Graphical thrift.

This is also a great example of one of those books where all the characters have gotten exactly what they wanted and everything's tied off neatly with a bow and- why is there 20% of the book left?

Divisive bigotry's not *gone*, but it's outnumbered by a mix of people with old Empire attitudes, and diverse people who still remember being allies against a common enemy.

Maybe - The Empire used its iron grip to insist we were all the same. But it was only unifying against their oppression that made it true.

A comic. Emma is wearing a hospital gown in a nondescript white space. A voice says, “you’re so pretty.” She responds with irritation, “me? you must not have noticed my many flaws i'm actually large and awkward and lumpy and sweaty and i-” She is cut off mid-sentence by a corrective electric shock. “no,” says the voice. “i like your comics,” the voice says. Emma, who is still recovering from the shock, says without thinking, “you are so full of—“ before catching herself and amending to, “nnnice words,” but she can’t stop herself from adding, “but i genuinely can’t see my work as anything but trash and it makes me thínk less of you for liking—” She is cut off again by a shock. “no,” says the voice. The voice says, “you’re a good mom.” “Tha—“ says Emma, starting to contradict, before gritting her teeth and saying, “—ank you. That’s kind of you to say.” She holds her forced smile but flinches, anticipating another shock. Instead, the voice says, “you’re good at your job.” Emma, frustrated, yells, “what???” She quickly tries to add “a sweet thing to say,” but is cut off again by another shock.

a quick comic about deflection

I know expecting sense from these people is a fool's errand, but how do they square their objections with the fact that custodes as an army at all is a giant retcon?

Sarah Rees Brennan - Long Live Evil

Sarah Rees Brennan - Long Live Evil
Woman dying of cancer transported into her favourite epic fantasy story – as the villain - for a chance to save her life.

This book was a lot. Sometimes a bit much. But I can’t accuse it of lacking energy and the run up to the ending was an absolute landslide.

Me: If I could only go back and give my younger self some advice.
Also me: If that advice is so good, why isn't current you following it?

Turnip28 brutes with rifles

Turnip28 brutes with melee weapons

Realised I'd never photographed my #Turnip28 brutes so thought I'd take advantage of the sun.
I never did nail painting things to look deliberately messy as opposed to looking like I just painted them messily. But still pleased with the conversions.

Austin Grossman - Fight Me

Austin Grossman - Fight Me
Washed up middle-aged superheroes with extensive flashbacks.
I enjoyed the characters and poignancy so much that I think I might have liked it with less Real Plot. But this was still a lovely gentle read.
With a very fun fight metaphor about three quarters through.

I don't necessarily think it's bad to be close to your inspiration.
So long as it looks like it's done on purpose.

I'm totally in favour of indie games that are thinly veiled adaptations or homages to other media.
But I feel like the line between inspiration and ripoff, is when the author didn't seem to recognise which elements of the source material were common language, and which were bespoke.

Robert Jackson Bennett - City of Blades

Robert Jackson Bennett - City of Blades
We're heading to a military outpost where, once again, a colonial agent has gone missing.
Fun cast of characters, old and new. And I'll say this for it: the solution to the Big Crisis was Pratchett-worthy.

It's a real blessing that people have largely decided that April Fools just sucks in the internet era and don't bother.
There's enough lies already. And they're not the funny sort.

A Braincrusha! But with the little watchtower replaced by a tank turret.

Pretty sure this is the spleenrippa. Noted for its speed as much as its firepower IIRC

So back in the 2010s Google de-indexed almost all pirate media sites. Fortunately Microsoft didn't get the memo and so we just searched for our shows with them instead.
Anyway that's why when you watch a bunch of episodes all at once it's called Binging.

Legato's big damn moment was telegraphed and came to nothing anyway. Elendira didn't even get that.
They were there because they were items on the checklist, not because the story needed them.

It's a real disappointment. Because it tried some stuff I rather liked and would have been excited to see explored.
And I can't get over how Legato and Elendira, despite being present from so early on, had no narrative impact.

The whole series was so full of unearned payoffs. Skipping to "the cool bit" without putting in the groundwork that makes them impactful.
It treated the source material like a checklist instead of a springboard.

Trigun Stampede/Stargaze:
I don't have a problem with new takes on the characters and exploring ideas.
But you can't do that AND be a whistlestop tour of manga highlights divorced from their original contexts.

Greebling covers all sins.

Lovely.
Especially like how you reposed the feet (and sculpted the underside?).
It always looks off when people cop out of doing that. But you're really selling the suspended pose.

Robert Jackson Bennett - City of Stairs

Robert Jackson Bennett - City of Stairs
Colonial authority investigates a disappearance in a city that ain't been doin' so well since all its gods were killed.
Very definitely a product of the same mind that wrote Drop of Corruption.
I think I'll enjoy the rest of this author's bibliography.

Scott Sigler - The Starter

Scott Sigler - The Starter
I know nothing about American football, but this series about multi-species space gridiron is fun. Moves at pace, has enough drama going on off the pitch and doesn't let the on-field action drag or get repetitive.
That said, I reckon two books of it is enough for me.

Big win for me today.
Couldn't figure out how to ask kind of a loaded question without coming off as a critical asshole - so I didn't.

Smile

Here is an unmarked box with a button. If you press it then it will save the life of a total stranger. But it will drop a company's quarterly earnings by £200,000.

I honestly - no sarcasm - find really bad book covers fascinating. Can stare at them for ages.
I can immediately see it's bad, but it's such a fun exercise working out why. Why doesn't that font look right? Why does the layout feel off? Why doesn't that art feel like it belongs?

I've seen people do gundam customs using lego ball and socket joints - especially the 'miniball joint' pieces. They're certainly robust enough, and widely available on the secondary market.