Raised By Borderlines: For the children of parents with Borderline Personality Disorder
A survivor sub exclusively for children raised by a toxic parent or guardian with borderline personality disordeemotionally unstable personality disorder. This is a constructive, supportive space to find healing from your parent and your abusive or dysfunctional home. PLEASE READ THE RULES before you participate. We take sub members' safety very seriously.
Some recent issues with the subreddit: A statement from the mod team and a request for feedback
Hey y'all, this is a post from the moderation team regarding some issues we have been noticing for a while now. We want to share our concerns with the subreddit as a whole, let everyone know about what we are thinking of doing about it, and also ask the general userbase for feedback and suggestions. Please read through this post and leave us feedback on what actions you think we could take. The issues Over the last few months, we have been noticing a persistent and regular issue. Recently, posts related to certain popular authors, books, and series (such as The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson or The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan) have been getting extremely combative. The comments are increasingly becoming battlegrounds where people holding mutually opposed opinions are engaging in long fights. In many situations, when one such post gains traction, another new post is made to refute the previous one and the argument continues there, sometimes leading to multi-day fights. This is not only restricted to discussions about specific books but also general themes related to the genre, like reading unfinished vs finished series. To be clear, critical discussion is not against the rules. But the posts mentioned above usually lead to multiple and persistent breaches of Rule 1, which means we need to monitor the comments very carefully. The size and frequency of such posts ends up exhausting us as well. Every single moderator volunteers their free time to do this because we love the subreddit, but this situation has us worried both because of how they set everyone on edge and because it could give new users the impression that all discussion revolves around a few popular books. A request to all users We would like to extend a general plea - remember the human. The user you are arguing with is a person, a lover of fantasy, a reader, just like you. Differences of opinion are natural and inevitable, but please don’t escalate this to open fights. Criticise opinions and ideas, but please don’t abuse or disparage people. Remember the authors are imperfect human beings just like us. Criticise the books, but please don’t insult authors personally or disparage entire fanbases. You might not understand why they like what they do, but it's important to understand it brings them joy. Also, if you are engaged in a hostile discussion, we ask that you disengage and, if necessary, use the Report button. Once a conversation has devolved into hostility or anger, it's rare that they result in anything productive. Let us take a look at the matter. It's why we are here. The moderation team is always trying to improve the subreddit. We have a huge range of reading clubs and resources stickied in megathreads at the top of the sub. The sidebar contains past polls, the Bingo challenges, and reading lists. Please feel free to use these. They have been compiled to help you. Proposed measures We are not going to permanently restrict posting about any authors, books, or series. We have always tried to create a welcoming community and such a measure would be against the subreddit’s mission and vision. We are not saying that you cannot criticise a book or a series. Critical discussion is important. Speculative fiction often deals with social themes that have real impacts, and we need to be able to talk about those in a respectful manner. Beyond that, it is key that we can speak critically about other aspects of writing to avoid pushing forced positivity onto our community members. We are considering the following:
When the subreddit is flooded with combative posts where a lot of comments break Rule 1, the moderators may temporarily implement a cooldown period for that specific topic. The intent behind this is to give breathing room to the subreddit, so other topics may also have room and space for discussion and the mod team can stand down for a bit.
We will continue using already existing measures like using a megathread for popular new releases, or locking a post for cleanup.
Additionally, we will start a system where a mod comment containing a reminder about the rules is auto-stickied in big posts.
We will soon be recruiting new moderators. While this will certainly help us with moderation tasks, it will not solve all the problems we are encountering.
We are also actively looking for other ways to better fulfill our subreddit mission and foster a spirit of community amongst our users. We will soon start a monthly post highlighting some of the best posts of that month, as well as implement posting guidelines to help new users understand how to best make themselves heard here.
User Feedback Now, we are opening the floor to you. Feel free to speak up if you have feedback regarding any measures you think we might take, any suggestions for changes in the subreddit, or anything else that’s on your mind. We have included a form for your feedback but general comments are also welcome. Feedback Form Please note, however, that this is not a debate about the existing rules. We are looking for input regarding how to tackle a broader issue. We promise to carefully consider any feedback we receive.
Not everyone is feeling the love or wants to feel the love on Valentine's Day—and there's a variety of reasons for this, not just the obvious ones—so I thought I would curate a list of recommendations targeted towards this group specifically. I am a part of this group myself, though not quite as passionately as I once was, and this is basically the list I wish I had the last few years. I've organized this list into three parts—stories that are essentially opposed to romance, either explicitly or implicitly; stories that contain no romance or romantic subplots, but are not opposed to them; and stories that contain romance, but where it is deprioritized as a major important component of the narrative. This list is obviously limited by my own reading experience, which has only just now begun to grow wider, and doesn't yet include works like The First Law or Farseer, both of which I'm starting next month. Still, I hope these recommendations are useful to somebody. Lastly, before we get into things, just a brief definition of how I'm defining romance—a romantic subplot that generally leads to a happy ending where the couple is together or together for now at the end of the book. Also, there will obviously be very light spoilers for romantic subplots (or the lack thereof) in the following stories, but I will try to avoid spoiling plot twists or anything like that. If I do go into anything more spoilery about the plots, I will spoiler-tag them—and if you feel that I have gone into more detail than I needed to, feel free to ask me to spoiler-tag! Needless to say, none of these books will fit the bingo square of "romantic fantasy".
Anti-Romance
The Poppy Warby Rebecca Kuang Book 1 of The Poppy War trilogy. A story inspired by the wars and violence of 20th century Chinese history, The Poppy War explores the real brutality that war can have. A lot of stories like this would include some kind of a fluffy romantic subplot to lighten the mood, but Rebecca Kuang does not hold back. All the relationships are platonic, and the ones that seem like they could become romantic are shown in all their toxicity and never made romantic. I can't remember exactly where she said this, but I think I saw in an interview that she was writing relationships with a lot of chemistry intentionally—chemistry is obviously the foundation of a good romantic relationship, but it's also the foundation of a sizzling hero-villain relationship. Take that how you will. Bingo squares: Novel set in a school or university (hard mode), feminist novel (hard mode), novel featuring politics, book of the month (past goodreads group book) The Traitor Baru Cormorantby Seth Dickinson Book 1 of The Masquerade quartet. This is a story about a girl whose land is colonized and conquered by a foreign empire, and who decides to join that foreign empire and rise in their ranks to destroy them from the inside. This one does have a romantic subplot, but it does not fit the definition I've given here of a "romance", and when I read it it seemed almost opposed to the very concept, at least where our main character is concerned. This is a story that actively says that romance is not only unimportant, it can also be distracting, and can be a weakness. Major spoilers only for people who have read this: I'm specifically speaking of how Baru is forced to order the death of Tain Hu. A powerful moment, and fundamentally opposed to the idea of romance as subplot. Bingo squares: Feminist novel, novel featuring politics (hard mode maybe?), book of the month (past goodreads group book) Bluescreenby Dan Wells Book 1 of the Mirador trilogy. This is a trilogy of YA cyberpunk thrillers (with an excellently written main character and a great cast of side characters). They are largely focused on these teenage hackers messing with megacorporations in 2050 LA. Each book does have a romantic subplot, but one of the main points that the trilogy makes, in my opinion, is that YOU DON'T NEED TO FIND THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE AS A TEENAGER!!! This is one part of what makes it one of my favorite YA stories. Bingo squares: Optimistic SFF (hard mode), novel with a color in the title (hard mode)
No romance, but not opposed to it
Into the Labyrinthby John Bierce Book 1 of the Mage Errant series. This is about a boy, Hugh of Emblin, who is bad at magic, until he and two other kids at his magical academy get a master who tells them that they are not the problem—the education system is. It's a progression fantasy where we see our characters slowly grow in power over the course of the story. I just read book 1 and it was a blast, and it's maybe my favorite magic school story I've ever read. And there was no romance in the entire runtime! Of course, later books could have romance, but book 1 at least is romance free. (Also, the magic system is FANTASTIC—the best general spellcasting magic system I've seen.) Bingo squares: Optimistic SFF (hard mode), novel featuring exploration, self-published SFF novel, novel set in a school or a university (hard mode), book about books, a book that made you laugh (hard mode) The Lies of Locke Lamoraby Scott Lynch Book 1 of the Gentlemen Bastards. A crime novel that has a heist and a great underworld conflict with a fantastic villain! I didn't enjoy this as much as other people did, but that's not saying much, because it was still really freaking good. The main thing about this story, though, is its focus on the central friendship that forms the core of the story. There isn't a romance to distract from the friendship, and while the main character does have an ex, she's not present in this story. The story could have a romance in sequels (I haven't read the 2 sequels that are out so far yet), but this book at least is focused on friendship. Edit: Book 2 apparently has a prevalent romantic storyline, but not book 1! Bingo squares: A book that made you laugh (hard mode), novel featuring politics (hard mode), book of the month (past goodreads group book) All Systems Redby Martha Wells Book 1 of Murderbot! We follow an artificial intelligence created for violence that suffers from anxiety and depression, and see humanity through its eyes. Side characters may have romantic things going on in their personal lives, but Murderbot doesn't really care, and it doesn't have any romance of its own (I mean, as far in as I am, but I don't think it will either—I've seen people put this book in the Ace/Aro bingo square with hard mode). This is pure fun, and Murderbot's commentary on humanity is hilarious. Bingo squares: Optimistic SFF (hard mode), Ace/Aro Spec Fic (hard mode), novel with a color in the title, book of the month (past goodreads group book), a book that made you laugh (hard mode) Remote Controlby Nnedi Okorafor This is a brand new release, from just last month! This novella is about a girl who finds an alien artifact that gives her the ability—and the curse—of being able to kill anyone around her when she gets emotional, or when she is in an intense situation. This girl is simply too young for romance, but the story is dark and heartbreaking and completely adult, and this is one of the most internally strong character's I've ever read. I LOVED it. Bingo squares: Big dumb object Red Sisterby Mark Lawrence Book 1 of the Book of the Ancestor trilogy. Assassin nun training school! Another case where the main character is too young for romance. The first two books are firmly in this "no romance but not opposed to it" category, simply for that reason, but the third book would be in the next category, "deprioritized romance". We follow a girl named Nona who joins this school at age 9 while caught in the midst of multiple power struggles, and we see her grow in power over the course of the story. A good mix of school elements and larger epic elements. By the end of book 3, Nona was one of my favorite fantasy characters of all time, because of the way she is able to hold onto the almost naive ideals she believes in regarding friendship despite how cruel the world tries to be to her. Bingo squares: Setting featuring snow, ice, or cold (hard mode), climate fiction (hard mode), novel with a color in the title, novel set in a school or university (hard mode), novel featuring politics, Optimistic SFF (hard mode; this is probably controversial, but I would say Nona's story is largely an optimistic one)
Deprioritized Romance or Romantic Subplots
City of Liesby Sam Hawke Book 1 of The Poison Wars duology (which could have more books). This is my favorite fantasy world ever made. We're in a society where the central family structure is not organized around marriage, but around brother-sister relationships instead (and sibling relationships in general). Basically, men and women have lovers outside of the family (no incest), and women give birth to children and keep them within the family, to be raised by them and their brothers or uncles. Fathers are not in the picture. As a result, society is matrilineal and matrilocal, and because of the focus on siblings and the lack of marriage, there is no patriarchy, which also means there is no homophobia or transphobia! But fundamentally, because the central relationship is brother-sister, even though this book does have a romance, it is not the most important of the relationships developed in the book, and I loved that about it. Also, the plot is a closed-room murder mystery inside of a siege, with poison experts who can't really fight as main characters. Bingo squares: Optimistic SFF (hard mode), novel featuring politics (hard mode) Promise of Bloodby Brian McClellan Book 1 of the Powder Mage trilogy. A military fantasy series set in a Napoleonic-era fantasy world with a gunpowder-based magic system. As Brandon Sanderson said, this story is "just plain awesome." When we begin, the revolution has already happened, and the books follow the fallout. The story does not really focus much on romantic relationships—there is one that forms over the course of the trilogy, and most grow to really root for it, but it's never really even close to the center of attention, especially in book 1, which is the one listed here. One of the most fun series I've read. Bingo squares: Setting featuring ice, snow, or cold, novel featuring politics I Am Not A Serial Killerby Dan Wells Book 1 of the John Cleaver series. A YA supernatural horrodark fantasy series, we follow a teenage sociopath who believes he is destined to become a serial killer who has a bunch of rules to stop himself from becoming one. But when his small American town starts getting terrorized, he needs to use his serial killer instincts to hunt them down. I put this here because though book 1 doesn't have a romantic subplot, the romantic subplots do become more important in sequels, but they're always used strategically to advance the main character's character arc, and they're not really complete romances in the sense of the definition. Regardless, this book and series is pure fun, and I had a good time with it. Bingo squares: Optimistic SFF (hard mode)
If you haven't already, please fill out this form to finish signing up for Season 14. If you don't fill out the form, you won't be counted!
The Character Scramble is a writing prompt tournament where people compete to write the best story they can. At the beginning, everyone submits characters that meet specified guidelines. Then, the submitted characters are randomized and distributed evenly to all participants. After each participant receives their team, the participants are slotted into a single-elimination bracket. Writing prompts are assigned and participants write a story that features their team fighting against their opponent's team. Afterward, everyone votes for whichever story they prefer, and the participant of each match with the most votes moves on to the next round. The pattern continues until only one participant remains: the new Character Scramble champion! The champion chooses the theme, tier, and rules of the next Character Scramble. They also receive a temporary custom flair as their reward. Click here to join the email list. If you join the email list, you'll receive an email for every Scramble post that is made. Join the official Discord channel if you want to be part of a large, vibrant community of Scramble participants, or if you just want a quick analysis of your characters and tips for competing. The majority of Scramble discussion takes place on the Discord and we also make announcements and post links there first, so it's the best way to keep up to date on what's going on in Scramble.
Sign-ups will be from Friday, January 8 to Friday, January 29.
PLEASE NOTE: Signups will close at 7pm PST on January 29, and Tribunal will go up. Anyone who isn’t done when Tribunal goes up will have their incomplete submissions removed or will be DQed if they don’t have enough submissions after removal. GET YOUR STUFF DONE WELL BEFORE THE DEADLINE!
Each user who wishes to participate must submit THREE (3) characters that adhere to the rules listed in the Submission Rules section.
Users may also submit up to TWO (2) back-up characters that adhere to the same set of rules.
Users must specify in the submission that the character is a back-up.
If a main submission is deemed out-of-tier in Tribunal, the submission will be replaced by an entry from the back-up pool.
Users must also submit ONE (1) Devil Fruit as specified in the FAQ and may submit an additional backup Devil Fruit if they so desire.
Each character must be submitted in their own parent comment in this thread. Don't reply to your own submission comment with another submission; make a separate comment thread for each individual submission.
After you complete your submission posts for all of your main submissions and any back-up submissions, fill out and submit the submission form linked at the very top of this post.
If you need to make a change, just resubmit the submission form with the same name and new info. We'll use whichever version is newest.
DO NOT resubmit after Tribunal; we'll account for any Tribunal changes to rosters.
After Sign-ups is the Tribunal, a community-regulated place for users to point out characters they feel are over- or underpowered.
Please keep an open mind when receiving criticism; it is encouraged for you to comment on the characters of other participants as well.
Characters with issues that are not amicably resolved may be replaced by a back-up character at the discretion of the GMs and a panel of selected judges.
After Tribunal, the characters are scrambled so that every participant receives three characters.
In Season 14, each participant is guaranteed to receive one of their own submissions, but they will not receive more than one.
Participants also have the option to opt out of NSFW submissions and veto ONE submission out of the list of total submissions. (Users cannot veto their own submission.)
Links to a form for opt-out and veto will be provided after Tribunal ends and before the scrambling happens.
Every round, a prompt is posted. Players are expected to write about how their characters would defeat their opponents based on the prompt.
At the end of the round, the thread is locked and the voting thread is posted. Voting is done using Google forms.
Voting is mandatory; failing to vote in any round will result in disqualification.
If you cannot vote due to time constraints, message u/FreestyleKneepad and we can work around that.
After results are posted, the brackets are updated and the next round begins.
Theme & Tier / Submission Rules
The theme of Scramble 14 is One Piece, based on the manga/anime series about the Golden Age of Piracy. Your team will set sail on a globe-spanning adventure, from island to island, searching for the greatest treasure of all time. For more info, check out the Hype Post. The tier benchmark for this season is Luke Cage (616), using a modified RT we have built specifically for this season's tier.Your submissions must score between a Likely and an Unlikely Victory versus Luke. For more information about what that means, check the FAQ. The tier benchmark for Devil Fruit submissions is the following: Scramble Luke Cage (as defined above) with the abilities granted by your Devil Fruit must be able to achieve a Draw or Likely Victory against Scramble Luke Cage with the Punch-Punch Fruit, meaning he can launch fist-sized shockwaves at bullet speed that are equal in power to his own punches. For more details on the Devil Fruit submission process, check the FAQ. You get ONE (1) major change for any character submissions and NO major changes for Devil Fruit submissions. However, we’ll allow you to remove a bunch of out-of-tier powers from a Devil Fruit submission without counting so many changes as a major change like we typically would, so don’t worry about that. Refer to the FAQ for more info.
If you aren’t competing and only submitting backups, you may submit 3 backup characters and 2 backup Devil Fruits. You must do the writing prompt for all character submissions.
Additionally, please adhere to the following guidelines:
Characters must be in tier.
Characters must be researchable.
The show, video game, movie, or other media from which your character originates must be accessible in some way, ideally online.
Your character must have a functional Respect Thread, so that people can understand your character's stats and abilities at a glance. It is preferable that your character's Respect Thread is hosted on the Respect Threads subreddit, but CharacteTeam of the Week posts or any real repository of cited feats are acceptable.
If your character does not have a Respect Thread of any kind, please at the minimum include a Mini-RT in the sign-up post with at least five combat-related feats that completely cover the character's stats and abilities.
VSBattlesWiki pages or similar sources are not acceptable Respect Threads.
You cannot submit characters that you have created, helped to create, or in any way developed.
If the GMs believe you have asked someone else to submit a character you created, we might ban that as well.
You cannot submit a character with feats based on a previous Scramble story. This rule prevents Scramble writers from tailoring characters to be submitted to future tiers.
You cannot submit controversial real life figures. No Trump, no Putin, no Kanye, none of that. The GMs reserve the right to decide what qualifies as "controversial."
While you can submit characters from NSFW series with risqué material (such as an ecchi anime), you cannot submit characters from actual pornography.
The GMs reserve the right to veto specific submissions under the "Dude, come on" reasoning. This clause may sound extremely abusable, but honestly we'll only use it for submissions we feel violate the spirit of the above guidelines or are otherwise deemed unusable, like "disaster movie lava" or "a swarm of bees with the consciousness of Steve Buscemi."
Characters from ongoing series remain at the balance level from when they were submitted.
If you get Goku on your team and Goku unlocks Super Saiyan Ultra Mega Deluxe with Curly Fries in the anime after the Scramble season starts, you don't get to add that power to your character. This rule applies to new feats, new weapons, new powers, and so on.
Not exactly rules, but some suggestions:
Because you are guaranteed to receive one of your own submissions at random, submit characters you actually want to write yourself.
Ask yourself: Will your hilarious meme submission idea actually be hilarious over the course of an entire writing contest, or will the joke get old immediately?
If you're only submitting a character because the act of submitting them is funny, don't submit them.
Along these lines, while some less controversial personalities like Jerma or Adam Sandler might be submittable, we’d just like to mention that these typically aren’t well-received submissions, as they tend to require deep-diving a Youtuber’s video library or actor’s interviews and movies, which balloons research by a lot.
If you don't have any ideas for submissions, it's recommended that you try submitting one of the many back-ups we're likely to have.
Sometimes people like different things, and that's okay. Don't hate on a submission just because you personally don't like the character or the series. And on the other end, you don't have to withdraw a submission just because someone else doesn't like them.
You are allowed to make changes to a character for the purpose of making sure they're in tier or otherwise clarifying what gear they have available.
There are limits to the number and magnitude of changes you can make; check the FAQ for more information.
In general, avoid submissions with changes that radically change the character, such as "Ferris Bueller with Iron Man's armor" or "Goku with the stats of Captain America."
Duplicate submissions aren't prohibited, but try to avoid submitting the fifth Spider-Man submission this Scramble. Check to see if someone else has already submitted your character before you.
Listen to feedback. You don't have to follow it, but if a lot of people are saying the same thing, at least humor the idea that they have a point.
Submission Forms
To submit a character, fill out the following form in a comment to this thread. Include either the writing or non-writing prompt. As long as all of the below information is included, you can reformat your submission post however you want for maximum aesthetic. All three of your main submissions MUST use the writing prompt to count. Back-up submissions may use the non-writing prompt. If you're not competing and only submitting one or more back-ups, you must use the writing prompt. The form has changed since last Scramble, so be sure to actually read it.
Character Submissions
Name: The character's name. Series: The name of the piece of media your character is from. You can add specifications necessary. Biography: A quick summary of your character. Who are they? What can they do? Where are they from? What are they like? It doesn't need to be a novel, but a good paragraph of information is appreciated. Research: A link to your RT or RT-substitute, as well as any other links that might help someone understand your character quickly. You may also suggest how much of the series someone needs to read/watch to get a good idea of the character. Justification: Briefly outline why you think your character is in tier, and where in the tier they fall (Unlikely Victory, Draw, or Likely Victory—See the FAQ for more information). The non-writing prompt already covers some of this information, but to expedite the Tribunal process, at least give a sentence or two. Motivation: Why has your character set sail for adventure? What great desire calls them to the sea and beyond? This is where you describe what your character is fighting for. Are they a pirate seeking might, fame, or riches? Do they have a deeper desire they seek to fulfill somewhere out there in the world? Perhaps, they don’t call themselves a pirate at all. Basically, why are they here? Major Changes: Check the FAQ for what to put here. You only get one! Minor Changes: Check the FAQ for what to put here. You get as many of these as you need, but don't go overboard.
Devil Fruit Submissions
Devil Fruit Name: The name of your fruit. Typical naming scheme is a repeating phrase (1-2 syllables) and then “Fruit” or “no mi”, depending on whether you're naming it in English or Japanese. Zoan-type fruits may have a broader classification, then have “Model: [Species]” at the end. Examples: Gum Gum Fruit, Mera Mera no mi, Ushi Ushi no mi, Model: Giraffe. Devil Fruit Type: Paramecia? Logia? Zoan? Refer to the FAQ for an explanation of each. The actual function of the fruit only changes if you pick Zoan, which comes with specific parameters as well. Character Name: The name of the character these powers are derived from. Series: The name of the media this character is from. You can add specifications as necessary. Description: What abilities does this Devil Fruit give? Outline them here. If this is a Zoan type, describe what is unique about this new form. Research: A link to your RT or RT-substitute, as well as any other links that might help someone understand these powers quickly. Please specify which sections of the RT are being drawn from, and if it is not clear, please organize the feats in a comment below. You may also suggest how much of the series someone needs to read/watch to get a good idea of the powers, or what parts they can specifically watch. Minor Changes: Check the FAQ for what to put here. You get as many of these as you need, but don't go overboard. Remember, you get NO major changes! Analysis Versus Punch-Punch Luke Cage: What advantages does your fruit offer that can turn the tides in their favour? How does the tiersetting battle play out? What strategies can be used by someone with this fruit in battle? Delve into multiple outcomes, and different ways the powers can be applied. This section should be used as a space to demonstrate what your Devil Fruit can do in a combat setting. Other Uses: There’s a lot more to life than just fighting. In the broader scope, how might this ability be used while not directly in combat? Perhaps it’s good for espionage, or surveillance, or maybe it’s just useful to turn into a dragon every once in a while. Be creative! Best Case Scenario: What kind of character would benefit most by getting the powers of this fruit? Would it best benefit a tough bruiser with no ranged attacks of their own, or a flimsy spellcaster who could use the help protecting themselves? This might be helpful for the recipient to decide who to give the fruit to.
Prompts
All of your main character submissions MUST use the writing prompt to count. Back-up submissions may use the non-writing prompt. If you're not competing and only submitting a back-up, you must use the writing prompt.
Character Writing Prompt
Your character’s journey has begun, but there’s a slight issue with this whole thing: Navigation is really hard. Thus, they find themselves stopped in the quaint village of Orange Town, and in order to safely get anywhere else, they’ll need some help. Luckily for them, if they can find a Log Pose, they won’t have to worry about this issue ever again! These babies make navigation a breeze by just pointing in the direction of nearby islands. How convenient! The only issue is that the only Log Pose on this island is in the possession of a fearsome pirate, and he doesn’t plan on giving it up without a fight. Your character comes face-to-face with Captain Luke Cage, who’s just like Luke Cage but a pirate and mean and his feats are REALLY specific for some reason. If they want this Log Pose, they’re not going to be able to get it without a fight. Whether they lay down the challenge themselves or Cage decides he wants to make an example out of them, eventually the area clears out of any bystanders. You square off, and it’s time for the showdown. After finally achieving their victory, your character is free to take the Log Pose for themselves and set off once again. Onwards, to another adventure! Prompt Rules:
I’m Gonna Be King Of The Pirates!: There is no bad ending to this tale. For the purposes of Scramble, your story should always have your team or characters on the winning side. Let your story show how your victory is achieved! Even if the chances are slim to none, demonstrate how your crew is able to come out on top.
Cage Match With Captain Luke Cage (Cage Not Included): This fight is going to happen. Your character can’t talk their way out of it, or hightail it out of there before anything even goes down. No matter what your character is feeling about this whole thing, they better put up their dukes, or they’re gonna get rocked right into next Scramble. And they might not even be in tier for that one!
Luke Cage, More Like ColossusThe ThingPower Man Mike Tyson of Mike Tyson Mysteries!: Maybe you wanna spice things up a little bit, hey, I feel ya. You can swap out someone for Luke Cage if you’d rather write them, but note that this change is purely cosmetic. The character will still have all of Cage’s stats and abilities.
Where’s Everybody Going? Bingo?: Sure, there may be other people on the island, but you’ll notice it said the area cleared out. For the purposes of tiering and simplicity, the only two around these parts are your character and ole’ Luke. Feel free to get wild; there’s no one else around to hurt.
Character Non-Writing Prompt
Analysis Versus Luke Cage: Go deeper into how your character fares against the benchmark. How their abilities match the tier's, how their stats counteract each other, specific instances that are likely to happen in a fight between them, and so on. Because this analysis serves as a replacement for a narrative, you need to communicate how your character fights (for instance, whether they rush in headlong or approach tactically and exploit weaknesses) and what that means for them fighting other characters. Biggest Strength and Weakness: Discuss the best thing your character brings to the table in a fight (a tactical mind, unorthodox abilities, good stats, et cetera), and also what detriments or drawbacks they might have (a specific stat that's lower than the others, lack of ranged options, inability to work with others, et cetera.) Character in Setting/with Team: Analyze the flavor of your submission. How does your character deal with other submissions? How does your character deal with the setting? Are they inclined to thrive in a world of piracy, or are their sensibilities suited to something else? How does your character deal with just being in a Scramble? Are they good at working on any kind of team, or will they just be a pain in the ass the whole way? Role on Ship: This is just for fun, we're not separating the submissions by roles or anything, nor do you need to give a solid title or job to any character. That being said, what skills might your character bring to the table for their fellow crewmates? Are they a natural-born leader who gets the captain's hat, or do they just steer the damn boat? Are they doing that marksman thing? Maybe cooking? Perhaps even doctoring? Ya yo ya yo? You tell us.
When I started the year, I was still mostly working off of intro to fantasy recommendations (I started reading again for the first time since 2013 in the latter half of 2019), and so I was still primarily on a Brandon Sanderson kick with a few others thrown in (like The Lies of Locke Lamora). I got into a few more authors that semester, most notably Dan Wells, Mark Lawrence, Rebecca Kuang, and Evan Winter. In the second half of the year I decided to try to diversify a little more. That's when I picked up Powder Mage, the Dresden Files, and City of Lies (this last one by Sam Hawke). I hit a bit of a reading slump, though, and didn't pick back up until December. But now I've read 17 books already in 2021!
Highlights
Brandon Sanderson Obviously, the most clear presence on this tier-list is the presence of Brandon Sanderson, who rose to become one of my favorite authors of all time. I love the Cosmere and its connections and characters, but I also loved other stuff he wrote, like Skyward. That being said, I didn't love everything he wrote—you can find Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell down in F, and Warbreaker and Edgedancer down in C. I did enjoy those last two books, but they were 3/5 experiences rather than 4 or 5's like I'm used to from him. Still, the vast majority of stuff I read from him was amazing. The Stormlight Archive in particular was a big favorite. City of Liesby Sam Hawke This was the most unexpected book to rise to my favorites. I got this book off an fantasyrecommendation, when I asked for books that had strong sibling relationships at their core, and this book gave me everything I wanted and more. Not only did it have a brother-sister relationship as the emotional core of the story, but it also had a form of political intrigue that I've been wanting and lacking, which is a quagmire that is so complex that it feels like you're in the middle of a giant mess, and yet still has great payoff. I love Brandon Sanderson's books, but the political intrigue there is usually much simpler and clearer and less messy—still has great reveals and secrets, but it's much more straightforward. So overall, I was a BIG fan of this book. John Cleaverby Dan Wells This is that odd series that is all over S and A tier. This is about a teenage sociopath who believes he is destined to become a serial killer and has a bunch of rules in place to make sure he doesn't go down that route, but when monsters start terrorizing his small town, he has to think like a serial killer to catch them and start giving into his worst instincts. It's YA supernatural horror in the first trilogy, and dark fantasy in the second trilogy, and it's fucking awesome. John Cleaver is probably one of my favorite fantasy characters of all time, and yet, the books are short and fast-paced (the first book is 270-ish pages and the longest book I don't think is longer than around 330 pages). I cannot recommend this one enough. The Zero Chroniclesby Dan Wells Dan Wells impressed me many times this year, the most surprising of which was his middle grade audible original series, The Zero Chronicles. The first book, Zero G, is about a kid nicknamed Zero who wakes up on a long distance spaceship as it is being invaded by pirates and has to protect it—it's basically home alone in space. The audiobooks have a full cast and some of the best use of sound effects that I've seen—it was like listening to a movie. I normally don't love middle grade and there's only a few every now and then that caught my eye, but this story was what I would consider the equivalent of a "family movie"—as in, something that can be enjoyed by all ages. If you're going on a road trip with your kids, this could be something to put on for everyone to listen to and enjoy. Book of the Ancestorby Mark Lawrence Probably my favorite series that I read in 2020, Book of the Ancestor truly surprised me with how much love I had for the main character by the end of the story. We follow a girl named Nona who starts the story as an idealistic, wide-eyed, naive girl, who believes very firmly in basic things like friendship and stuff, to extreme extents that in this somewhat grimdark world would be considered disadvantages. Except, as this story plays out, we see that rather than lose those beliefs completely, she holds onto them more tightly than ever. She might become more pragmatic and realistic, but her love and trust in her friends never wavers. This makes her one of my favorite characters to follow. The Calculating Starsby Mary Robinette Kowal Probably my favorite novel of the year. It's about a woman trying to become an astronaut in the wake of a climate crisis triggered by a meteor. This book is highly character and theme driven and I could not get enough of it. The main character's anxiety, her struggles with sexism, the themes with racism and climate change, her fantastic friendships, her fantastic husband, the hilarious rocket innuendos during the sex scenes, all of it was just a BLAST (rocket pun intended) to read. It's harder science fiction, but with a heavy emphasis on character and story, so that the harder science stuff never feels like it is dominating the story. This book made me cry like 8 times. I've never read a book that makes me think this much and feel this much, and still deliver a happy ending. The sequels are very good too, but this first book blew me away.
Lowlights
I read some wack books this year as well. These are more funny than anything, though. Praying for Rainby B.B. Easton This was a post-apocalyptic romance book that I buddy read with one of my best friends. It was hilariously awful in every way imaginable. The male character was the absolute worst version of your "bad boy" type, and had some hilarious lines. I was gonna read the whole trilogy to laugh some more, but book 2 was actually kind of boring because the story started to take itself too seriously. I DNF'd it. Oh well. Kissing the Coronavirusby M.J. Edwards A sci-fi classic that I buddy read with my friends on Merphy Napier's Patreon server. It's hysterical, and free on Kindle Unlimited, so you have no excuse to not read it.
Goals for 2021
My biggest goal for 2021 is to read more widely, and I've already gotten started on this. I've started a whole bunch of new series with new authors, and am branching out to lots of different subgenres within SFF. I'm reading more self-pub stuff, and trying to find lesser known works that appeal to me that I could perhaps bring to the spotlight. One of my longer term goals beyond 2021 is to become someone who is good at giving book recommendations, and this goal is meant to serve that. I also want to participate more in this sub, by posting reviews (clearly I like long posts) and doing the new Spotlight thing. I like doing this sort of thing in general with friends, so why not with this sub? As a result, starting in March (since January and February I'm getting back into the swing of going to classes), I plan to review at least 4 books per month, 1 book per week. Anyway, for those of you who made it to the end of this massive thing, thank you for reading it! Let me know what you think of the tier-list, the works I highlighted, or works I didn't highlight! Edit: I'll add bingo squares for all my highlights soon.
As a person with a chronic illness I am counting the days until I can get the vaccine and it is extremely aggravating to see how poorly this is going. We need to administer 40,000 doses per day in WA just in order to vaccinate everybody by Q4. (Remember as we start with the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines two doses are required per person, later single dose vaccines will start to be delivered.) We are currently administering only about 6,000 per day. 358,000 doses have been delivered to WA since mid December. Yet only 69,000 doses have been administered. Less than 20%. This is a failure and every state seems to be experiencing it. There are reports of doses even being discarded at the end of day because of too many rules about who can get them. The high level planning should have been simple and we have had a year to do it: What is the throughput of one injection site? Given the constraints of social distancing and trying to maintain a sanitary environment so vaccine sites do not ironically become vectors of COVID spread, let’s very modestly assume each site can administer 5 doses an hour, or 50, doses over a 10 hour shift. Divide 40,000 by that, and we need 800 sites across the state distributed by population. Task a team to design the basic template of a site and list of equipment and required team for operation. Task a team to find the appropriate candidate locations for those sites. And task an appropriate authority to go out and then establish those sites. Use the National Guard if necessary (building out sites is something that can do in short order). They can even provide medical staff to administer or assist. (Side note: a location can have multiple sites, such as densely populated areas.) Meanwhile call whoever the fuck you’d need to at Amazon and ask them to make you a dumb website that lets people register their name, address, phone number, birthdate, and identify if they have a chronic condition or not. Pump that shit out of the airwaves, use an emergency broadcast, whatever, in order to let everybody know where to go and register, bingo. No fancy authentication required, we are just trying to get the most people through the system as possible. This is basic stuff. This is public health, the priority is health of the public not draconian authentication mechanisms and punitive processes. Now you have a flow of registrations to match to local injection sites, which themselves have been placed according to population density. Start randomly picking registrations at a rate that won’t overflow the sites and send out text messages with five days notice telling the person the location to go to and the hour for their injection. If you want to, prioritize first by age or comorbid illness. Don’t give them a choice. This is their opportunity if they don’t take it they’ll have another opportunity later, the priority is throughout. Just get the flow moving to match the incoming supply of vaccines. It does no one any good to stockpile and delay vaccinating some younger person (or whatever) because some older person (or whatever) didn’t show, or because some healthcare worker doesn’t want it (see 20% of HCWs refusing vaccine in CA). No one benefits from that. It’s just punitive and backwards for public health. That’s it. You’ll soon work out how much to overbook by just like an airline. Deal with the stragglers at the end. Or once this is humming improve the system to enable more flexibility. Improve capacity to match the supply of vaccines. All easily done as things go. The key is to get it flowing first, get those doses out of the freezers they’re sitting in where they do no good, and into real peoples arms. You don’t even need to be verifying people who show up had an appointment, why waste the time and stress. Give everyone a card with the date of their first dose and the date they need to come back for their second dose. Most people will be honest. Some won’t. A number of people won’t show. It’ll balance out. If it doesn’t, then decide what to do if and when it becomes a problem to smooth delivery. But get the fucking flow started. Oh and issue an order that anyone who is given a vaccine appointment is permitted that day off work. /vent EDIT: A lot of good responses here. Much just identifying problems that confirm this is a disaster. So yes. Need proof it's a disaster? Just look at Israel which has administered vaccines to over 11% of its population so far. They only started on Dec 20th. Our vaccines arrived on Dec 14th. So no more excuses: https://ourworldindata.org/graphecovid-vaccination-doses-per-capita?tab=chart&stackMode=absolute&time=latest®ion=World Need ultra low temp freezers? Yes, we've known that for months. So surely someone has been calling every university, hospital, clinic, laboratory, specialty pharmacy, drug company, industrial supplier in the state to make a list of every available freezer and their size and location that we can get our hands on yes. Great. If appropriate locate an injection site where the freezers are (applicable for things like hospitals or universities). For those that aren't suitable dispatch the National Guard to transport them to one of the aforementioned injection sites we selected. Hospital not got enough people to give the vaccine to? Sweet, all those annoying billing staff that make peoples lives hell, use them to comb through your database of patients and every patient over age 60 call them, tell them "We have extra doses of the vaccine we need to distribute. If you would like to get vaccinated please show up at location X at time Y. If you would prefer to wait for another time that is okay but we can't schedule you now." Don't want to do this? Fine we'll take back your vaccines and deliver them to whatever site is actually performing. Ditto if your hospital having trouble scheduling your staff to get their vaccines? Fine. You can have more later when you catch up. Meanwhile dispatch the logistics team to move them to a site that is vaccinating faster and who has chewed through their supply. Wanna call dibs on a vaccine for a HCW but leave their dose in the freezer and not get around to stabby stabbing their arm for two weeks? No. They can be in the priority lane for whats available, but they don't get to keep their precious dose for when they're available. I'm not unsympathetic to the massive strain all HCWs are under right now but we need to keep doses flowing. Matching the rate of incoming supply with consumption as closely as possible is the primary number that should up on the war room white board right now. Don't have enough pharmacy techs to handle the vaccine at a couple hundred injection sites? We've known we need this for months. Make a script to follow. Call CVS and Bartells and tell them your country needs you. Get the most detail oriented autistic medics from the national guard, drill it into them, send them out to the sites to handle it. Worried about anti-vaxxers? Stop it guys! They don't care about whatever you do don't twist yourself in knots. Literally millions of doses of this vaccine have already been administered there have been a tiny, probably count them on two hands, number of people who have had allergic reactions which happens all the damn time and is nothing new. You want to convince them its safe you don't do that by not vaccinating people you do that by vaccinating as many people as possible so they see everyone around them is still walking around after being injected with minature bill gates dolls or whatever they believe. Anyway thanks for indulging my vent today.
R/Conservative discusses wastage of taxpayer dollars , lack of stimulus , terrorists and the culprits are , The Democrats ? Come , enjoy the madness the IMPEACHMENT ARTICLES of Trump has brought
⚠ This is a challenge ONLY for the 12 contestants of The Great Internet Race. The overall winner at the end of the series will win 10,000 coins and a 10xTB flair. All contestants will receive consolation prizes at the end of the race. If you aren't in the race but still want to win, see the "Fan Giveaway" section below.
If you are not on this list, you are not in the race. However, you can still win in the Fan Giveaway (see below). Contestants with an ❌ next to their name have been eliminated from the Race and are not eligible to compete in any challenges or win the grand prize (yet).
Removed contestants are NOT eligible for re-entry challenges and will not be receiving consolation prizes. They will also be banned from future TGIR-related challenges.
Challenge: Internet BINGO
🔴 This challenge is MANDATORY for contestants that are still in the Race. Failure to complete this challenge will result in permanent elimination. Score the most points by finding unique Reddit posts that meet the requirements on the BINGO card.
The Reddit posts MUST be from 2020, and cannot be posted by you.
Bingo Card: Quarantine Edition
B
I
N
G
O
1: Picture of a GameStop
2:GoForGold challenge with over 50,000 coins awarded
3: How to improve your posture
4: Survey about the impact of COVID-19
5: Link to live animal/zoo cameras
6: Book recommendation list
7: Picture of a tree
8: TV show recommendation list
9: Innovations for solving global warming
10: Link to an Google Arts/Culture exhibit
11: Work from home tips
12: Quarantine activities list
13: 18xTB challenge [Basically a free space]
14: COVID Stress relief tips
15: Any of my 1/2 off challenges [FREEBIE if you act fast enough]
16: Fall Guys
17: Animal Crossing: New Horizons
18: How to host a virtual party
19: A post with more than 250 awards
20: Movie recommendation list
21: Smart home accessories
22: Any of MY Deal or No Deal challenges [FREEBIE if you act fast enough]
23: Among Us
24: Positives of quarantine
25: Best travel destinations during COVID
Posts are first-come, first-served
NO DUPLICATE POSTS. Please use different posts than people who have submitted before you. The tricky part is not finding these things, that's pretty easy. It's finding something nobody else has found yet that's more difficult.
There's no way I am going to check every single link for duplicates, but I will be doing random spot-checks for some links. If you are found to be using a duplicate link, you will incur a 10-point penalty.
Scoring
Each post you find is worth 1 POINT. Each row you make (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) is worth 3 BONUS POINTS.
The maximum possible score is 61 points, since 25 posts + 12 rows x 3 points each = 61 points.
In the event of a tie, the person who submitted first wins.
Submissions
Please include in your comment a NUMBERED LIST of your links, and your total score. Make your comment as a direct reply in the SUBMISSIONS thread for either the Main Race or Race to Comeback. Example: I scored points.
60 🏅 + 🛡 Keep your whole team safe at the next elimination (02/17)
🥈 2nd Place
30 🏅
🥉 3rd Place
15 🏅
Main Race: Elimination
🛡 🍣 Team Sushi is safe and cannot be eliminated. The last-place contestant (who is not safe) will be eliminated instantly and move to Challenge 3 of Race to Comeback. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Race to Comeback
⏪ Race to Comeback contestants will be playing the SAME challenge. All rules apply for RTC contestants as well, including the duplicate links rule.
What is Race To Comeback?
The first 5 eliminated contestants from The Great Internet Race will compete in a series of 4 1v1 challenge duels, the winner of each one moving on to the next, and the loser being out of the race for good. u/chuttiekang and u/bookie_thefangirl will compete this ComebackChallenge. The winner will face the next eliminated contestant, that winner will face the next eliminated contestant, and so on. The winner of the 4th and final Comeback Challenge wins a second chance at the 10,000 coin prize. Contestants who are permanently eliminated for breaking rules or failing to complete a mandatory challenge are not eligible to compete in Race To Comeback.
Whoever scores the most points on the Internet Bingo challenge between u/chuttiekang and u/bookie_thefangirl will win this challenge and move on to Challenge 3. Read the rules above.
Race to Comeback: Prizes
🥇 The winner of this duel earns a spot in the nextComeback Challengeand will move one step closer to getting back intoThe Great Internet Raceand competing for 10,000 coins. 🥈 The loser will be eliminated from the race for good. They will receive a Starstruck award as a consolation prize for competing in the race. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Challenge End
This challenge ends at 7:00 PM PST on 02/13/2021 for both Race to Comeback and the main Race. A 15-minute grace period has been added to this challenge.
Fan Giveaway
THREE (3) vanities are up for grabs during this post's Fan Giveaway. And don't forget, winning a vanity enters you to win a Timeless Beauty award during our 10xTB Fan Finale Giveaway on March 10! Simply make a direct reply to the "FAN GIVEAWAY" thread below to enter. You can enter whether or not you are competing in the race. Comments will be randomly selected at 7 PM PST on Saturday, Feb 13, 2021. The winners will each win a Starstruck award and be entered to win 1 of 10 Timeless Beauty awards on March 10, 2021 on our FINALE post.Limit ONE direct reply per user.
To participate in UDecide votes and chat with other fans, keep up with Race news, learn about the rules, format and schedule, as well as to be notified when new posts go live, join our Discord server here. You can also read about the rules and format of the Race on my Reddit profile here.
- Are the endless memes on MkeBucks not enough for you? Do you want to see/post them again/and/or post low-effort trash that wouldn’t fly on MkeBucks? I know—we all do—but how could an amazing place for that possibly exist? Miraculously, one does: MkeBucksMemes!
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Here is the promised donut 🍩. Since you've read this far, I'm giving you a cupcake, too 🧁
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Weekly Eyeshadow (and blush, and lipstick, and everything else you feel like) Bingo: Thread No. 54
Welcome (back), everyone! Another post that's a bit late for my timezones, sorry. The only thing worse than my sleep schedule is my executive function. ANYWAYS How to participate (the rules talk about eyeshadows but you can use them for any product in your collection): 1 Select the shades you want participating in the eyeshadow bingo and number each of them as convenient for you. You can put your whole collection in, or go for something more curated. Some suggestions on curating participating eyeshadows: couple of complimentary palettes, or all brights in your collection, or cool toned singles, etc etc. The more the merrier, but keep in mind if your collection is 80% neutrals (for example), they are more likely to be represented in the bingo unless you curate them out. 2 Comment in this post: (i) number of participating shades (say, 45); and (ii) number of shades you want drawn (say, 4), and (iii) if relevant, a few shades you don’t want drawn (for example, if they were drawn last week). 3 Me as the host (or another poster – see below) will select random numbers in corresponding amount (so 4 random numbers of 45, in our example) and comment in response. 4 Show us the resulting colour selection (pictures and/or swatches welcome), tell us what your goals are (use all shades in one look, use only these shadows for a week, use each of them per day, etc), and generally comment whatever you feel like! Some further comments: (a) I will get to each comment as soon as I can, but if you see an unanswered comment from another poster feel free to jump in and pick their shades! (b) I will post my own comment in this thread as well and hopefully someone does the pick for me :)
I teach ESL1 in SEA2. My country has managed the pandemic very well. We still hold classes, though we are currently on break for Lunar New Year. Over the semester we learned about 75 new vocabulary words3 and we had a big review bash at the end of the semester. I decided Bingo would be a great fun way to review! I even had a prize for first place! However, no-one knew what Bingo was, they only knew the song. I asked a national teacher to help translate the rules, then we began. The excitement level started at high and quickly rose to frothing mad. Two boys almost got into a fight over the word "Constellation" because they both needed it and they didn't want to share 1st place4. A little girl had four-in-a-row three different ways. She was crossing her fingers and chanting 3 words like a prayer. Neptune, Freeze, Cookie... Neptune, Freeze, Cookie... The kid who won forgot English for a moment and was just screaming Chinese at his desk waving the bingo card in the air. Most of the other children around him burst out of their chairs screaming, I couldn't tell who had actually won because everyone was so animated. After I confirmed his winning card I gave him his prize, which he held aloft like Link after opening a treasure chest. His gloating caused ANOTHER wave of angry Chinese shouting from all the children who lost. The first place prize that caused all this excitement? A $5 Lego car set.
English as a Second Language.
South East Asia.
I know that's not a lot, but I only teach this group once a week after school.
Neither of them had won, they were arguing over the hypothetical winning.
Weekly Eyeshadow (and blush, and lipstick, and everything else you feel like) Bingo: Thread No. 52
Welcome (back), everyone! It's us again, here to have some wild random number times. How to participate (the rules talk about eyeshadows but you can use them for any product in your collection): 1 Select the shades you want participating in the eyeshadow bingo and number each of them as convenient for you. You can put your whole collection in, or go for something more curated. Some suggestions on curating participating eyeshadows: couple of complimentary palettes, or all brights in your collection, or cool toned singles, etc etc. The more the merrier, but keep in mind if your collection is 80% neutrals (for example), they are more likely to be represented in the bingo unless you curate them out. 2 Comment in this post: (i) number of participating shades (say, 45); and (ii) number of shades you want drawn (say, 4), and (iii) if relevant, a few shades you don’t want drawn (for example, if they were drawn last week). 3 Me as the host (or another poster – see below) will select random numbers in corresponding amount (so 4 random numbers of 45, in our example) and comment in response. 4 Show us the resulting colour selection (pictures and/or swatches welcome), tell us what your goals are (use all shades in one look, use only these shadows for a week, use each of them per day, etc), and generally comment whatever you feel like! Some further comments: (a) I will get to each comment as soon as I can, but if you see an unanswered comment from another poster feel free to jump in and pick their shades! (b) I will post my own comment in this thread as well and hopefully someone does the pick for me :)
Weekly Eyeshadow (and blush, and lipstick, and everything else you feel like) Bingo: Thread No. 53 - BEEN HERE FOR A YEAR
Welcome (back), everyone! GUYS HOLY CRAP. THIS IS IT. This is officially ONE YEAR for makeup bingo. I was so preoccupied in previous posts I did not even notice it sneaking up on us. CELEBRATIONS ABOUND. How to participate (the rules talk about eyeshadows but you can use them for any product in your collection): 1 Select the shades you want participating in the eyeshadow bingo and number each of them as convenient for you. You can put your whole collection in, or go for something more curated. Some suggestions on curating participating eyeshadows: couple of complimentary palettes, or all brights in your collection, or cool toned singles, etc etc. The more the merrier, but keep in mind if your collection is 80% neutrals (for example), they are more likely to be represented in the bingo unless you curate them out. 2 Comment in this post: (i) number of participating shades (say, 45); and (ii) number of shades you want drawn (say, 4), and (iii) if relevant, a few shades you don’t want drawn (for example, if they were drawn last week). 3 Me as the host (or another poster – see below) will select random numbers in corresponding amount (so 4 random numbers of 45, in our example) and comment in response. 4 Show us the resulting colour selection (pictures and/or swatches welcome), tell us what your goals are (use all shades in one look, use only these shadows for a week, use each of them per day, etc), and generally comment whatever you feel like! Some further comments: (a) I will get to each comment as soon as I can, but if you see an unanswered comment from another poster feel free to jump in and pick their shades! (b) I will post my own comment in this thread as well and hopefully someone does the pick for me :)
ARC Review: Winds of Strife — New self-published epic fantasy with an awesome magic system
Hello again fantasy, I wanted to tell you about Winds of Strife, a debut novel by Uri Gatt (or U.G Gutman) that will be published tomorrow. Let's talk about it. Before we begin - some technical details. The book will be published tommorow (24.1), it’s available on Amazon for pre-order. It's the first book in the "Dawnless Night Trilogy". Tha amazing cover art is done by Tom Edwards. I'd rate it PG13, containing violence and some mentions of sex, but nothing graphic. Trigger warning for abusive relationships. Full disclosure - I received an ARC for this. Uri is a Facebook friend of mine and we talked before and after I got the book. That said, all the opinions about the book are, of course, mine. With that out of the way, let's talk about the book. What is it? The story happens in a world called "Huravoth" (from the Hebrew word hurvoth = desolations/ruins) and as you can guess it's not a place you want to move to. A few centuries before the story, a gigantic tsunami - The Mazriv - caused severe geographic and economical changes in the land by devastating and drowning most of the world. Additionally, it appears that since The Mazriv, the nights keep getting longer. The magic system is tied with emotions and it's one of the coolest things in the book in my opinion - Senspirity is controlling one's emotions and harnessing them for different powers. (For example - Confidence makes you fast, Anger gives you control of fire, Care allows you to heal fast and to "see" others who use these powers). The magic system is very Sanderson-like in that it has rules and limitations and you can always keep up with what the characters can or cannot do. The entire story happens in a city-state called Olyanath where the king Alliddar tries to stop the night from getting longer by managing a group of Senspirity-users called "The Sun Harbingers", whose goal is to kill witches (women who use Senspirity). He justifies this by saying a witch is responsible for the belonging of the night. Like you can expect from a high fantasy novel, there's a decent cast of characters, I'll talk briefly about some of the main ones: Nye - the main character – when we first see him he looks like yet another horrible Sun Harbinger, second only to their leader in kill count, but when we get to know a little better we see that his goals are not what you'd expect of Sun Harbingers. Ivy - the mysterious daughter of the king and probably the biggest threat to the world. She lives under very controlled terms to make sure she can't learn to use Senspirity cause if she does, she might destroy the world. Glitter - A witch whose expert in using Calm (which shields the user from anything that might harm her and prevents her from harming others). She's a part of a gang who hunts and kills Sun Harbingers however they can. There's a lot more, those are just the main and the most interesting ones. The plot is probably the weakest side of the book. It takes a while to ignite and it doesn't really begin until halfway through the book, can't say more because spoilers. What I thought? Worldbuilding - I loved it very much, even though it's not super original the execution of the post-apocalyptic world trying to recover is excellent. The threat of a Dawnless Night is present across the entire book even though it is not a main concern in the first book plot wise. The magic system is very cool and clear, reminds me of other magic systems that I love (Sanderson inspiration is very present). Characters - none of them is your classic fantasy hero that always does what needs to be done while maintaining a clean conscience. Most are grayer, and even straight up bad sometimes. Personally, I very much love the realistic approach to characters in modern fantasy and I enjoyed those characters, despite their imperfections and sometime straight-up evilness (is that a word?). Plot - Like I said, it's the weakest part, it's easy to see that the author invested in the world and characters in the first part, and that hurts the plot, but it wasn't bad. It took a little while, but after it started it was great and the climax is totally worth the wait. Before I finish - I admit I approached this with low expectations. After all, it is a first novel, of a non-English native speaker author who writes in English. The book easily surpassed my expectations and I intend to read the sequel when it's out. Very recommended if what I wrote here sounds interesting to you. Bingo squares – Self-published (hard mode) Chapter Epigraphs (hard mode) Novel featuring politics.
The fight for WorldBox, or how a game you worked on for 8 years may be stolen from you without you even knowing it
My name is Maxim and I’m an independent game developer ( indie dev ). That means that I create a lot of games on my own, and so far self-publish them without the help of bigger firms. All of my income comes from the games I create - it’s my livelihood. This is my story on how a game I’ve been working on for over 8 years has been nearly stolen from me without my knowledge. And how I’m not the only one.
When you spit out your coffee
The story begins with me working on the latest WorldBox update - the community has been waiting for it for a few months already. Boats are all the rage, and everybody is going wild with anticipation. When a message hits me on the community discord. "Somebody copied the game - it looks just like yours". You don't think much of it. There are many copy-cats out there of successful titles. If a new indie is trying to have their shot at a different populous type of game - have a go at it! It's harder than you think - but no problems there. "They called it worldbox in the app id". Aham, why would somebody do that? You assume negligence over maliciousness at first. Believe in the good of the people. "And they filed a trademark for WorldBox". Ok. The boats update will have to wait now for a bit longer.
Prelude
I've been working on WorldBox since 2012, with the first prototype released on newgrounds and kongregate. In between other games, I continued work on it, and finally released a mobile version in 2018. It grew a lovely and highly active community since then - and I've kept it updated as much as possible. With millions of downloads it is definitely my most successful game so far, and that’s thanks to a very active fan base which I’m very grateful to have. Growing a community for a single developer is not easy - it can be quite challenging. A lot of work behind the scenes is involved - and next to the reddit and discord I also attend game conferences from time to time for this purpose.
The conference
Worldbox at DevGamm conference in Minsk in 2019 One of which was DevGamm in November 2019. It was a big trip, which me and my brother took - and apart from an exploding laptop charger it was very positive. Or so we thought. It's really cool to see people play the game in front of your eyes. You see them explore and discover new powers - you hear invaluable feedback. You connect with really cool people! At least most of them. For other people attending dev conferences is about discovering new games, new developers - or just plain and simple hanging out with like-minded people. And then there are others. Let's say, the wolves in sheep clothes. Or in this case "the only 🕴️ suit at an indie game conference". They approach you - see the buzz your game is making, and involve you in a friendly chat. They speak highly of their own business skills. They present solutions to company formations, taxation, business models. They talk about "how to be successful in the game business". They are already very successful and proud of their own "product" - run and developed by a company of 30+ people. It sounds impressive of course.
The offer
Then they say that they like your "product", and want to buy it right away. For some very big amount, right now. Now let's take a step back - it's not the first time it happened. You politely listen, make internal notes and evaluate the offer later on. And that's what you're here for, right? Expand the community, expand the business horizons. Stay friendly, create new connections. You evaluate behavior - are they passionate gamers? Or rather cold business people. Do they understand the joy that games can bring, or do they see them solely as products that make money? I’m sure you can guess what I was thinking. You check out their game - it looks like a copy of a popular game you know. It seems to make a lot of money as well. It’s in the top #5-#9 on the Apple Appstore in the "Adventures" category - that's a lot of $! Enough to run a company of 30+ people and then some. The main hook seems to be a free trial for 3 days, after which you pay $9.99 per week(!) to play the game. Something smelled sus.
The answer
So as with many other people who offered to buy the game - you politely decline. It's not the right time. Not only did I not feel like this was the right partner for me at that point - but I also felt like I haven't achieved the full vision of the game yet. Selling would focus too much on making money. Changing the code so other developers would understand it, etc. I want to focus on making it fun. Take my time to polish it. Bring updates to existing players. They asked again 3-4 more times, over the messages and calls, over the following months. You stay polite, stay in touch. But they... behind the scenes... are already preparing how to take advantage of what you created.
Connecting the dots
"Maxim, somebody filed a trademark for WorldBox" You check out the company, it doesn't ring a bell. It was just registered a few months ago. You look up the business owners - they also don't ring a bell. You cross-check other companies they are involved in... bingo. They are in other companies owned by the "🕴️suit". You even find his email address mentioned in the formation documents. Main culprit: found. Then you check their other products... a minecraft mod for which you pay $9.99 per week. Rings a bell? Mhm. Business model: match. Then you check their website, their privacy policy - same structure as the other few companies you already connected to the 🕴️suit. They even have the same mistakes in the shared privacy policies - copy/paste errors. Marketing materials: match. So while they were still "negotiating" with you, they already created a new company in February with the purpose of launching a competing copy-cat game. And steal your trademark from under your nose. Does that sound like trust-worthy business partners? You could say I dodged a bullet there…
Their main money maker
If we look at their "product" which he was very proud about - let's analyze it. It's called "Raft Survival : Ocean Nomad". The surprising thing about it is that it uses the name "Raft" in the title. But it's not affiliated with the popular Steam game "Raft" that was launched in 2017. How come? How come a copycat can use the name of the original game? You guessed it... trademarks. Around the time the first Raft steam trailer was released, somebody filed for a trademark for the name "Raft". Used exclusively for mobile games. Most likely the main developers didn't notice it - I mean who checks these things constantly? They were focusing on the desktop version - it takes all your attention. And who filed for the trademark? None other than our dear Mr. 🕴️Suit : https://uspto.report/TM/87605582 We found a pattern. They look out for interesting and simple game ideas to copy, and then they blindside the ( often inexperienced ) indie developers by making a publishing a very simple copy-cat version, and then quietly filing a trademark for that name. That way they can use the wording in advertisements, on the app stores, etc. They could even take down the original games based on this! So they are taking advantage of a good name you build up with your sweat and tears, and they’ll just blatantly use it to destroy the joy of gamers who expected to play your game. Instead they get a really bad copy and are tricked out of their money. https://preview.redd.it/ukaaffuy58x51.png?width=946&format=png&auto=webp&s=113bbc4b9787ead6d18dd2e9a3a5a454b7fc9638
Since I was first informed about this they filed even more trademarks for WorldBox. In the EU, in Australia, Canada, S.Korea and other countries. There are many filed trademarks pending in many jurisdictions. They are also filing for even more trademarks in other jurisdictions for the “Raft” trademark - at the same time.
Community response
It was great to see how the community dug up all of this, and went decidedly against the copycat. While I couldn’t talk with people - since I’m talking with lawyers currently - people took things into their own hands. They did research, they even examined the copy’s game assets. They rated the game based on their feelings. https://preview.redd.it/akq3p5o768x51.png?width=1360&format=png&auto=webp&s=3d6de49df400614dbe29160f7e1a5168561021af And it has been important. It still is. With over 5 trademarks being filed by the copycats the future is uncertain. The community based #saveworldbox was the right reaction - I'm really proud of the community here for having found these things out and started a process against it! It seems so far these guys have been getting away with it because nobody really cared that they are behaving unethically. For me the battle is far from over and I appreciate all of the support we can get. Be it videos or posts, or spreading awareness. It’s not ok to attempt to steal somebody’s hard work like this.
My goals
What is my goal in all of this?
Protect WorldBox
Protect WorldBox, since it’s my life’s work. I’ve been working for over 8 years on this, and if a copy cat wants to make a game - they can make their own name and work on that; instead of trying to mislead users that want to play the real WorldBox.
Warn other indie devs
Put attention on these business practices, so other indie developers understand how important filing a trademark early on is. It’s actually relatively cheap as well.
Highlight app store abuse
Showcase a net of malicious firms that abuse the Apple Appstore and Google Play store in many ways. Show how they are connected, and how they circumvent the rules and TOS that count for other developers. https://preview.redd.it/aaksa0u868x51.png?width=700&format=png&auto=webp&s=73fb717e2605893261865bf90e61752188e33165 Hopefully get the app stores to put a stop to these malicious actors, and stop their bad business practices. These apps are deceiving to app store customers and leave everybody with a bad experience.
Next steps
In our case I’ve sat down with my lawyers, and we have started a process to protect WorldBox. It’s time intensive, and my biggest worry is that it affects future updates. But I trust in the talented lawyer teams to create a case against these firms and to protect WorldBox at all costs. That involves a lot of things, even speaking to people who were previously involved with these firms, etc. It’s going to take some time. This post is also a big warning to other aspiring indie devs, and what to watch out for. This has been a very time consuming October, and already now the next patch has been delayed due to this - for this I have to apologize to the community. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to finishing boats, sigh.
Appendix: A web of companies
Who are all these people and companies? ( all this is information is public knowledge, that you can research yourself )
The main firm ( JustMoby ) is owned by 🕴️ Alexander Novikov. That was the man I met at the games conference. His business card mentions that he’s an “investor”. Another owner of JustMoby is 🇷🇺 Egor Agafonov - he is also in the company registry one of the owners of STAVRIO LTD. The company behind the worldbox copycat. And finally 🇧🇾 Eugene Kluchinski is also an owner of most of the firms. He’s listed on LinkedIn as CEO of JustMoby LTD. Companies house attributes him a majority of shares in terms of voting rights. Most of the firms have one of these 3 people directly involved. They have a lot of shell companies registered - most of the firms seem to have a holding firm in 🇪🇪 Estonia, and a LTD in the 🇬🇧 UK. Some are listed at the same address as STAVRIO LTD. https://preview.redd.it/9gukmxnb68x51.png?width=400&format=png&auto=webp&s=226458685c611e03e0e33cee9a3837a40f7f4b1a Most of the estonian companies share the same registration email, have been filed with the same lawyer firm, but only differ in who the registered director is. It’s important to understand that a company registration doesn’t require people to be present in the office. So you can easily have a dev team in Russia under one company, and then you can just open up 10 different companies at some PO box in the UK or Estonia to publish them. So if Apple’s AppStore team decides to take down your app or account because too many customers had a bad experience and complained ( e.g. if they unknowingly get charged $9.99 per week for some copycat game ), then now they can ( although it’s against apple TOS ) move their app to some other firm you registered, and republish there under a slightly different name. And the cycle of fake reviews and scammed customers begins again. Let’s just say that a net of shell companies is normally not required if you look at the most successful game developers. And it reeks of very dubious business practices.
Hostile work environment?
Many ex-employeesmentionedpublicly that the company seems to prefer copyright infringements, dubious pricing practices and is used to having their accounts taken down from app-stores due to many policy violations. The reviews in Russian, but you can use google translate to understand it. To one of reviews A.Novikov replied directly. From the reviews we can see that the sad part seems to be that the development team seems to have talented and underpaid members; which seem to detest the owners/managers. But ultimately it’s the leadership - the owners - of these companies that count here.
Tip of the ice-berg
After reading the reviews from past employees, it becomes more clear why there is a big net of company registrations which re-publish the same apps. It seems they simply create more and more firms to re-publish the apps again and again; or to mitigate the risk when one of them gets taken down. Because for example Redbeet Interactive ( the makers of the original Raft game ) would sue them, then they just have to close a subsidiary. If we also would sue them successfully, they’d also just have to close a subsidiary. At least that’s most likely their thinking. But the main hustle would still be on - they’d just pop up a few more companies and publish clones there again. And keep continuing with their trial and error approach until one of them gets enough downloads / subscriptions. Unless Apple and Google step in and identify that all of them are connected, and take them down at the same time. Also it seems that they have established a practice where they automatically give their apps fake reviews over time. It’s interesting that neither Google Play nor the Appstore have detected this and flagged them for this. Redbeat Interactive developers aware of Ocean Nomad and has been dealing with them for a while now. Even received rude emails from Ocean Nomad team.
JUSTMOBY LTD (UK) and JUSTMOBY OÜ (Estonia) 🕴️ Alexander Novikov, 🇷🇺 Egor Agafonov, 🇧🇾 Eugene Kluchinski Main developer team, owned by 🕴️Aleksander Novikov Lists games that are listed by other companies. E.g. “Ocean Nomad - Raft Survival” ( TREASTONE ), https://vk.com/puzzleitru is the official page for https://puzzleit.ru which lists JUSTMOBY as the copyright holder. https://vk.com/justmoby.games - official vk group of justmoby The same VK admin as that group, has also created copycat “worldbox” pages on vk.ru which are linked from the copycat game.
# STAVRIO
STAVRIO LTD (UK) and STAVRIO OÜ 🇷🇺 Egor Agafonov, 🇪🇪 Zerar Goren, 🇧🇾 Eugene Kluchinski Main WorldBox copycat firm ( Google Play account ) Estonian firm lists 🕴️A.Novikov’s email address in registration papers. Play Store, AppStore
# TREASTONE
TREASTONE LTD (UK) and TREADSTONE OÜ 🇷🇺 Egor Agafonov, 🇱🇻 Anatolijs Belavskis, 🇧🇾 Eugene Kluchinski Raft copycat firm for the mobile versions Has 🕴️A.Novikov email in registered emails. Play Store, AppStore
# MUSHTRIP
MUSHTRIP LTD (UK) and MUSHTRIP s.r.o. 🇷🇺 Egor Agafonov, 🇪🇪 Zerar Goren, 🇷🇺 Sergei Grishin Has a “SpeedTest” app where you pay $19.99 per month to check your internet speed… JustMoby tried to trademark “SpeedTest” in the EU unsuccessfully. Play Store, AppStore
# SONAKAI
SONAKAI ( СОНАКАЙ ) and Adeco Systems 🇷🇺 Andrey Zenchuk “CEO of Adeco Systems” ( LinkedIn ) works in “UniSoftGames”. They list on their website the name as JustMoby. Ex-employee reviews make it look like this was also the dev house. Possibly before JustMoby was formed.
# UniSoftGames
UniSoftGames s.r.o 🇷🇺 Aleksandr Matveev Raft copycat firm Steam release. Same games listed on the website as Treastone games.Also lists "Day 13 - Zombie Survival" which seems to have been taken down everywhere. Previously published by “PlayHotGames” for which the website doesn’t work any more.
🇷🇺 Egor Agafonov, 🇺🇦 Liana Roi, 🇱🇻 Vladimirs Tanukevics Official email for the justmoby estonian firm points here. Also Feoni is listed as creator of Ocean Nomad facebook page Registered for “real estate activities Play Store
🇷🇺 DZHIGSO PAZLS, OOO ( phonetic version of “Jigsaw Puzzles” / Джигсо Паззлс ) 🕴️ A.Novikov 90%, 🇷🇺 A.Novikova 10% Russian legal company for puzzleit.ru and other puzzle games. One of the real companies with office in Russia and internet known as JustMoby 10% owned by A.Novikova ( HR manager at JustMoby ) Also has 100 Doors Horror game on app store - same as MakSton Play Play Store, AppStore
# Sweet Games Box
Denis Sonin, 🇱🇻 Sweet Games Box Linked to 🇱🇻 “Feoni SIA” Publishes the Jigsaw Puzzles game on apple app store.Previously the games were published under “Sweet Games Box”. But that account doesn’t exist anymore. Now they are published by an individual account. AppStore, AmazonStore
# Vategue
Vategue OÜ 🇧🇾 Eugene Kluchinski Registered around the same time as the other 3. Registered email points to 🕴️ A.Novikov
Our usual advice in such situations is to register trademarks once your app starts getting popular and register it in all main jurisdictions where most users or money come from. With a trademark it's easier to ban "clone games" and bring cases to courts, but if you register only the name of the game, this may not guarantee characters and gameplay won’t be copied and used, but under a different name. But it is possible and necessary to act by a combination of legal and non-legal methods. Track all activity of the clone app, find it in all app markets, all social networks and all marketing materials. Begin actively filing complaints asking you to remove controversial content with a link to your copyright. This can work, especially given the stringency of US copyright laws (specifically the DMCA). In the case of the Worldbox game, the similarity of the gameplay is obvious, I think, to everyone. Therefore, marketplaces are likely to side with the original game. In this case, a competitor registers trademarks to use the Worldbox name in the main jurisdictions. But in almost all countries there is an opposition and objection procedure, and by attaching proof of the originality of the application and the date of its creation, much ahead of the appearance of a new game, there is every chance to cancel these applications and register your own. By the way, the very fact that a competitor registers exactly the word Worldbox is already suspicious: why register the name of someone else's game when yours is called "God Simulator"? Alina Davletshina, senior associate at Versus.legal
#saveworldbox
This post is exclusively to inform people about JUSTMOBY LTD, "ООО Джигсо Паззлс", puzzleit.ru, Treastone LTD, STAVRIO LTD, Adeco Systems, Gamesunisoft / Unisoft Games, FEONI LTD, MUSHTRIP LTD, FURTABAS LTD, JUSTMOBY OÜ, STAVRIO OÜ, TREASTONE OÜ, FURTABAS OÜ, VATEGUE OÜ, Feoni Holding OÜ companies and main people that behind them (Alexander Novikov, Egor Agafonov and Eugene Kluchinski). Please always stay polite, don’t use offensive language in comments, social media or any other correspondence. Thank you for being part of a great community of world builders! I do appreciate all the help I can get - all your posts and videos really make a difference. Thank you for your on-going support!
I didn't expect to get this far this quickly but circumstances changed and left me with time I didn't expect to have so I decided to charge forward..
I kinda finally see how and why Nanase became an "ace" within the group, given her attitude towards other members in backstage footage and when she's given a challenge. She really is an impressive human being.
Kazumi is absolutely the star of the group. It's always been the case with her, the more I see, the more impressed I am by her. While it's true that many others progressed quite rapidly, she's always stood out among them.
Marika was criminally under exposed. Whenever she's featured on the show she's always impressive as hell but she just didn't get much exposure at all.
It seems at this point that all of my favourite Nogizaka songs, other than Girls Rule, feature either Marika or Nanase as center or at least on the front row, (whether main group or under group). It's amusing me every time one of my favourites come on and right there, bang in the middle of the screen is either my previous "oshi" or my current one, lol
The Macau trip was fantastic. It was nice to see Maya given the chance to join in, but the highlights for me where Erika singing in public, the "staff meeting" and of course the jump.
Sayuri honestly kinda annoys me with all the child like stuff but I gotta say the way she handles challenges really impresses me. The waterfall episodes they keep talking about her and Marika absolutely killed it, (my favourite reaction though was Asuka's, she had no real filter even back then).
I still love "yankee" girl Seira, I wish she'd have been given more exposure in the group. She's genuinely so much fun to watch. I guess she's the Ayane of 1G, someone who is great when featured but who is rarely ever featured.
Speaking of Ayane, she was surprisingly bubbly when she first showed up. I was totally shocked by that given her later presentations of herself, (on NogiChuu), she still made me laugh the loudest of all in the episode though. Like Erika, a star from day one!
I kinda felt sorry for Miona at first. In the behind the scenes stuff it didn't really seem that anybody was making that much of an effort to include her, (except Yumi and Rina). I don't know if that's just because she was incredibly shy and nervous at first or what but I felt kinda bad for her at first.
I feel bad for Yumi and Reika and the way they were ultimately made to feel for how their relationship was. I found it kinda adorable that they were so open about their fondness of each other. That ultimately they didn't feel so comfortable because of others just sucks. (I'm not suggesting there was anything romantic, I don't think they were more than really good friends. That Yumi felt as though she had to pull back somewhat - something was said in an episode of Bingo I remember - is kinda sad).
They definitely made a total nonsense out of the Nanase/Maiyan thing. I mentioned in the other thread that Nanase was literally draped over her a few episodes later. There's been all kinds of physical interaction between them now and we are still nowhere close to the time period where they talked about the two of them "gradually" getting closer in the VTR before Kokoro No Monologue in Nanase's graduation concert.
Further to that last point, the section with Manatsu too was raised on Doko by Kazumi who spoke of Manatsu coming in and how she must have felt daggers in her back from the eyes of her and Nanase. She was very open about it. So that too seems to have been very much exaggerated for the sake of creating drama/tension too as well.
I can't help but feel that those graduation concert VTRs and the graduation episodes on Chuu would have been much better if they'd have focused on Nanase's story from under to center in two years and her positive relationships within the group rather than trying to use relatively minor incidents to tell a more dramatic story, when the dramatic story didn't really happen. Her "let's meet the new center" mini documentary was so much better and more insightful than the VTR clips at her graduation concert. Honestly, the VTR at the concert kinda made her seem like a little bit of a bitch to the other members, somewhat aloof, jealous and only really caring about popular members, whereas Doko showed her to be really close with many members, many of whom were less popular, as well as someone who was really hardworking and supportive of the group in general. I remember watching the graduation concert for the first time with subtitles and hearing Reika describe her as kind, but at the same time seeing the VTRs and having Reika, Kana and Sayuri Inoue sharing memories that ended up being memories of a NogiDoko director rather than Nanase and wondering if they were gonna show her being as Reika described her. If I hadn't been aware of her friendship with Kazumi, Karin and Kana especially, and hadn't seen the way those two and Junna, Yuri and Yuki were during the concert, the way Nanase was presented could have left me with a very different impression of her, especially seeing as she was so relatively quiet on NogiChuu. (Edit: I should also say that Nanase's comments in the concert herself helped tremendously, especially after the third encore, the "Niichan face", when she was talking to the crowd. That seemed so genuine...). It kinda feels like management were pissed at her for deciding to leave in retrospect, (or maybe there was more to the "scandal" than was admitted to publicly and that was her punishment), I really don't know. The Nanase I'm setting on Doko though is just so different. In a very good way. As I'm watching there are some episodes which are giving me extremely strong feelings of déjà vu, like I've seen them before which clearly means many of the episode concepts have been reused many times. They might wanna freshen things up a bit because if someone binged Doko and Chuu one after the other it could become stale. I'm good because my timeline is Chuu, Bingo, Doko and it's a good while since I binged Chuu before starting Doko, if I'd done them the other way around, one after the other though, my enthusiasm would almost certainly have waned.
My Second Five Bingo Reviews: Short Stories, Novellas, and Young Ladies Who Aren't Witches
Here are my next five Bingo Reviews. One is my Short Stories. Two are Multiple Novellas, and two are stories of young women raised to be ladies but aren't quite. Enjoy! My first reviews can be found here. Without further ado--- Dinosaur Fantastic Edited by Mike Resnick and Martin Greenberg 1993 What I am using this for—Five Short Stories. Yes, I read all 25 because dinosaurs are cool. *What I could be using it for—*Necromancy! Magical pet I guess, because what is more magical than Dinosaurs. Why did I read this and how did it end up on my bingo card— I was at the Book Browser in Woodstock, Georgia, a used bookstore where I picked it up for $1.00; just a couple weeks before they closed permanently for on Dec 31st, becoming extinct (F--- 2020). So, the irony and poetry struck me. Yes, I’d already read another anthology, but I like the fit of this one more. Note that dinosaurs would be a good Bingo square for 2021. Most people like dinosaurs. Thoughts— Yeah, it’s old but it is goody with 25 stories in a 331-page anthology. I was struck by the sheer variety of stories. Most are inventive and smart. My favorites— Disquisitions on Dinosaurs by Robert Sheckley “Let all Romans know that I have had a visit from a representative of the gods. The city is going to be blessed with a visitation of dinosaurs. These will be free-ranging dinosaurs and they will be our honored guests. They are not human beings, but I have been assured they are intelligent in their own way quite tractable. Please be on your best behavior with these dinosaurs. Faithfully Yours, Nero, Emperor of the Romans.” Nero hopes this will help with the resentment of the whole Rome burning thing. I think that says enough. Wise One’s Tale by Joesepha Sherman— Wise One, oldest of the winged hunters (humans call them eagles I think), tells the chicks of their ancestor, Quick Trickster, who faced down the ancient foes such as the sharped-fanged tyrant, the giant wader and the armored browser to gain a boon from the great fire being. Yes, Dino heroic quest! Whilst Slept the Sauropod by Nicholas A. DiChario Three generations of teachers in the town of Sleepy Mountain react differently to the fact that one of the nearby mountains is not a mountain but has been sleeping for a very long time. Rex by David Gerrold A t-rex, a burglar, and a slow driving ambulance help a man renegotiate the terms of his dysfunctional marriage. This is hilarious and warped and tasteless. Chameleon by Kristine Kathryn Rusch— Wilhelmina, witch, and fifth-grader, isn’t fitting in well at her new school, which is a mundane school in a universe without Hogwarts or the equivalent. She’s managed to freak the mundanes and is now alone and friendless. With the help of a lost boa constrictor, the class rabbit, and a room full of discarded plaster-of-paris dinosaurs, she figures out how to solve this problem. This is like a Studio Ghibli mini-movie, so I adore this one, with Wise One’s Tale the only one in the almost as good. I also read this to a friend’s kids as a bedtime story. Ms. Rusch, if you’re reading this and you know an illustrator, this would work very well as a kid’s book. Edit: It’s available on kindle. Get it! Make her wonder why a hundred copies of an obscure back catalog story sold. Authors like it when you mess with them by giving them money. Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman What I am using this for—Feminist What I could be using it for— Canadian (I have moved three authors out of the Canada slot. We’ll go into why later), exploration, has a lot of categories that could make it a good substitute from past bingo cards. Why did I read this and how did it end up on my bingo card— I saw it recommended and had an intuition that I’d like it. Thoughts-- This is a YA book about self-hate, family dynamics, and dragon-related species. Tess is the disappointment of the family. An unwed mother at 14 (the child died), she has acted as her twin sister’s confidant and maid as she seeks a husband, which she has done successfully, all the while suppressing her own wants and desires and showing all the signs of becoming an alcoholic. For her many sins, she is informed by her parents that after her sister’s wedding she will be consigned to a convent. She manages to embarrass herself at the wedding and wakes up in the home of her older half-sister (and half dragon, and the main character from Hartman’s earlier series). With her half-sister’s tacit approval, Tess walks away, at first semi aimlessly until she meets an old friend, who happens to be a quigitl, a sort of lizardman species. Judging from some reviews, have a hard time sympathizing with Tess, I found her compelling, believable, and sympathetic and found it easy to relate to dynamics that have made her who she is. How she sheds her own self-hate is gradual and nuanced and by the end, she is in a better place. Not a perfect place but better, and helping her friend has in turn given her direction. It is not a perfect book, but it is a good book for anyone dealing with abuse and particularly rape, you leave feeling better. This is How You Lose the Time War, By Amal El-Motar and Max Gladstone Also, Kamehameha's Bones by Kathleen Ann Goonan What am I using it for—Romantic Fantasy and I’m cheating……or rather filling the requirement twice because neither of these has sequels, unlike Murderbot, where I read four of them. The rules allow for us to use novellas but encourages us to use multiple ones in the same series to get to novel length. These are not in the same series; however, they are written in a way that both stories could belong in the same universes. The events of Kamehameha’s Bones easily being a skirmish in the larger war in This is How You Lose the Time War. What I could be using it for—Time War: really nothing Kamehameha: Big dumb object, politics How did these end up on my bingo card—I was dreading the romance square and Time War seemed like a good way to cover the spot painlessly. But thinking that one lousy novella was enough, didn’t sit right by me. So, I read another. If it counts Kamehameha’s Bones is also my reread. I read it originally years ago in an old issue of Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine. I reread it in the Anthology Making History which was printed in 2019 and edited by Rick Wilber. Thoughts’ This is How You Lose the Time War is a series of letters between two top agents of Blue and Red, two forces fighting a time war for control of destiny. They begin exchanging letters first to taunt each other and hostile, but over time they start talking about their parallel positions as top agents. Think a Lesbian/Doctor Who/Spy Who Loved Me Crossover. They find they have so much in common and gradually drawn together by that commonality while being totally separate visions for humanity/post-humanity. Red being very machine-like while Blue being an organic mother nature tooth and claw. Of course, the two of them are caught and they go on parallel missions pivotal to each’s survival and without spoilers, it is also clear they have created a new side. Kamehameha’s Bones is no less complex a story and follows Cen, a native Hawaiian boy living in poverty in early 21st century Honolulu who meets a girl dressed richly in Victorian dress. She claims to be Princess Victoria Ka’iulani, heir presumptive of the Kingdom of Hawaii. There has not been a Kingdom of Hawaii in over a hundred years. He finds an old picture in the library of her. She is who she says she is. They talk and meet periodically as the veils of time part and they interact, Cen quite aware that Victoria died in 1898 at age twenty-four, and at each meeting, she is closer to an end filled with despair. Yet Victoria drives Cen to deal with his own sense of inadequacy and poverty and to get the education he hopes will find some way to change time before it’s too late. He does but not through education but through his own family’s legacy and his action creates an alternate reality. They don’t meet until many years later, two former lovers, grown old, sitting on the beach in the sun. Yeah, if you’ve read Time War, this could easily be skirmish Between Red and Blue. Guns of Dawn by AdrianTchaikovsky What I am using this for— Epigraphs What I could be using it for— Exploration, Politics, Romance Why did I read this and how did it end up on my bingo card—I put out a request for flintlock fantasy. This isn’t quite it, but it is good. Still looking for a Last of the Mohican’s parallel. May have to write it myself. Thoughts— Part Jane Austen novel of manners, part weary war diary Obviously not something that you see every day and they are combined effectively. A stand-alone, another good thing IMHO. Emily Marshwic is a girl of good family that is gradually sinking into poverty. That poverty decline is blamed on Mr. Northway, the corrupt and self-interested Mayor-Governor of Chalcaster, holding the position Emily’s family held for generations and who Emily despises, blaming him for the suicide of her father. They spar regularly and Mr. Northway privately enjoys it. The Kingdom of Lascanne, which is engaged in a war with neighboring Denland, which was an ally until a revolution in Denland overthrew its monarchy. This is a war that, according to the papers, is almost won, is righteous, yet the reality that we are presented with belays that lie and which Emily and her sisters see around them. Her brother-in-law and then brother are conscripted, and word eventually comes that one woman from every household will be conscripted too, Emily herself marches off. The secret of gunpowder is that anyone—a man, a woman, a child, a cripple—can kill with it. The epigraphs like this take the form of letters Emily sends by illicit means, all official correspondence being heavily censored for ‘defeatism’ and hence central to her attitudes and behavior. This book is grim and beautiful and right. You feel and see the toll the war is taking on the characters and Emily’s view of reality evolves convincingly throughout the book. I had not read Tchaikovsky before and I will definitely read more of him. This, along with the Wind in His Heart by Charles De Lint are my two favorite reads of Book Bingo. Murderbot By Martha Wells All Systems Red, Artificial Condition, Rogue Protocol, Exit Strategy What I am using this for— Ace/Aro What I could be using it for— Politics, arguable magical pet because in the Why did I read this and how did it end up on my bingo card— I heard read a lot of good reviews of this. Romance and Ace/Aro and foreign language were the least exciting squares for me. I avoided this like Murderbot likes to avoid eye contact. Thoughts— I like it well enough. I used these four because they complete a story arc. A lot of people have commented on these, but if I were to say there was one central theme it’s autonomy, whether it is Murderbot itself or for the various beings it interacts with. The humans and others who are decent try to protect the autonomy of others while those who are less than decent entrap, kidnap, use violence to protect their interests at the cost of the autonomy of others. Any similarity between the world that we live in and the fictional world is surely purely coincidental. Like the real world, we sometimes would rather crawl into a cargo hold and watch media rather than deal with the real world. Like the real humans, Murderbot often finds himself suffering from anxiety, particularly social anxiety and like anyone in non-standard configuration for an autonomous being in any society, they have their autonomy questioned. Therefore, it’s not surprising that Murderbot is popular.
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