#the drowned world

[lilliankillthisman]

Finished reading The Drowned World by JG Ballard, which I'd started a few months ago before deciding I wasn't in the mood for classic sci-fi. It's a very well-written book! Ballard maintains a languid pace and stifling sense of atmosphere that fits the hot, flooded future setting well, without losing tension. It's stuffed with beautiful descriptions in a very classic-sci-fi style, and Ballard is very good with the detached narrative voice common in the genre. It's a very thematically rich book, too.

The book loses points for the surprise introduction halfway through of a crew of savage Black looters, speaking in stereotyped Caribbean patois, who follow a pale white guy in a suit because they think he's come back from the dead. You don't see setups like that much nowadays. Not really a defensible choice for a book written in the 60s and set in 22nd century London, but sadly not that rare either.

#whatever you're imagining about the portrayal it's probably worse #the drowned world #also i did find strangman more interesting and more sympathetic than our narrator by far #but that might have been intentional anyway

[myhikari21things]

Read of The Drowned World by J. G. Ballard (1962) (198pgs)

#the drowned world #jg ballard #fiction #paperback #1960s #reread

[eliziczac]

Curiously, looking down at the dome seemed to bring my childhood nearer. To tell the truth, I’d more or less forgotten it - at my age all you have are the memories of memories.

(JG Ballard, 1963, The Drowned World)

#jg ballard #the drowned world

[literary-illuminati]

I don't know *how* interested you are in old sci-fi, but have you heard of The Drowned World by J.G. Ballard? It's from 1962 and shows its age in some parts, but I think you would enjoy the protagonist's character arc.

Reading some older stuff is actually something I really want to try in the new year, so 100% adding this to the list, thank you!

#Q&A #explodingsilver #the drowned world #J. G. Ballard

[hifithepanda]

The Drowned World- 7.5/10

Second in the Sara Kingdom Trilogy

*Old Review*

The Drowned World was performed by Jean Marsh, written by Simon Guerrier, and was released in July 2009.  

Short Summary: Sara tells another story to Robert with the intention of bringing it to the Elders to help her.  Things inevitably go awry and Robert comes back, years later, with another wish…

I really liked the first half of this story.  It was strong, intriguing, and I was hooked the whole time.  It shocked me when it ended, I thought only a few minutes had passed!  I really liked how the first part was structured.  Robert writing in a diary about this time he went to see “Sara” to get another adventure out of her so he can take it to the Elders.  The cliffhanger was cool, making the Elders wait for the second half while also, in a way, making the audience wait.  The actual cliffhanger annoyed and intrigued me.  I was quite pissed at Robert for dispersing “Sara” but curious to see how part two would play out.  Random point: I quite like how there were multiple references to the Doctor being scared and worried.  “The Doctor is worried and genuinely scared over events that are happening” is, in my opinion, one of the most effective scary tropes in DW and I’m so glad they used it.

Onto part 2… I liked this one less.  It had a lot of “action” (ie. Sara trying not to die) which is not something I particularly like in an audio drama.  I also felt like the way they brought “Sara” was kinda lame.  Robert just brought her back by telling her story?  If that was the case, why did Home Truths make such a big deal over “Sara” being destroyed?

In the second half specifically, Sara showed a lot of remorse for killing Bret.  While that was nice and all, I felt like they dragged it out a bit and brought it up a few too many times. 

Now, as for Robert, I don’t know if we were supposed to feel bad for him?  He was never very nice to “Sara”.  I mean, he practically killed her at the end of part 1 only to bring her back for his own personal gain.  And even at the end of all that he was still convinced that she needed to go.  What a bitch.  There were a lot of similarities between Sara and Robert (Sara killed Bret because of the law, and Robert killed Sara because of the law) which I found interesting.  Overall, though, he was just not someone you could feel remorse for.

As for Steven, he wasn’t the one to almost die which is a plus though that implies that he almost lost Sara which… isn’t fun.

7.5/10

Friend Death Count: 0

Steven Tortured Count: 0

The Doc does some messed up shit to Steven Count: 0

#doctor who #steven taylor #sara kingdom trilogy #big finish #big finish review #the drowned world

[cor-lapis]

Fontaine is in remarkably good shape after getting completely submerged. Even Dvalin threw a few signs on roofs and whatnot

Kaveh and al-Haitham redesigns are mine (still WIP), while Nahida's is by fallencrowkarma

Masterpost of other quest sketches

#anyway glad tartaglia got some enrichment this update #wriothesley's ark being able to fly was kind of hilarious. was that necessary duke. the entire nation is covered in water anyway #the thing is. people didn't dissolve. but I assume they can still drown ToT but everyone seems to have been fine??? #oh well. anyway furina deserves the world and if she has one fan that's me if she has zero fans- #genshin impact #my art #4.2 spoilers #genshin spoilers #navia #arlecchino #neuvillette #gi traveler #paimon #mona megistus #barbeloth #i guess. #furina #lyney #egeria #focalors #rukkhadevata #makoto #ig??? #dainsleif #he got zapped #tartaglia #skirk #kaveh #al-haitham #lynette

[probablybadrpgideas]

Over the course of the game, roll a d20 every so often.

This measures the progress of a different, unmentioned party of adventurers who are on their own quest to stop an unrelated threat to the entire mortal world.

If you get a one they fuck up and die so the world abruptly ends with no warning.

#rpg #roleplaying game #D&D #meta #rule idea #high fantasy worlds aren't stable #statistically speaking one of these Chosen Ones are gonna fall in a river and drown or something eventually #then we're right fucked.

[ash-and-starlight]

one day, in a thousand years

#I THINK I HAUVE COVID #oh to meet your love after a thousand years at a museum exhibit of your past lives #thinking about them makes me so sick so ILL DISEASED #I AM NOT IMMUNE #spc i’m cursing u forever for this wtf. WTF bro wtf #ouyang’s last thoughts were a desperate plea for esen to wait for him. #he has NEVER called him by first name he has NEVER asked him anything #and his last thought is asking him to wait #and esen does. bc he would have given ouyang anything he asked for #god i hope u get rawed so good it makes up for all the lost lifetimes u earned it #he who drowned the world #she who became the sun #the radiant emperor #general ouyang #esen-temur #(zhu also present in the golden imperial dragon and the golden light of gayness that brought them together again) #my art #not super proud of how it turned out tbh tbh it looks better in my head 😔😔 #would’ve stayed in the drafts if not for my need to feed this 4 ppl fandom #and if not for robin motivation nfngdjfb ty kissa you forever #id in alt text

[puppetmaster13u]

Prompt 198

Now Bruce was not expecting to reincarnate upon his death. At least he thinks he died, he’s pretty sure he did. There wasn’t any other reason for him to be a well, literal baby. Around two he thinks, which fits well with the fact that it’s around that time that babies start forming memory recall, if he, well, remembered correctly. 

But while he knew about reincarnation thanks to Shayera and Carter, he’d never exactly given it much thought towards himself. Because seriously, what were the chances of such a thing as him being given another chance? 

So he was quite surprised at his situation, experimentally opening and closing pudgy hands that looked well, just a tiny bit off. He’d never been that pale before, he thinks, even back when he never went outside like, ever. 

He turned his gaze towards the mobile above him with a sort of idle curiosity- a mixture of bats (ha) and other trinkets he wasn’t familiar with. It also caused him to get his first good look at his parent, asleep on a rocking chair right next to the crib. 

Huh. They had the same pale skin he did, albeit in the light it looked like it was slightly tinted blue, and while their hair was white they didn’t exactly look old. They looked surprisingly well rested for raising a toddler too, unless they had a nanny or something similar… He rolled over, managing to very shakily push himself to his feet with the help of the crib. 

Why was standing so hard as a toddler? And why did he have his memories of everything except how he had died anyway? 

His head whipped up from where they were staring at his feet when he heard a snort, finding his parent awake and standing. Somehow silently enough that he hadn’t noticed- or he was that easily distracted by the unfamiliar giddiness bursting in his chest. 

“Morning little bat,” his parent easily picked him up and held him while he inwardly sighed at the nickname. Of course his bat motif would follow him into this life. A low rumbling almost caused him to jump, his body relaxing before he could fully register the sound. The… purring? 

Oh. 

He wasn’t human this time around. 

#Dcxdp #Dpxdc #Prompts #Vlad is a young-adult dad to a reincarnated Bruce #After the hospital he drowned his despair/distress in any way he could & ended up with a baby boy #Bruce’s main suspected species of what they were was vampire before the ghost reveal lol #Bruce can’t say shit about Vlad’s thievery but he has the most judging expression for a toddler #Then he also sees his new dad develop and try to figure out powers #Vlad was terrified to pick him up when he first discovered his ghost fire #Yes this very much changes Vlad’s relationship with Danny #The reunion has 14 year old Danny meet a Very Smart 8 year old Bruce #Yes Bruce clocks teenage vigilante instantly #And look he Would try to get Vlad to stop the possession shit but as long as it’s actual assholes he can’t exactly judge #He blackmailed SO many people in his past life… he's trying Not to be a hypocrite here #Why yes Bruce IS very liminal from having a half-ghost dad #Vlad panicked more than he did when his fangs came in (Bruce has made a file about both himself & everyone he meets) #Just because he’s now baby doesn’t mean he’s no longer Bruce #At some point someone from his world might find their way to this one but that would be a very long time in the future lol #Vlad (unaware of his core being able to feel his ghostling’s big emotions): Wow raising a child is surprisingly easy

[im-totally-not-an-alien-2]

He broke through to the surface, taking large desperate gasps of air before getting sucked back beneath by the current. Danny fought against the water as hard as his little paws would allow.

Just when he felt all hope was lost and he was sinking, a large hand enveloped his entire body and hefted him back into the open air. Shivering and coughing out water he didn't catch whatever the man had said. He continued shivering violently as the guy wrung out Dannys fur.

The mans hands were warm despite the brown leather gloves covering them. They made Danny feel comforted and energized almost as if the man had...oh gods! He did! The man had ecto inside of him! Thank the ancients! Now he just had to stick with glove guy and he could recharge! It would be slow but still!

"Here we are little guy." The man said and Danny noticed all at once that the man had been walking the whole time Danny had been stuck in his head. He looked around and noticed the Animal Shelter sign in front of them.

No. No! Danny needed to stick to this guy if he ever hoped to become a human again. But despite how he dug his claws into the flesh of the mans exposed arm and yowled the man in the red mask managed to get him lose and left him in the care of an animal social worker.

Danny was checked out and placed in the tiny jail cell alongside other kittens and cats, many who were scared, miserable or just desperate for love and attention. This of course meant he needed to plot a jail break. Fortunately, he could still used most of his powers but without any ecto around he would have no way to recharge them outside of food or indulging in his obsession.

Needless to say Jason was a little startled when he woke up the next day to not one, but five little kittens meowing at him for food. He swears the one sitting smugly on his chest is the same one he dropped off at the animal shelter yesterday, but that couldn't be right...

One call confirmed it. All of thier animals had escaped last night and there was a suspiciously animal sized arch taken out of the wall with an unknown tool. Demon brat would be delighted at the news.

Unfortunately for Hood the smug little black cat he rescued yesterday had decided that his shoulder was the perfect perch and stayed there more often than not. Little guy got into food often but refused to eat kibble and any attempt to get the kitten away from the mashed potatoes resulted in violence or density shifting to get back to the food.

At this point danny almost didn't care if he returned to being human so long as he got to eat more of his humans cooking. He swears Jason is magical because everything he makes tastes amazing

#dpxdc #prompt #jason todd #danny fenton #danny phantom #catfic #fanfiction prompts #prompts #batman #red hood #danny was practicing shape shifting in his parents lab but accidentally actived a portal gun as a kitten #then bam hes in gotham and drowning #danny gets a silly name as a cat #phantom is no longer able to protect Amity which leads to the ghosts escaping a wreaking havoc on the world #which leads to the jl/jld getting involved and shutting down the portals and arresting or killing the Fentons and Vlad #danny loves Jason mashed potatoes okay he will commit atrocities for them #damian adores tiny kitten danny #danny has blue eyes and black fur prime adoption bait

[3cosmicfrogs]

Spring hunt.

#artfromthefrogs #he has been posted. #esen sun symbolism odyssey #esen-temur #esen temur #she who became the sun #he who drowned the world #the radiant emperor #tre #swbts #hwdtw #art #this is not very symbolism. it ended up too realistic for that. #anyway im thinking to do a different sun symbolism piece that accompanies the ouyang bloody moon i did a while ago #oooo maybe with a baoxiang solar eclipse..... ideas ideas ideas however tragically i have 82459205 obligations first #anyway enjoy Him! i worked very hard on him! the things i do for 20 notes....

[myhikari21things]

Read of The Drowned World by J. G. Ballard (1962) (198pgs)

#the drowned world #jg ballard #fiction #paperback #1960s #reread

[smokefalls]

A connection between two people existed only because of their shared belief in it as real. There was no such thing as a connection with only one end. There was no such thing as love, alone.

Shelley Parker-Chan, He Who Drowned the World

#Shelley Parker Chan #He Who Drowned the World #The Radiant Emperor #quote #fiction #historical fiction #fantasy #queerlit #2023 reads

[p4nishers]

one of the most important things terry pratchett has taught me is that it's okay to be angry. no one has ever said that to me before. he taught me that anger was an engine. that you can use that anger. that it goes hand in hand with love. he taught me to never underestimate my anger, because it's one of my strongest points. he taught me genuine anger was one of the world’s great creative forces. he taught me i shouldn't be fighting my anger, but what caused it. he himself said rage underlines everything he wrote. i never heard anger talked about so openly like that before and it's freeing, i suppose, to realize you are truly, truly not alone in your rage at the world. you never were.

#“Granny Weatherwax was often angry. She considered it one of her strong points. Genuine anger was one of the world’s great creative forces. #But you had to learn how to control it. That didn’t mean you let it trickle away. It meant you dammed it carefully #let it develop a working head let it drown whole valleys of the mind and then - just when the whole structure was about to collapse - #opened a tiny pipeline at the base and let the iron-hard stream of wrath power the turbines of revenge.“ #not a moment goes by that im not thinking of that quote #ill stop going on about anger and pterry i promise it's just that im angry all the time and he's the only thing that has helped so far and #you dont get over that sort of thing #gnu terry pratchett #discworld #terry pratchett

[rustedhills]

Disney, releasing Wish: "so it's all about legacy--the new generation surpassing the old, overcoming the evils perpetuated by them, relinquishing singular power... and there's an old man in a tower, uh... animal sidekick, i guess..., ah... magic...?

Miyazaki, just out of frame, sledgehammer raised:

#the boy and the heron #not tagging wish 'cause i'm being a little acidic #this isn't to be negative in the slightest--I really respect both films--but it's interesting to see how visceral boy+H gets with its story #what evils have to be rejected and what they represent--and how characters and the world suffer from those evils--as well as how the whole #'rejecting' part goes. in terms of animation powerhouses discussing their legacies - disney and miyazaki both - I find it interesting that #one makes a pretty safe and nostalgic movie about imagination and dreams; the other is a long trudge through the land of the dead. #b+h is a hard watch - and a look at the legacy of a man questioning his whole purpose in the world - after his cultural touchstones #have long passed by. Mahito needs to understand his grief to keep living--but if he drowns in it he'll just continue the cannibalistic and #violent world of his granduncle. how the hell do you make art when the trauma of your entire life has colored it forever? How can anyone? #maybe after a while... it's time to detonate that damn tower and keep living. #this is to say #if you have enough money to make whatever you want #Make It Fucking Count

[ozymandien]

oh him? he's just a monk. no he doesn't harbor deep desires of greatness don't worry about it

#zhu my little bug (literally) #he's a praying mantis a cricket a cockroach... #i love her #AND HE HAS DIMPLES #i imagine she's the type to stare a lot at people. and it elicits an interesting reaction in them #with this polite yet knowing almost-smile and her piercing wide eyes #also i know she's described as ugly in the books and i respect that. but i want her to be just a bit alluring in a fucked up way. like #now. this took sooo long. for absolutely no reason #i redid it like 10000 times and still didn't feel 100% satisfied but today i decided to set it free #i hope you guys like it anyway! #:) #zhu chongba #zhu yuanzhang #she who became the sun #he who drowned the world #the radiant emperor #shelley parker chan #fanart #myart