Rachel Manija Brown's Blog, page 140
March 10, 2018
The Reconstruction of Warriors: Archibald McIndoe and the Guinea Pig Club, by E. R. Mayhew
The Curse of Nonfiction strikes again: fascinating topic, dry book.
An account of pioneering burn surgeon Archibald McIndoe and The Guinea Pig Club, a group of badly burned WWII airmen who he treated in a small hospital in England. McIndoe not only revolutionized techniques for treating and reconstructing burn injuries, he also helped the men integrate into the community. (Link goes to Wikipedia; good article, no gruesome photos.) I got interested in this after reading Richard Hilary's memoir, The Last Enemy.
It’s a really interesting story, but the book was a bit of a slog that periodically came to life in the handful of first-person accounts by the airmen themselves. It also benefited from both photos (not gruesome IMO – they’re of the men, not of the burns themselves - though some are startling/unsettling as they show some stages of reconstruction. ( Read more... )). Also cartoons by a member of the Guinea Pig Club.
I did appreciate the historical background. For instance, it explains that one reason McIndoe's techniques were revolutionary was that previous to WWII, anyone burned as badly as many of these men would have died within hours or days, and so reconstructive surgery for those sorts of injuries was a moot point. This was the period when doctors were figuring out how to treat shock, which meant that all of a sudden, people were surviving with wounds that previously would have killed them. And then doctors had to figure out what to do to help them then. (Incidentally, the issue of what to do with people with previously non-survivable injuries is still ongoing, and there have been conceptual breakthroughs in how to treat shock/blood loss just in the last ten years - also due to war. It's the quintessential mixed blessing.)
There’s also a very informative explanation of why so many men got burned the way they did (placement of the fuel tank) and why that was such a difficult issue to solve, as among other problems a lot of the possible solutions would have made the planes heavier and so slower and less agile, which then would make them more likely to be hit in the first place.
However, I was primarily interested in the experience of the airmen and those parts were good, but the rest of the book was pretty textbook-y. I also would have liked to know more about what their lives were like after they left the hospital.
[image error] [image error]
I see now that another member of the Guinea Pig Club wrote a memoir. I’m thinking that’s what I actually want to read.
[image error] [image error]
comments
An account of pioneering burn surgeon Archibald McIndoe and The Guinea Pig Club, a group of badly burned WWII airmen who he treated in a small hospital in England. McIndoe not only revolutionized techniques for treating and reconstructing burn injuries, he also helped the men integrate into the community. (Link goes to Wikipedia; good article, no gruesome photos.) I got interested in this after reading Richard Hilary's memoir, The Last Enemy.
It’s a really interesting story, but the book was a bit of a slog that periodically came to life in the handful of first-person accounts by the airmen themselves. It also benefited from both photos (not gruesome IMO – they’re of the men, not of the burns themselves - though some are startling/unsettling as they show some stages of reconstruction. ( Read more... )). Also cartoons by a member of the Guinea Pig Club.
I did appreciate the historical background. For instance, it explains that one reason McIndoe's techniques were revolutionary was that previous to WWII, anyone burned as badly as many of these men would have died within hours or days, and so reconstructive surgery for those sorts of injuries was a moot point. This was the period when doctors were figuring out how to treat shock, which meant that all of a sudden, people were surviving with wounds that previously would have killed them. And then doctors had to figure out what to do to help them then. (Incidentally, the issue of what to do with people with previously non-survivable injuries is still ongoing, and there have been conceptual breakthroughs in how to treat shock/blood loss just in the last ten years - also due to war. It's the quintessential mixed blessing.)
There’s also a very informative explanation of why so many men got burned the way they did (placement of the fuel tank) and why that was such a difficult issue to solve, as among other problems a lot of the possible solutions would have made the planes heavier and so slower and less agile, which then would make them more likely to be hit in the first place.
However, I was primarily interested in the experience of the airmen and those parts were good, but the rest of the book was pretty textbook-y. I also would have liked to know more about what their lives were like after they left the hospital.
[image error] [image error]
I see now that another member of the Guinea Pig Club wrote a memoir. I’m thinking that’s what I actually want to read.
[image error] [image error]
comments
March 9, 2018
Blood of the Mantis (Shadows of the Apt 3), by Adrian Tchaikovsky
You have not read air battles until you've read them when there are some characters who can fly with their own wings and shoot force blasts from their hands, fight with swords, fire guns and/or throw knives and are doing this in mid-air along with allies and enemies who may or may not be able to fly on their own but are in clockwork airplanes, clockwork helicopters, and dirigibles, AND this epic battle is going on atop a lake filled with giant aquatic insects who periodically lunge out of the water to try to snatch the aerial combatants from the air.
I feel like anyone who either liked Pacific Rim or thinks dogfighting would be just that much cooler if you also had to deal with flying people attacking you with swords from above while you dodge sea monsters from below would enjoy this series.
( Read more... )
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comments
I feel like anyone who either liked Pacific Rim or thinks dogfighting would be just that much cooler if you also had to deal with flying people attacking you with swords from above while you dodge sea monsters from below would enjoy this series.
( Read more... )
[image error] [image error]
comments
March 8, 2018
Greatest Correction of All Time?
From the New York Times:
Because of an editing error involving a satirical text-swapping web browser extension, an earlier version of this article misquoted a passage from an article by the Times reporter Jim Tankersley. The sentence referred to America’s narrowing trade deficit during “the Great Recession,” not during “the Time of Shedding and Cold Rocks.” (Pro tip: Disable your “Millennials to Snake People” extension when copying and pasting.)
Have you ever seen a better one?
Inspired by that, I installed Regex Replace and made the following substitutions:
Trump is now Cheetolini.
Putin is now Voldemort.
The NRA is now Death Eaters.
Republicans are now Lizard People.
The GOP is now the Lizard Council.
Millennials are pesky whipper-snappers.
Mindfulness is now nap time.
My news reading is now producing results like this, which is improving the experience no end:
New Quinnipiac poll:
>Do you approve or disapprove of the Republican tax plan?
--Net positive only among Lizard People, white w/out college, and white men; break-even with all men.
Are any of you using text substitutions? What have you got?
comments
Because of an editing error involving a satirical text-swapping web browser extension, an earlier version of this article misquoted a passage from an article by the Times reporter Jim Tankersley. The sentence referred to America’s narrowing trade deficit during “the Great Recession,” not during “the Time of Shedding and Cold Rocks.” (Pro tip: Disable your “Millennials to Snake People” extension when copying and pasting.)
Have you ever seen a better one?
Inspired by that, I installed Regex Replace and made the following substitutions:
Trump is now Cheetolini.
Putin is now Voldemort.
The NRA is now Death Eaters.
Republicans are now Lizard People.
The GOP is now the Lizard Council.
Millennials are pesky whipper-snappers.
Mindfulness is now nap time.
My news reading is now producing results like this, which is improving the experience no end:
New Quinnipiac poll:
>Do you approve or disapprove of the Republican tax plan?
--Net positive only among Lizard People, white w/out college, and white men; break-even with all men.
Are any of you using text substitutions? What have you got?
comments
March 6, 2018
As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride, by Cary Elwes & Joe Layden
A mystery benefactor (which emailing has now revealed to be my friend Halle) just sent me a Princess Bride T-shirt. Perfect timing. I just finished listening to this book.
If you're a fan of the movie, it's absolutely delightful. If you're not, I imagine it will drive you bonkers. This is a 100% positive account of a movie that everyone involved obviously had a great time making, which is both its charm and its drawback; all the "I love you guys!" could have probably been trimmed by about 10-20%. That said, it is more than mostly charming.
I highly recommend the audio. It's read by Cary Elwes (Westley) and includes interviews with most of the cast, done by them. Elwes has a lovely voice which I could listen to forever, and also does hilarious impersonations of everyone. Normally my favorite would be Andre the Giant, but it's not because his impression of Rob Reiner is, amazingly, even better. I would listen, just waiting for the moment when he would once again say, "Heyyyyyy Caaaaaaary..."
Elwes comes across as sweet and humble. This was his big break and still his most iconic role, and he's totally fine with forever being remembered as Westley. (All else aside, he was already a fan of the book, which he'd read when he was thirteen.) He has some hilarious stories from the set, a fascinating account of the making of the swordfight, and touching/funny remembrances of Andre the Giant. William Goldman is exactly as neurotic as one might imagine; Mandy Patinkin contributes a very moving account of his own role, which he took soon after his father's death. And while Elwes' massive crush on Robin Wright apparently did not lead to an actual romance, they bonded so much that they kept requesting re-takes of the final kiss, which was the last shot of the movie, and are friends to this day. Now that's what I call a happy ending.
[image error] [image error]
comments
If you're a fan of the movie, it's absolutely delightful. If you're not, I imagine it will drive you bonkers. This is a 100% positive account of a movie that everyone involved obviously had a great time making, which is both its charm and its drawback; all the "I love you guys!" could have probably been trimmed by about 10-20%. That said, it is more than mostly charming.
I highly recommend the audio. It's read by Cary Elwes (Westley) and includes interviews with most of the cast, done by them. Elwes has a lovely voice which I could listen to forever, and also does hilarious impersonations of everyone. Normally my favorite would be Andre the Giant, but it's not because his impression of Rob Reiner is, amazingly, even better. I would listen, just waiting for the moment when he would once again say, "Heyyyyyy Caaaaaaary..."
Elwes comes across as sweet and humble. This was his big break and still his most iconic role, and he's totally fine with forever being remembered as Westley. (All else aside, he was already a fan of the book, which he'd read when he was thirteen.) He has some hilarious stories from the set, a fascinating account of the making of the swordfight, and touching/funny remembrances of Andre the Giant. William Goldman is exactly as neurotic as one might imagine; Mandy Patinkin contributes a very moving account of his own role, which he took soon after his father's death. And while Elwes' massive crush on Robin Wright apparently did not lead to an actual romance, they bonded so much that they kept requesting re-takes of the final kiss, which was the last shot of the movie, and are friends to this day. Now that's what I call a happy ending.
[image error] [image error]
comments
February 28, 2018
Dragonfly Falling (Shadows of the Apt, Book 2), by Adrian Tchaikovsky
This was just full of OMG! moments and pleasingly engineered plotting. And so most of what I have to say is spoilery. Actually about the only non-spoilery things I have to say is that I’m really enjoying this for character, plot, worldbuilding, and non-romantic relationships, and that with one exception, I am not enjoying the romantic and sexual relationships. DUDES. LET IT GO. ( Read more... )
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comments
February 25, 2018
Empire in Black and Gold (Shadows of the Apt, Book 1), by Adrian Tchaikovsky
I’ve burned out on epic fantasy in the last couple years. Pretty much everything I’ve tried has struck me as too grimdark, too bland, too dull, too imitative, or good but not appealing to me. I can’t remember the last epic fantasy where I made it to book three, and I often didn’t even make it to chapter three. But this book made me remember why I used to like epic fantasy, and I grabbed book two of this one before I’d even finished book one.
It has a fairly typical plot – an evil and expansive empire is trying to take over the world, and a motley band of people are trying to stop it – enlivened by likable characters (about half female, in many roles), strong storytelling, and super-awesome-cool worldbuilding. It’s a war story and contains non-graphic torture, rape (present but not pervasive), and killing. But the inventive exuberance of the worldbuilding made it a really fun read. It felt like the author was enjoying the hell out of telling the story, and that sense of playfulness came through overall even though a lot of the actual content was fairly dark.
The characters are actually more important as the worldbuilding as far as I’m concerned, because I can think of a lot of authors who do great worldbuilding but I don’t read their books because I don’t care what happens on that supercool world. However, I’m going to talk mostly about the worldbuilding because it’s so different and fun.
Giant bug warning! If you are deeply freaked out by bugs to the point where you don’t even want to hear about fantasy bugs, stop reading here. Also, never read this series. I personally do not like many bugs in real life and cannot even look at photos of gross bugs, but I really enjoyed these bug-based books and did not find the bug descriptions squicky or unpleasant.
In this world, the square-cube law does not apply and giant bugs walk the earth. Early humans were no match for praying mantises the size of Clydesdales and so forth, so they survived by mystically aligning themselves with the Platonic ideals of specific insects to attain insect-based powers.
Thousands of years later, the giant bugs are still around, but all humans are various types of insect kinden, which means they’re basically human but have powers, attributes (or at least common stereotypes or cultures), and sometimes physical alterations based on their insect. The powers are called Arts; with some races all of them have them, but in others only some or most members can access them, or there’s some Arts that are universal but others that are more rare, etc. For instance…
Fly kinden are three feet tall, stereotyped as being feckless thieves, and can materialize temporary wings to fly. (The temporary wings is a common trait, and a power I’ve never come across before.) Scorpion kinden are gigantic, white-skinned, and have tusks and talons. Ant kinden are telepathic within their group, are supposed to be good soldiers (as opposed to being good duellists) and have city-states that are in a constant state of war, and have different colored skin depending on where they’re from. Moth kinden have white eyes, can see in the dark, use magic, and used to rule the world before their slaves, the Beetle kinden and others, started building machines and overthrew them. These are all just broad outlines; the kinden have way more complexity than that, and it’s clear very early on that the personality trait stuff is a combination of outsider stereotypes and cultural values, not “all Fly kinden are actually, inherently dishonest.”
So, the insect kinden: how fucking cool is that? I spent the entire book in a perpetual state of “Yes, yes, tell me more about Butterfly culture! Details on the Slug people please!”
The last big bit of worldbuilding is that all people are either Apt or Inapt. This generally divides by kinden, but there’s exceptions. Apt means you can use machines and tools, but cannot use or comprehend (or even, often, believe in) magic. Inapt means you can use magic, but cannot use or comprehend machines or even many tools. This is basically a literalized metaphor for worldviews in terms of historical eras: imagine a person from a society that has just discovered the use of fire interacting on otherwise equal terms with a person from an Industrial Revolution society. If you try to logically define what constitutes a “machine” based on what it does or how it’s constructed, it doesn’t make sense; you have to just roll with what’s considered a “machine” in the world of the book.
If you can roll with the premise, it gives a very different flavor to the standard tech/magic divide. The steampunk element is really enjoyable. Guns are all called something-bows, like nail-bows, air-bows, etc. One character is making a gun that works by pumping compressed air, walking vehicles seem more common than wheeled ones, and there’s a bit where a character is discussing some improvements he came up for a machine, and when I realized what he’d invented, it was SO COOL – a very old-school “ah-ha” moment that I hadn’t had in a while. If you like the Steerswoman series, you are liable to like this.
So, the actual story! Chapter one is more of a prologue, in which a small band of friends fights a losing battle to save a city from the invading Wasp army. Nearly twenty years later, one of the few survivors, now a fat, middle-aged Beetle kinden scholar named Stenwold Maker, has been trying in vain the entire time to get other city-states to believe that the ever-encroaching Wasps are going to take over the world. To this end, he’s been training young people as spies.
Most of the story involves a few of those young people when they go on their first mission, which comes about prematurely and for which they are seriously unprepared.
My favorite is Cheerwell “Che” Maker, Stenwold’s niece who is an absolute sweetheart with an inferiority complex due to being a lousy fighter, unable to use her Art to fly (which is not common for Beetles, but she really want to), overweight and clumsy, not the best at complex plotting or smooth social interaction, and generally an ugly duckling. This is exacerbated by having been brought up with my other favorite, her foster sister Tynisa, a Spider kinden who is gorgeous, a brilliant swordfighter with an alarming taste for blood, and very comfortable twisting men around her finger to extract info (and murdering them, if called for.)
Spoilers below. Feel free to discuss the events of this book in comments. ( Read more... )
I have been warned that the series gets more dark and tragic as it goes along, but does not do the thing where people trying to do the right thing are shown by the author to be naïve morons. If you’ve read the series, please don’t spoil me beyond that, or for any specific events beyond this book. I have not been spoiled for it and want to stay that way.
[image error] [image error]
comments
It has a fairly typical plot – an evil and expansive empire is trying to take over the world, and a motley band of people are trying to stop it – enlivened by likable characters (about half female, in many roles), strong storytelling, and super-awesome-cool worldbuilding. It’s a war story and contains non-graphic torture, rape (present but not pervasive), and killing. But the inventive exuberance of the worldbuilding made it a really fun read. It felt like the author was enjoying the hell out of telling the story, and that sense of playfulness came through overall even though a lot of the actual content was fairly dark.
The characters are actually more important as the worldbuilding as far as I’m concerned, because I can think of a lot of authors who do great worldbuilding but I don’t read their books because I don’t care what happens on that supercool world. However, I’m going to talk mostly about the worldbuilding because it’s so different and fun.
Giant bug warning! If you are deeply freaked out by bugs to the point where you don’t even want to hear about fantasy bugs, stop reading here. Also, never read this series. I personally do not like many bugs in real life and cannot even look at photos of gross bugs, but I really enjoyed these bug-based books and did not find the bug descriptions squicky or unpleasant.
In this world, the square-cube law does not apply and giant bugs walk the earth. Early humans were no match for praying mantises the size of Clydesdales and so forth, so they survived by mystically aligning themselves with the Platonic ideals of specific insects to attain insect-based powers.
Thousands of years later, the giant bugs are still around, but all humans are various types of insect kinden, which means they’re basically human but have powers, attributes (or at least common stereotypes or cultures), and sometimes physical alterations based on their insect. The powers are called Arts; with some races all of them have them, but in others only some or most members can access them, or there’s some Arts that are universal but others that are more rare, etc. For instance…
Fly kinden are three feet tall, stereotyped as being feckless thieves, and can materialize temporary wings to fly. (The temporary wings is a common trait, and a power I’ve never come across before.) Scorpion kinden are gigantic, white-skinned, and have tusks and talons. Ant kinden are telepathic within their group, are supposed to be good soldiers (as opposed to being good duellists) and have city-states that are in a constant state of war, and have different colored skin depending on where they’re from. Moth kinden have white eyes, can see in the dark, use magic, and used to rule the world before their slaves, the Beetle kinden and others, started building machines and overthrew them. These are all just broad outlines; the kinden have way more complexity than that, and it’s clear very early on that the personality trait stuff is a combination of outsider stereotypes and cultural values, not “all Fly kinden are actually, inherently dishonest.”
So, the insect kinden: how fucking cool is that? I spent the entire book in a perpetual state of “Yes, yes, tell me more about Butterfly culture! Details on the Slug people please!”
The last big bit of worldbuilding is that all people are either Apt or Inapt. This generally divides by kinden, but there’s exceptions. Apt means you can use machines and tools, but cannot use or comprehend (or even, often, believe in) magic. Inapt means you can use magic, but cannot use or comprehend machines or even many tools. This is basically a literalized metaphor for worldviews in terms of historical eras: imagine a person from a society that has just discovered the use of fire interacting on otherwise equal terms with a person from an Industrial Revolution society. If you try to logically define what constitutes a “machine” based on what it does or how it’s constructed, it doesn’t make sense; you have to just roll with what’s considered a “machine” in the world of the book.
If you can roll with the premise, it gives a very different flavor to the standard tech/magic divide. The steampunk element is really enjoyable. Guns are all called something-bows, like nail-bows, air-bows, etc. One character is making a gun that works by pumping compressed air, walking vehicles seem more common than wheeled ones, and there’s a bit where a character is discussing some improvements he came up for a machine, and when I realized what he’d invented, it was SO COOL – a very old-school “ah-ha” moment that I hadn’t had in a while. If you like the Steerswoman series, you are liable to like this.
So, the actual story! Chapter one is more of a prologue, in which a small band of friends fights a losing battle to save a city from the invading Wasp army. Nearly twenty years later, one of the few survivors, now a fat, middle-aged Beetle kinden scholar named Stenwold Maker, has been trying in vain the entire time to get other city-states to believe that the ever-encroaching Wasps are going to take over the world. To this end, he’s been training young people as spies.
Most of the story involves a few of those young people when they go on their first mission, which comes about prematurely and for which they are seriously unprepared.
My favorite is Cheerwell “Che” Maker, Stenwold’s niece who is an absolute sweetheart with an inferiority complex due to being a lousy fighter, unable to use her Art to fly (which is not common for Beetles, but she really want to), overweight and clumsy, not the best at complex plotting or smooth social interaction, and generally an ugly duckling. This is exacerbated by having been brought up with my other favorite, her foster sister Tynisa, a Spider kinden who is gorgeous, a brilliant swordfighter with an alarming taste for blood, and very comfortable twisting men around her finger to extract info (and murdering them, if called for.)
Spoilers below. Feel free to discuss the events of this book in comments. ( Read more... )
I have been warned that the series gets more dark and tragic as it goes along, but does not do the thing where people trying to do the right thing are shown by the author to be naïve morons. If you’ve read the series, please don’t spoil me beyond that, or for any specific events beyond this book. I have not been spoiled for it and want to stay that way.
[image error] [image error]
comments
February 22, 2018
Black Panther
I don't have much to say about this other than that it was every bit as great as everyone's saying. Not without flaws. But great. Fantastic performances, really solid story, great roles for women (lots of women, doing all sorts of stuff), and excellent Afrofuturist worldbuilding and design.
I read a review that complained that while the first two-thirds of the film seriously grapple with questions of a nation's role in the world and a king's role in the nation, the final third doesn't go as in-depth on those in order to leave room for battle sequences with armored war rhinoceroses. This is true. And is also the sort of criticism that makes you run to see the movie.
Go. Enjoy.
( Read more... )
comments
I read a review that complained that while the first two-thirds of the film seriously grapple with questions of a nation's role in the world and a king's role in the nation, the final third doesn't go as in-depth on those in order to leave room for battle sequences with armored war rhinoceroses. This is true. And is also the sort of criticism that makes you run to see the movie.
Go. Enjoy.
( Read more... )
comments
February 19, 2018
My Chocolate Box stories
I wrote two stories and a drabble for Chocolate Box.
Susannah Descending, for Scioscribe. Dark Tower - Stephen King. Gen. Susannah Dean descends to the Underworld to get her ka-tet back.
Hammer and Anvil, for Maharetr. Original fiction drabble. Blacksmith/Her Wife. Mira had always been a big, strong woman.
Rules of Fight Club, for Major. The Punisher. Frank Castle/David "Micro" Lieberman/Sarah Lieberman. Frank tries to teach David and Sarah to fight so they can defend themselves when he's not around. One of them has a knack for it.
comments
Susannah Descending, for Scioscribe. Dark Tower - Stephen King. Gen. Susannah Dean descends to the Underworld to get her ka-tet back.
Hammer and Anvil, for Maharetr. Original fiction drabble. Blacksmith/Her Wife. Mira had always been a big, strong woman.
Rules of Fight Club, for Major. The Punisher. Frank Castle/David "Micro" Lieberman/Sarah Lieberman. Frank tries to teach David and Sarah to fight so they can defend themselves when he's not around. One of them has a knack for it.
comments
February 16, 2018
Chocolate Box Recs, Part 2
Original Fiction
Road, Wind, Cactus. There is a long highway that stretches through a desert with many names, and somewhere on it sits a coffee shop.
A story about a coffee shop that sometimes has milk and often has sand, where the baking is fresh, the soup's meat is real, the waitress is part metal and radiation storms haven't been seen for decades.
Star makes drinks. Ruger makes promises. And between them, they have a dream.
A post-apocalyptic slice of life, with real-feeling characters, excellent worldbuilding, and a humane, "life goes on" sensibility.
Interesting Strangers. Butch Space Mercenary/Butch Space Mercenary. A stranger, a bar fight, and a good time. Just another night on Phoenix Station.
Funny and sweet, set in a scruffy, livable-feeling future where the bars have servo-mechs but the space stations are still vainly trying to ban durians. Also, spanking.
Black Sails
Relentless Pursuit. John Silver/Miranda Barlow. Silver tries to get some info from Miranda, and Miranda gets some fun out of him. No on-page sex; this is all about the games and maneuvering leading up to it.
Hamilton
It Must Be Nice. Aaron Burr/Alexander Hamilton. Fully three-quarters of what he knows about Aaron Burr he knows because of Alexander Hamilton. The most personal things Burr himself has unstopped his mouth long enough to say to him directly have been, effectively, I have a lot of money and pull, so don't fuck with me and I have a coat that same color. Inspiring stuff.
Intense, sharply written story from Washington's perspective, with vivid imagery, a ton of great lines, and a cameo by the feral tomcat Martha Washington named after him.
Benjamin January
The Devil's in the Moon. Ben/Rose/Shaw. Shaw doesn't mean to get himself shot, or to drag himself and his hairy, fanged problem to the Januarys' doorstep. But fate has a way of taking matters into its own hands.
Really sweet h/c, with Shaw as a very plausible werewolf. Dogs don't like to be bathed.
Madoka Magica
And the Stars are Watching Me. Madoka/Homura. “What if I wished for the stars?” Madoka asked. [...] “What if I wished we could just leave here, and—and see all the rest of the planets out there, explore forever without ever seeing any witches ever again?”
Short and heartbreaking.
comments
Road, Wind, Cactus. There is a long highway that stretches through a desert with many names, and somewhere on it sits a coffee shop.
A story about a coffee shop that sometimes has milk and often has sand, where the baking is fresh, the soup's meat is real, the waitress is part metal and radiation storms haven't been seen for decades.
Star makes drinks. Ruger makes promises. And between them, they have a dream.
A post-apocalyptic slice of life, with real-feeling characters, excellent worldbuilding, and a humane, "life goes on" sensibility.
Interesting Strangers. Butch Space Mercenary/Butch Space Mercenary. A stranger, a bar fight, and a good time. Just another night on Phoenix Station.
Funny and sweet, set in a scruffy, livable-feeling future where the bars have servo-mechs but the space stations are still vainly trying to ban durians. Also, spanking.
Black Sails
Relentless Pursuit. John Silver/Miranda Barlow. Silver tries to get some info from Miranda, and Miranda gets some fun out of him. No on-page sex; this is all about the games and maneuvering leading up to it.
Hamilton
It Must Be Nice. Aaron Burr/Alexander Hamilton. Fully three-quarters of what he knows about Aaron Burr he knows because of Alexander Hamilton. The most personal things Burr himself has unstopped his mouth long enough to say to him directly have been, effectively, I have a lot of money and pull, so don't fuck with me and I have a coat that same color. Inspiring stuff.
Intense, sharply written story from Washington's perspective, with vivid imagery, a ton of great lines, and a cameo by the feral tomcat Martha Washington named after him.
Benjamin January
The Devil's in the Moon. Ben/Rose/Shaw. Shaw doesn't mean to get himself shot, or to drag himself and his hairy, fanged problem to the Januarys' doorstep. But fate has a way of taking matters into its own hands.
Really sweet h/c, with Shaw as a very plausible werewolf. Dogs don't like to be bathed.
Madoka Magica
And the Stars are Watching Me. Madoka/Homura. “What if I wished for the stars?” Madoka asked. [...] “What if I wished we could just leave here, and—and see all the rest of the planets out there, explore forever without ever seeing any witches ever again?”
Short and heartbreaking.
comments
February 15, 2018
My Chocolate Box gifts
Chocolate Box stories and art are here!
I would especially suggest taking a look at Original Works in addition to your favorite fandoms. There's a ton of stories that look great, featuring pairings like Female Nameless Drifter/Female Lonesome Barkeep, Superhero's Ghost/Same-Sex Villain Who Killed Them, Female Regency Crossdressing Rake/Regency Bluestocking, Charismatic Duke with a Flair for Logistics and City Planning/Pretty Male Assassin in His Employ, etc.
I got FOUR fantastic Chocolate Box gifts!
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. Hamilton, Aaron Burr/Alexander Hamilton. In which the historical incident in which Burr lasted exactly 10 days on Washington's staff is transposed to the musicalverse. A sweet and heartbreaking day-by-day countdown of their mayfly affair. I especially liked how Burr learns a lot about himself and what he wants, but not in a way that benefits him. Which is very Aaron Burr.
Make Me Lose Control. Original Work,
Female Experimental Subject with Powers/Female Scientist. The tags do a good job of summarizing this: Telepathic Sex, Simulated Sex, Consensual Mind Control, Human Experimentation, Government Experimentation, Non-sexual torture, Guilt, Escape, Role Reversal. This has all my favorite id-tastic tropes related to the premise, some very original riffs on those tropes, and a central relationship that's both seriously kinky and surprisingly sweet.
Cyanide. The Punisher, Frank Castle/Billy Russo. Pitch-black and pitch-perfect. I can't say more without spoilers for either the show or the story, but if you like the pairing, this is an absolute must-read and a story that will stick with you.
Day at the Beach. The Punisher, Frank Castle/Karen Page. In which Frank and Karen get some much-needed and well-earned relaxation at the beach. Sweet as a box of Valentine's chocolates.
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I would especially suggest taking a look at Original Works in addition to your favorite fandoms. There's a ton of stories that look great, featuring pairings like Female Nameless Drifter/Female Lonesome Barkeep, Superhero's Ghost/Same-Sex Villain Who Killed Them, Female Regency Crossdressing Rake/Regency Bluestocking, Charismatic Duke with a Flair for Logistics and City Planning/Pretty Male Assassin in His Employ, etc.
I got FOUR fantastic Chocolate Box gifts!
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. Hamilton, Aaron Burr/Alexander Hamilton. In which the historical incident in which Burr lasted exactly 10 days on Washington's staff is transposed to the musicalverse. A sweet and heartbreaking day-by-day countdown of their mayfly affair. I especially liked how Burr learns a lot about himself and what he wants, but not in a way that benefits him. Which is very Aaron Burr.
Make Me Lose Control. Original Work,
Female Experimental Subject with Powers/Female Scientist. The tags do a good job of summarizing this: Telepathic Sex, Simulated Sex, Consensual Mind Control, Human Experimentation, Government Experimentation, Non-sexual torture, Guilt, Escape, Role Reversal. This has all my favorite id-tastic tropes related to the premise, some very original riffs on those tropes, and a central relationship that's both seriously kinky and surprisingly sweet.
Cyanide. The Punisher, Frank Castle/Billy Russo. Pitch-black and pitch-perfect. I can't say more without spoilers for either the show or the story, but if you like the pairing, this is an absolute must-read and a story that will stick with you.
Day at the Beach. The Punisher, Frank Castle/Karen Page. In which Frank and Karen get some much-needed and well-earned relaxation at the beach. Sweet as a box of Valentine's chocolates.
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