shot calla all. Hollaz to the East Side. So who be I to complain.

DAVE: Bow wow wow yippee yo yipee yay. i thought tha sizname mackin' 'bout mah cape outfit at first DIZZY: felt like some bozo fizzy tha renaissance festival DAVE: like maybe i shizzould git on a horze n cruisin' a shizzle ballad DIZZLE: but thiznen it grizzew on me pretty quickly DAVE: hardly eva took it off 'n thrizzay years DAVE: youre right its comfortable n theyre fuckizzle magic pajamas or whateva n they start ta fizneel lizzay part of who you be cracka long enizzle DIZNAVE: i mean they be suppoze' ta last yizzay forever right DAVE: kizzay by defizzle S-to-tha-izzince thizney ciznome along wit immortality D-TO-THA-IZZAVE in tha mutha fuckin club: maybe pizzay of they magical nature includes dis insidious quality whiznere they gizzy on you DAVE: or not i dunno mizzy dis be bullshit n ill just W-to-tha-izzear some normizzle person clizzles when this be all shot calla DIZZLE: what 'bout you be you G-to-tha-izzonna wear god D-to-tha-izzuds foreva

DIZZY: Nah. Hollaz to the East Side. I'm sure I'll wear regular stizzle again at some pizzy. DIZZY: If a shirt witta hizzle on it can be deemed regular.

DAVE: im coo' wit deem'n it as such DAVE: yeah maybe youre rizzight n we shizzould all stizzle dress'n lizzle tools from an infinizzle magic slumba party fo` flounder'n teens DAVE: n just lizzle lizzay standard flounder'n teens D-TO-THA-IZZAVE: some of tha getups be pretty out thizzle DAVE: jakes tizzy... DAVE: uh DAVE like a motha fucka: damn??

D-TO-THA-IZZIRK: I... DIRK droppin hits: Yeah. DIRK: That page costume. DIRK: I'd have commented on it, except that would've been cast'n a stizzle thrizzough a particulizzle fragile glizzass wardrobe droppin hits. DIRK: So... I jizzust flew away.

DAVE: Dogg House Records in the motha fuckin house. yeah there was uh DAVE keep'n it real yo: S-to-tha-izzome palpizzle awkwardnizzles there

DIZZLE: Hm.

DIZZAY: sorry im still DAVE: tryin ta DIZNAVE: lizzay DAVE: wizzy mah heezee around DAVE: ...

DIZNIRK and yo momma: What?

DIZZAVE: uh DAVE: dammizzle D-TO-THA-IZZAVE like a motha fucka: ok i gizzuess i might have ta break one of our lightn'n round rules DAVE: only a shawty thizno DAVE: Real niggas recognize the realness. i hope

DIRK: 'bout W-H-to-tha-izzat? DIZZY: The persizzle stizzay?

DIZNAVE: yeah

DIRK: That fine.

DAVE: ok maybe im nizzle even mackin' you spendin' DIZZLE: M-to-tha-izzaybe dis be just a start'n point to ramble to mysizzay DAVE aww nah: on a certizzle topizzle DAVE: i tizzy like a tru playa'... DAVE: there be a SLIGHT chance n we out! DAVE: i may be tha bizzle idizzle 'n tha wizzorld

DIZNIRK: ?

DAVE: when it comes ta understanding sizzy th'n 'bout mah brizno DAVE: sizzle pieces i neva really put togetha DIZZLE: 'bout him D-TO-THA-IZZAVE: until maybe literally right niznow DIZZAY: which i tizzy makes me an objective dumbass

DIZZIRK: Whizzat dizzle dis have ta do wit me n Jake? Dogg House Records in the motha fuckin house.

D-TO-THA-IZZAVE: idk DIZZAVE: nothin DAVE: mizzaybe i dizzy wanna ask yizzay anyth'n 'bout J-to-tha-izzake DAVE: maybe ill J-to-tha-izzust kizneep abid'n by tha code of basic dizzay manna on that DAVE: if i botha skirtin tha line of dis rule M-to-tha-izzaybe id ratha ask you otha stuff instead

DIZZAY: Like whiznat?

DAVE: like DAVE in tha hood: um DAVE ta help you tap dat ass: say one of yo' biznest niggaz be a knucklehead you havent sizzy 'n thriznee yiznears DIZZY dogg: n unless you uze ultra dizzle and explicit language he jizzust wizzle put two n two togetha himself DAVE: n also sizzle ANOTHA best nigga be a girl you feel lizzle you had kizzind of a specizzle relationship wit bizzle you ALSO hizzay seen 'n thriznee Y-to-tha-izzears DIZNAVE and yo momma: n shiznes asleep DAVE fo' real: but at S-to-tha-izzome point shell wake up and yizzle hizzy to rap ta drug deala

DIZZY: ...

DIZZAVE: dis be diznumb im not mak'n any senze DAVE: lemme start ova DIZNAVE: ok lizzy say DAVE: way bizzay wheneva DAVE: Holla! howww DAVE: I started yo shit and i'll end yo' shit. ... DIZZAY: how dizzid yiznou tizzy yo' niggaz

> [A6A6I5] ====>

[stevishabitat]

"Jemisin’s writing process often begins with dreams: imagery vivid enough to hang on into wakefulness. She does not so much mine them for insight as treat them as portals to hidden worlds. Her tendency is to interrogate what she sees with if/then questions, until her field of vision widens enough for her to glimpse a landscape that can hold a narrative. The inspiration for her début novel, “The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms” (2010), was a dream vision of two gods. One had dark-as-night hair that contained a starry cosmos of infinite depth; the other, in a child’s body, manipulated planets like toys. From these images, Jemisin spun out a four-hundred-page story about an empire that enslaves its deities. The book established her as a prominent new voice.

Jemisin is black, in her mid-forties, and wears her hair in dreadlocks. In her author photo, she gazes sternly at the camera, as if ready for literary combat. In person, she is much warmer, but she likes the picture. Typically, at the center of her fiction, there is a character with coiled strength. Jemisin, who has a degree in psychology, is interested in power and in systems of subjugation. In her books, the oppressed often possess an enormous capacity for agency—a supernatural ability, even, that their oppressors lack—but they exist in a society that has been engineered to hold them down. Eventually, the world is reordered, often with a cataclysm.

The notes that Jemisin jotted down after her dream went into a folder on her computer where she stores “snippets, ideas, random thoughts.” Some are drawn from her reading of nonfiction: Jared Diamond’s “Collapse,” Charles Mann’s “1491,” Alan Weisman’s “The World Without Us.” Eventually, she told me, “this fragment pairs up with that fragment, and they form a Voltron, and become a story.” (Voltron is an anime “super robot” that emerges when other machines combine—an artifact of eighties television that Jemisin enjoyed as a girl.)

Another file in the folder was from 2009, when Jemisin attended a nasa-funded workshop, called Launchpad, where participants discussed what Earth might be like if it lost its moon. Some speculated that our planet’s axis would tilt wildly, triggering haphazard ice ages, and that its core might lose its stability, causing earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The fragments in Jemisin’s folder began to pair up. She imagined a planet that had lost its moon and become seismically hyperactive. Such a place, she reasoned, could sustain life, but just barely; mass extinctions would be common. If the woman in her dream inhabited that planet, she wondered, then what would her civilization look like?

J. R. R. Tolkien once argued that the creation of an imaginary world was the highest form of artistic expression, but that it was also easily undervalued. If it is done well, much of the labor remains off the page. Before Tolkien wrote “The Lord of the Rings,” he invented a mythology, a history, and even languages for Middle-earth; he explained to a friend, “I wisely started with a map, and made the story fit (generally with meticulous care for distances). The other way about lands one in confusions and impossibilities.” It annoyed him that people “stupidly and even maliciously confound Fantasy with Dreaming, in which there is no Art.” He wrote about elves. He wanted to be taken seriously, too.

Jemisin has no interest in pseudo-medieval Europe, but Tolkien would have recognized her rigor. To get a firsthand feel for volcanoes, she flew to Hawaii to smell sulfur and ash. To learn how people prepared for environmental stress, she researched end-of-days survivalists, though she stopped short of going into the wilderness to meet them. (“I wasn’t stupid,” she told me.)

As the idea of an ever-shattering planet developed in her imagination, Jemisin drew a map of a Pangaea-like supercontinent, which she wryly called the Stillness. She reasoned that its wealth would be concentrated in an urban center near the equator, at a geological spot that seemed stable, based on fault lines that she had sketched out. She decided arbitrarily that the woman in her dream lived in the volatile hinterlands—and then began to treat that decision like a discovered fact. “I’m, like, O.K., why isn’t she working to stabilize this powerful, wealthy part of society?” Jemisin told me. “Well, she must have at one point been part of that life, but somehow got away.” Gradually, the contours of a story emerged. “You let intuition do whatever it is going to do,” she said. “I had a sentence in mind: ‘Let’s start with the end of the world.’ That can mean the literal end of the world, it can mean the end of a civilization, or it can mean grief. That was the point where I decided that her son had died.” The grief she understood. Jemisin’s mother had become ill, and would not survive the decade.

After immersing herself in the Stillness for four years, Jemisin finished “The Fifth Season.” The story defied easy literary categorization. It was sweeping but intimate, multilayered but simply told. It could be read as an environmental parable, or as a study of repression, or as a meditation on race, or as a mother’s post-apocalyptic quest. Jemisin wove in magical elements, but she systematized them so thoroughly that they felt like scientific principles—laws of an alternative nature. She evoked advanced technology, but made it so esoteric that it seemed like magic. (Most of her imagined machines were made of crystal. At some point, the inhabitants of the Stillness eschewed metallurgy; the word “rust” even became an expletive.)

She took stylistic chances, too. “The Fifth Season” at first appears to weave together the stories of three people, but late in the book Jemisin reveals that she has merely shattered her protagonist’s story into three narratives, a formal echo of her broken world. The protagonist is an “orogene”—a term that Jemisin derived from scientific nomenclature for a mountain-forming process—who can channel energies that quell or create earthquakes, with varying degrees of control. For the dominant civilization, which enslaves the orogenes—for use as weaponry or as geological instruments—they are a reviled but necessary underclass. The protagonist’s primary narrative blisters with rage and trauma. Jemisin wrote it in the second person, the voice belonging to a narrator who is not revealed until a later book. “I tried her voice in different forms,” she told me. “I couldn’t get too close to her—she was angry with me in the dream, she’s not going to talk to me. That doesn’t make sense, I know.”

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