#revenge is an important concept in a lot of ghost mythology

[sagaduwyrm]

Hey I wrote something else. That's three weeks in a row posting something to ao3, good for me.

Let Me Have My Vengeance (It's the Only Salve that Saves)

To summon the High King of the Dead, you must make a sacrifice of heroes blood. Unfortunately, what counts as a hero is entirely up to the Ghost King himself, requiring enterprising cultists to capture multiple heroes and test out all of them. The most controversial of these heroes is the Red Hood, Avenger and Guardian of Crime Alley.

The first summoning failed.

So did the second. And the third. The cultists slowly worked their way down the line of imprisoned heroes as they searched for the perfect sacrifice for the King of the Dead. They took turns grabbing a hero by the arm, slicing just above the wrist so the blood dripped onto the eerie green fractal on the floor while the others maintained the circle, waiting to see if this was the sacrifice that would summon the High King.

The heroes were silent, several of them gagged, as the cultists worked their way through one of the Arrows, a Lantern, and two Flashes before reaching the bat family. Luckily, they hadn't caught a Super; gods summoned by Kryptonian blood tended to be able to bring more of their power into the mortal plane. Less luckily, the Supers wouldn't be able to rescue the rest of them despite being free. The cultists had laid down anti-detection magic that blocked super hearing; it was doubtful Superman or any of his family had even realized something was wrong.

The Red Hood growled when they reached him at the end of the line, a rumbling snarl that would set off the hindbrain instincts of anyone sane. He was restrained just as tightly as the others, however, bound in magic and rope, so there was nothing to stop the cultist from dragging him forward. They hesitated a bit. The ritual called for the blood of a hero, and there was a fair amount of disagreement over whether the former crime lord counted. One cultist with a thick crime alley accent assured the others he was heroic enough, the woman barely even flinching at the Hood's accusing look.

He was placed further from the rest, so a second cultist had to come help drag him to the ritual. They dumped him at the edge of the circle, and the first swiftly drew the unnaturally sharp ceremonial knife over his arm. The blood splattered down onto the ritual, slowly being absorbed by the runes, same as the previous attempts, and no change seemed to be forthcoming. The Red Hood was quickly dragged back into place, a cadre of cultists already getting together to discuss finding better sacrifices.

A cultist began approaching the heroes, ready to finish things now that they had no more need of them, and the room ş̵̟̥̬͎̗̝̲͇̪͋̄̏͑̊̅̈̔ ̷̛̪̘̩͍͍̣͙̖̃̑͠ḩ̷̹̪̝̰̗̲̹͚͐́̒̑ ̵̨̛̺̦̆̾͒͌͆̑̚̚ȏ̵̧͇̯̱͌͒̑̏͌̐͝͝ͅ ̸̥̫͙͂̿͛͘ọ̷͖͑̑̊ ̴̘̲͗͋k̷̞͍̙̜̼̒̿͑̓͐̚͜͝͝ͅ.

Cultists screamed, glass broke as something fell, and the heroes launched into action as the magic that held them flickered. Everything froze again though as a fissure opened in the middle of the runes and a strange, inhuman hand grasped the edges from below.

The creature that pulled itself out was difficult to describe. It was the night, the beautiful vastness of the stars, the knowledge that Earth was only a speck of a speck of a speck in the cosmos, that there were billions of years before humanity and there would be billions of years after, all wrapped up into a shape that started human before stretching into endless snake-like coils. It had a crown like the auroras, and sharp claws that gleamed like ice shed in the wake of a speeding comet. Its eyes were bright-burning glimpses of eternity: all the truth of the living and dead there to see if you dared to look.

It was a horrifying, awe-inspiring sight, and, as the creature freed itself from the chasm in the ground, it turned to look directly at the Red Hood.

"Ẏ̶̨̛̪͕̘̰̝̰̩̝̼͌͊̋̌͌͘o̵͇͖͕̔̒́̾̑̔͝ų̷̬̜̦͔̙͎͔̆̈͘ ̵̣̽͂w̸̡̠͇̿̄͗̃͋̔͂͑̄̀e̴̺̯͚̿̈́͗̈̑͂͠ŕ̶̙̜̔̽̃̿͆͆̌͊e̴̫̱͓͌̄̌̌̑͝͠ ̸̢̘̞̬̼̞̗̤̔̀͛͊̇͌t̷̨̗̲͉̰̪̼̺̞̣͊̈́́͆̆̀̃h̶̳̫̲̹͔̒͛̒͗̆̚͝͝e̴̼̥̹̬͆́͋̑̅̏̌̀̀͋̀ ̵̟͕͓͔̱̝̀͂̓̊̒̈́̈́̈͗͝͝o̴͎̲͗̎͒̚ͅň̵̢̳͙̹̫̬̺̫͇̬̬͂ę̴̘͍̯̤̹͇͋̅̆ ̴̨̹̖̖̓͝t̴̨̲̺͔̫̪̥̰̠͈̯͋ỏ̴̲̮̭̌̍͋̃̈́̃̏͆͒̕ ̶̧̧̥͔̗̖͈͍͇͌ͅs̸̛̩͚͕̒̈́u̴̧̫̼͖͔̳̙̤̞͛̏̓̅̂͒͌̊̄m̷̤͆̋̈̓̿̈m̷̤̮̃̄́̀̏͐͛̃͠o̵̜͌̏̌̌̒̀̒̚͘͝ṋ̴̟̬̔̾́̊̿͐̅͘͘͠͠ ̴̛̫̺̯͊̃͒̎̾̏͆̚͠m̴̨̫͐͒̎ë̷͍̬͓̣̖̻̪̬́̆͑̾͘,̵̭͇̩̬̖̩̠̖̐ͅ ̸̬͕͎͛ĝ̸͈̹̦̤͚̜̿̏̈̃̑͜͝u̸̪̤̺̬̰̜̫̲̣̩̇͋͐̕͝ą̴̡̝͙̯͙̑̇͒̊͆̽̉́͊r̶͙͕͇͇͔̈́̽͆̑̿̄d̵̦͚͚̦̮̤̗̹̅͋͌͘̕͝į̷̱̘͇̜̥̽͊͜a̴̱͙̋̏̾̃̽͜͝ń̸͈̥͓̩̙̮͙̳̠͋̄̍̿̒̕͝?̴̛͔̬͈͌̔͋̆͝"

"Uh…," his face was invisible behind the mask, but one could almost see the wheels turning in the Red Hood's head. "I guess?"

"Y̸͚͆̈́o̷͍̊u̸̳͌ ̷̌̓ͅg̷̢̃ũ̷͜ę̴̐̌s̸̰̊s̴̖͆̽ ̶͙̳̈́́y̷̳͛͗ơ̵ͅṳ̵͐͋ ̴̧̾j̷͈̻̓ṳ̷̏̚s̸̹̺͐t̸̬͛͝ ̵̧̏̏s̵͎̘̍̇ǘ̷̖̗̋m̷͉͚͝͝m̶̩͝o̵͎̔n̸̖͑̿e̵̪̬̽̅d̶͖̯̊͋ ̷̓̓ͅț̸̛̎ĥ̷͙ę̵͎̉ ̶̡̜̓̑H̵̢̠̒̿ỉ̶͎̯g̷͕͕͆ḩ̸̟̏ ̷͚̇K̸̬̣̅̊ḭ̸̅̓n̵̼̽g̸̦̥̎͠ ̴̟̮̏̍ò̶͎̥f̶̳͂ ̸̢͊͘t̵̼̋ȟ̴͍̈́e̸̩̓ ̶̢͊͝I̴̳̽n̸̮͐f̴̠͠i̴̥͊n̶̯̬̓̇i̵͖͌t̴̼͂́ȩ̴̿͊ ̸̡̭͊̓R̶̞̦̈́ē̶̢͝a̷̜̔͝l̵̮͇͝m̶͚̹̅͘s̷͕̾ ̸͙̖̈́ẅ̶̢̼́͝ḭ̶̰͂t̸̠̰͂h̷̖̊̈́ ̵͚̤̅͛ą̷̏̍ ̵̰͔̓s̴̡̗̋̔a̶̰̓̅c̶͎̺̀̊r̶̬̊̊ỉ̶̹f̷̲̻̅͝i̶̪̎c̸̼̈̕ḙ̶̱̂̂ ̶̮͑o̶̭͌f̷͕͐̀ ̶͍͔́b̷̘̒̕ͅl̶̅ͅȏ̴͖̻o̷̯͑̔d̴̮̩́́?̵̪̟̄͠"

The being sounded startlingly sarcastic, which was a new one in Jason's admittedly limited experience with eldritch abominations. Though, in that brief moment of casualness, he had gotten a glimpse past the horror to an aura of kindness. Jason could work with that.

"It was kind of an accident?"

The being blinked before looking around for the first time. "S̵̗̱̈́̒h̴͇̯̓͗ī̷͈͖͛t̷͇̓̋. I was hoping requiring the blood of a hero would mean I would only be called for emergencies, not petty villainy." The being casually reached out and sent a burst of ć̸̲̞̊̿ȍ̷͇͈̬́̚͜s̷̲̍̈́͛͝m̷̛̝̮͙̗̰o̴͓̭̣͌͐̎̄́͘͝s̴̭͌̓̐͝͠-̸̦̘͙͚̼͑͐ḵ̵̨̩̖̂̾͘i̷̢͍̱̜͇͙̥͋̚n̷̲̙̝͓̟͗̂̍̇̽ģ̸͛̔̂̐͋̄́-̶̧̫̥͈̫̰̒̎̓̐́k̵̞̹̥͒̿̇̋̊ņ̸̦͍̪͒̿̋̊͆̒̾e̶̜͊̈ẻ̵̹́̿̒̈̚l̴̨̙̳͔̝͚͒-̴͎̭̻̦̂t̴͕̜̙̫̹̣͂̒͘͝ǫ̵̝͉̋͑̈͂̀-̶̧͍̘̙͕́͜ṃ̷̖̥̘̦͐̅e̵̳̥͇̓̔̎̍̄͝ power at the cultists, who slammed to their knees and fell silent.

Jason took a moment to restart his brain. Seeing an eldritch god beyond mortal ken curse like a teenager admittedly made him want to bash his head against a wall, but he could hear Nightwing making a noise like a leaking teakettle behind him, and he refused to handle this worse than Dickface. "Maybe you should include a clause that it has to be a willing sacrifice? Or one that requires good intentions? How are you defining 'hero' anyway?" Yup. Nailed it. English pedantry for the win.

"I considered both; willing tends to get iffy if the sacrifice is under duress at all, which most would be considering the kind of situations that lead someone to summon m̴̦̭͙̮̣͆̈̉̀͛̈́e̷̬̦̤̻̬͎̓͑͂̎͐͝, and good intentions clauses are too black and white for my tastes." The creature turned back to him from where it was staring exhaustedly at the cultists. "Heroes are those who help others at the cost of themselves. How else would you define it?"

Jason took a moment to sort through that. Did that mean the creature thought he helped others? Vindication. It was almost too good to be—

"You think the Red Hood helps others? By what goddamn metric?" And there was the catch. Green Arrow was a jerk when Jason was Robin, and he'd only gotten worse over the years.

The King froze for a moment, before he seemed to g̸̩͊l̶̟̭͚̲̹͚͐͂i̷̧̳̰̺̻͇̐͗́̈̂̒ẗ̷̘̤̳̝̯̝̞́́̆c̷̡͖̩͒̾̀͌͑͑̇h̴̦̻͚͓́͜, twisting to face the Arrow. Its voice was noticeably colder as it spoke, and several heroes paled. "Why wouldn't he be? I know the name of the avenger who lives in Gotham. I didn't come on ḁ̷͉̖̀c̶̥͋͜c̶̼̩͖̿̍̑̇͊̚i̵̩͒̓͂ḑ̴̦͚͙̱̄̀͜͝e̴͚̜̟̭͂̌͘͝n̶̰͒́̉̅ť̷̗̠̝̣̪̐̒̀͒̍."

"Avenger?" Jason hadn't heard that word applied to him before. For most people, it has too many heroic implications because of the marvel comics to consider applying it to him. But if he apparently was a hero, not just a vigilante, by the standards of— he thought the being said they were from the Infinite Realms? Some kind of afterlife maybe?— if he was a hero by the standards of the Infinite Realms then…

The being's voice was frigid, and there was an underlying sound like the booming crack of a glacier. The ghost turned back to Jason again. "Six months ago you killed a rapist, freeing two of my subjects from their fear and preventing any more living from joining them. Eight months before that, a serial killer, avenging seven. Two months before that you eliminated a human trafficking group, freeing the children of another one of my subjects. She wept for three days and sang eternal blessings to your house." As he spoke the being seemed to fold in on itself, becoming more and more human until a child, barely a teenager, stood before him, a crown too big for his head sitting on his shoulders instead and large, tired eyes in his face. "A month and a half before that, you killed Jonah Stevenson, freeing two of my friends, Kitty and Johnny."

Jason sat there wide-eyed. He didn't— he didn't do what he did expecting recognition but… He asked a quiet clarifying question about the terminology the boy-king used. "You said I freed them?"

The kid shrugged. "You came back s̷̲̰̙̜̠̒͒̄c̵̢̺̱͎̪̍̄͒̓̓̕͠ȑ̴̝͋e̴̙̠̥̪̗̐̃̇̀̚ȁ̸̻̝̲̲̹͖̽̋̈́̄͜m̸̗̒́͒͌͝ǐ̵̼͚̩̫͕̌͛͆ͅn̴̗̈͑͠ͅg̷̙̈́̍́͌̾̈͊, right? That's what the rumors say. You know the value of knowing the person who hurt you can't harm you or anyone else ever again."

One of his brothers spoke up skeptically, probably as a distraction while the rest of the family tried to get free and undo the summoning. "How would killing someone prevent them from harming someone in the afterlife?"

The kid raised an eyebrow, casting a glance over at the heroes, who froze. "There isn't only one afterlife. People like that get dragged straight to judgment, or sent on to the reincarnation cycle without their memories." The being's gaze turned amused. "Don't be so afraid. I'll be going in a minute."

The ghost kid turned and beamed at Jason, the first expression he'd seen the teenager make that wasn't tired, terrifying, or vaguely assholish. "Feel free to call me up if you need something. I owe you a lot of favors for everything you've done for my people." He moved with unnatural grace through the air, slipping back through the portal just before the ritual seemingly lost power, leaving behind a dozen cultists that had fallen unconscious at some point and a group of heroes that were remarkably drained for having barely done anything.

Jason slumped to the ground even as his fingers unraveled the last of his restraints. That was… something. Something good, he thought; it mattered to have someone tell him they appreciated what he was doing as much as most people didn't. He felt like he needed to catch his breath after all the emotions he'd gone through. He definitely needed to pull his energy back up considering he was going to have to spend the next few hours doing his favorite thing: dealing with his family.

#danny phantom #dp x dc #fandom stuff #danny fenton #dpxdc #batman #jason todd #the red hood #revenge is an important concept in a lot of ghost mythology #so I just think that the Infinite Realms would appreciate what Jason is doing #I need to stop having Danny summoned in all my stories #but in my defense #it's a really useful story starter

[ozpawz]

New drawing of some old charecters! Big post if u want to hear about them

Look at what they used to look like?!? They have gone through such a transformation. It’s cool to see that stuck, and what didn’t. Like that orange hair, so happy it’s gone.

Pablov is the one with brown hair and lay is blonde :).

They both wr born in test tubes and have strange secret powers. I honestly haven’t changed their story much from when I thought of it when I was fourteen, which makes it kind of special.

When they are kids, lay can transform into a cat, and pablov gets strange haunting dreams from ghosts. As they get older, lay can transform into a sort of monster-cat, with super human strength. Pablov has strange trances and encounters with spirits right after they die, which isn’t something he enjoys, and feels like it’s a curse. There’s a bunch of other fun story stuff and lore, but that’s the important bits probably.

I usually draw them after they grow up and have to team up to stop this guy, Jen. He’s like a half spider half human. And he’s trying to seek revenge and shit. I wanna re draw him, I really love his original concept.

You can probably tell that a lot of the drawings have a some super hero comic inspiration, I was really into comics when I came up with them so it’s in there blood. I think especially in the earlier drawings.

Lay’s design usually had some more medieval aspects. Even in his current design, the architecture of the clothing seems kinda medieval like. But it also became really tactical, I found a some really cool clothing designs that I thought alluded to both.

Pablov was always supposed to be a Mexican charecter. His mytho’s was also usually inspired by Aztec mythology, which I’ll be honest when I was first making him I had very little knowledge on, and I still probably don’t know enough. But I’ve been trying to learn and it’s been a fun to research. His clothing is heavily inspired by Ancient Aztec clothing, I imagine his clothing and mask is very mystical and ceremonial. Maybe it just appears on him. Especially because the mask would be an insanely heavy thing if it was an object that maintained the rules of physics. I think I’ll need it there although I could go on!

This is the first drawing I ever did for any of these characters! The first one! I was barely fourteen! Anyways this was a little blog-like post to talk about these 2! Hope it wasn’t boring

#sorry for any spelling errors #original character #drawing #character design #artwork #orginal art #charecters #oc art #layandpablov

[entamewitchlulu]

so i did a reading challenge this year and i wanna talk about what i read

transcription under the cut

i did Popsugar 2019 and wanna talk about what i read:  Book Reccs and Anti-Reccs 

1.) Becoming a Movie in 2019: Umbrella Academy (vol 1) by Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba

4/5. A fascinating take on superpowers, dysfunctional families, and the apocalypse. Can get pretty gory, confusing here and there and you have to pay close attention to panels for lore, but overall an entertaining romp.

2.) Makes you Feel Nostalgic: Circles in the Stream by Rachel Roberts

4/5. Middle grade novel about the magic of music, belief, and of course, friendship. Definitely written for kids, and has some unfortunately clumsy Native rep, but overall an absolute joy to dive into once again.

3.) Written by a Musician: Umbrella Academy (vol 2) by Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba

4/5. Ramps up the confusion to ridiculous degrees with some absolutely bonkers, unexplained arcs, but still fun to watch this dysfunctional family do its dysfunctional thing.

4.) You Think Should be Turned into a movie: All That Glitters by Rachel Roberts

4/5. Continuation of Circles in the Stream, but with more unicorns, more rainbows, and more fae, which makes it automatically even better than the first.

5.) With At Least 1 Mil. Ratings on Goodreads: 1984 by George Orwell   

1/5. I understand why it's important and all but wasn't prepared for some of the more graphic scenes and the overall hopelessness of the message.  Would not recommend or read again.

6.) W/ a Plant in the title or cover: The secret of Dreadwillow carse by Brian farrey

5/5. A fantasy world where everyone is always happy, save for one girl and the princess, who set out to solve the mystery of their kingdom. Poignant and great for kids and adults.

7.) Reread of a favorite: Cry of the Wolf by Rachel Roberts

4/5. Yet another installment in the Avalon: Web of Magic series, which clearly I am obsessed with.  Please just read them.

8.) About a Hobby: Welcome to the Writer's Life by Paulette Perhach

5/5. A welcome kick in the pants, chock full of great advice told without condescension, and full of hope and inspiration for writers both new and old.

9.) Meant to read in 2018: The Poet x by Elizabeth Acevedo  

4/5. Absolutely beautiful coming of age novel told in verse.  Do yourself a favor and listen to the audiobook version.

10.) w/ "pop," "sugar," or "challenge" in the title: Black Sugar by Miguel Bonnefoy

2/5. I think maybe I just don't understand this genre.  Or maybe the translation was weird. I was confused.  

11.) w/ An Item of Clothing or Accessory on the cover: Our dreams at Dusk by Yuhki Kamatani

4/5. It had a lot more slurs/homophobia than I was prepared for, but otherwise is a very touching, relatable collection of queer characters living in a heteronormative world.

12.) Inspired by Mythology or Folklore: Ravenous by MarcyKate Connolly

3/5. A girl goes on an impossible quest to save her brother from a child-eating witch. Really wanted to like it more because I loved the first one, Monstrous, but it dragged a little.

13.) Published Posthumously: The Islands of Chaldea by Diana Wynne Jones

3/5. I adore Diana Wynne Jones, but this one was missing some of the magic of her other books. Not sure if it was because it had to be finished by someone else, or if I just grew out of her stories.

14.) Set in Space: Binti by Nnedi Okorafor

4/5. Powerfully written story of a girl straddling tradition and innovation, who wields power through mathematical magic, surviving on a spaceship alone with a dangerous alien occupation after everyone else has been killed.

15.) By 2 Female Authors: Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

2/5. Ostensibly a story about a revenge pact in a small island town, but leaves far too many dangling threads to attempt alluring you to the sequel.

16.) W/ A Title containing "salty," "bitter," "Sweet," or "Spicy": The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith  

3/5. It's okay but I literally just never know what anyone means at any time. Are they being reticent on purpose or do i just not understand communication

17.) Set in scandinavia: Vinland Saga by Makoto Yukimura

2/5. Technically and historically accurate and well made, but the story itself is not my cup of tea.  Very gory.

18.) Takes Place in a Single Day: Long WAy Down by Jason Reynolds

4/5. A boy goes to avenge his murdered brother, but ghostly passengers join him on the elevator ride down. Stunning and powerful character-driven analysis.

19.) Debut Novel: Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

4/5. Charming and then surprisingly heart-breaking comic about Nimona, a shapeshifter who wants to become a villain's minion. Really love the villain/hero dynamic going on in the background, along with the dysfunctional found family.

20.) Published in 2019: The Book of Pride by Mason Funk  

4/5. A collection of interviews with the movers, shakers, and pioneers of the queer and LGBTQ+ community.  An absolutely essential work for community members and allies alike.

21.) Featuring an extinct/imaginary creature: Phoebe and her Unicorn by Dana Simpson

4/5. Incredibly charming, Calvin and Hobbes-esque collection of comics featuring the adventures of Phoebe and her unicorn best friend.

22.) Recced by a celebrity you admire: The Emerald Circus by Jane Yolen

2/5. Recced by my fave author Brandon Sanderson. An unfortunately disappointing anthology proving that any story can be made uninteresting by telling the wrong section of it.

23.) With "Love" in the Title: Book Love by Debbie Tung

4/5. One of those relatable webcomics, only this one I felt super hard almost the entire time.  Books are awesome and libraries rule.

24.) Featuring an amateur detective: Nancy Drew: Palace of Wisdom by Kelly Thompson

4/5. REALLY love this modern take on Nancy Drew, coming back home to her roots to solve a brand new mystery. Diverse cast and lovely artwork, though definitely more adult.

25.) About a family: Amulet by Kabu Kibuishi

4/5. Excellent, top tier graphic novel about a sister and brother who have to go rescue their mother with a mysterious magic stone. LOVE that the mom gets to be involved in the adventure for once.

26.) by an author from asia, Africa, or s. America: Girls' Last tour by Tsukumizu

4/5. Somehow both light-hearted and melancholy. Two girls travel about an empty, post-apocalyptic world, and muse about life and their next meal.

27.) w/ a Zodiac or astrology term in title: Drawing down the moon by margot adler

3/5. A good starting place for anyone interested in the Neo Pagan movement, but didn't really give me what I was personally looking for.

28.) you see someone reading in a tv show or movie: The Promised NEverland by Kaiu Shirai

4/5. I don't watch TV or movies where people read books so i think reading an adaptation of a TV series after watching the series counts. Anyway it was good but beware racist caricatures

29.) A retelling of a classic: Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy by Rey Terciero

5/5. We can stop the Little Women reboots and retellings now, this is the only one we need. In fact, we can toss out the original too, this is the only one necessary.

30.) w/ a question in the title: So I'm a spider, so what? by Asahiro Kakashi

4/5. Cute art despite the subject matter, and a surprisingly enthralling take on the isekai genre. Love the doubling down on the video game skills.

31.) Set in a college or university campus: Moonstruck (vol 2) by Grace Ellis

2/5. An incredibly cute, beautiful, and fascinating world of modern magic and creatures, but unfortunately falls apart at the plot and pacing.

32.) About someone with a superpower: Moonstruck (vol 1) by Grace Ellis

4/5. Though nearly as messy plot-wise as its sequel, the first volume is overwhelmingly charming in a way that overpowers the more confusing plot elements.

33.) told from multiple povs: The Long way to a Small, Angry Planet by becky Chambers

4/5. Told almost in a serial format, like watching a miniseries, a group of found-family spaceship crew members make the long journey to their biggest job ever.

34.) Includes a wedding: We Set the dark on fire by Tehlor kay mejia

4/5. Timely and poignant, a girl tumbles into both love and resistance after becoming one of two wives to one of the most powerful men in the country.

35.) by an author w/ alliterative name: The only harmless great Thing by brooke bolander

3/5. Much deeper than I can currently comprehend.  Beautifully written, but difficult to parse.

36.) A ghost story: Her body and other parties by Carmen Maria Machado

4/5.  It counts because one of the stories in it has ghosts. A sometimes difficult collection of surrealist, feminist, queer short stories.

37.) W/ a 2 word title: Good omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

4/5. Charming, touching, and comical, probably the best take on the apocalypse to date. Also excellent ruminations on religion and purpose.

38.) based on a true story: The faithful Spy by John Hendrix

4/5. Brilliantly crafted graphic biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and his assistance in fighting back against Nazi Germany.

39.) Revolving around a puzzle or game: the Crossover by Kwame alexander

4/5. The verse didn't always hit right with me, but the story is a sweet, melancholy one about family, loss, and moving on.

40.) previous popsugar prompt (animal in title): The last unicorn by peter s. Beagle

5/5. Absolutely one of my all-time favorite books, it manages to perfectly combine anachronism and comedy with lyricism, melancholy, and ethereal beauty.

41.) Cli-fi: Tokyo Mew Mew by Mia ikumi and Reiko Yoshida

4/5. Shut up it counts

42.) Choose-your-own-adventure: My Lady's choosing by Kitty curran

3/5. Cute in concept, a bit underwhelming in execution. Honestly, just play an otome.

43.) "Own Voices": Home by Nnedi Okorafor

3/5. The storytelling style was definitely not my style; while the first book was slow, too, it felt more purposeful. I found my attention wandering during this installment.

44.) During the season it's set in: Pumpkinheads by rainbow rowell

3/5. Cute art, but precious little substance.  The concept simply wasn't for me in the first place.

45.) LITRPG: My next life as a villainess: All routes lead to doom! by Hidaka nami

5/5. An absolute insta-fave! Charming art, endearing characters, an incredible premise, and so much sweet wholesome fluff it'll give you cavities.

46.) No chapters: The field guide to dumb birds of north america by matt kracht

3/5. It started out super strong, but the joke started to wear thin at a little past the halfway point.

47.) 2 books with the same title: Unfollow by Megan Phelps-Roger

4/5. A brave and enduring personal story of growing up in and eventually leaving the Westboro Baptist Church. Really called to me to act with grace and kindness even more in the future.

48.) 2 books with the same title: unfollow by rob williams and michael dowling

1/5. How many times do you think we can make Battle Royale again before someone notices

49.) That has inspired a common phrase or idiom: THe Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

4/5. Definitely good and deserves it's praise as something that pretty much revolutionized and created an entire demographic of literature.

50.) Set in an abbey, cloister, Monastery, convent, or vicarage: Murder at the vicarage by agatha christie

3/5. I just cannot. physically keep up with all of these characters or find the energy to read between the lines.

ok that's all i got, what did y'all read and like this year?  (oh god it’s gonna be 2020)

#book reccs #lulu booktalks