all 51 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] 77 points 10 months ago (22 children)

There was a Thor comic where the young Thor meets a shield maiden who is as crazy as he is. She fights, drinks, and parties as hard as he does. They are happy together for many years, and then Loki comes along and asks Thor to go on a brief adventure. Thor and Loki go off for a few weeks and then return. But sly Loki knew that the realm they had gone to ran on a different time, and years had passed. Thor's love had died alone, waiting for him to return.

  • source
  • hideshow 22 child comments
  • [–] 41 points 10 months ago (2 children)

    Reminds me of William Adams the first english Samurai. He had a wife and two kids at home in England, but got stranded in Japan in the 1600s after a shipwreck. He was not allowed to leave the country for a whole decade, but gained employment and trust from the emporer as an advisor. He did send money and letters home to his family using East India merchants, but they never saw him again and his wife died in the same year as he did, thousands of miles apart

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 15 points 10 months ago (1 child)

    Neat! That sounded very similar to the character John Blackthorne from James Clavell's novel Shogun, and turns out that's who the character is based on.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] 26 points 10 months ago (18 children)

    Ursula le'guinn wrote a novel with this premise!

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 18 child comments
  • [–] 3 points 10 months ago

    Semley's Necklace. A lovely entry in a lovely collection.

    One of my favorite things about the Wind's Twelve Quarters are her notes on gender and pronouns regarding the Left Hand of Darkness and Winter's King. The way she has to invent words to describe what's commonplace to us now is fascinating.

    It's similar to this old Macintosh demo I fall asleep to sometimes. Words that are so normal now are foreign and need explaining. I love a good time capsule.

    https://youtu.be/ZmWOtf4Ziso

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 3 points 10 months ago (16 children)

    Ursula is okay, but here are a couple of broads who knock her for a loop.

    Joanna Russ was one of the first 'out' science fiction writers. If you want an adventure, try 'Picnic On Paradise.' Or get deeper with 'The Female Man'

    https://bookshop.org/beta-search?keywords=joanna+russ

    Suzy Mckee Charnas. 'Walk To the End of the World' is 'The Handmaid's Tale' raised to an infinite power. After the War, the elites were locked in fallout shelters. Eventually the males decided that it was all the women's fault. Now centuries later, all the women are slaves.

    https://bookshop.org/beta-search?keywords=suzy+mckee+charnas

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 16 child comments
  • [–] 2 points 10 months ago (9 children)
  • [–] 3 points 10 months ago (8 children)

    Had to look her up. I think I might have started one of her books and noped out. I'll check my library.

    But now I'll throw you two more.

    Robyn Bennis.

    https://bookshop.org/p/books/by-fire-above-robyn-bennis/82ed3b400af9da8e

    Airships fighting in the Napoleonic Era. The only fantasy element is that they have access to helium. She does a magnificent job engineering her armada.

    Tanith Lee.

    https://bookshop.org/beta-search?keywords=tanith+lee

    She basically invented weird fantasy. Neil Gaiman stole all his best stuff from her.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 8 child comments
  • [–] 1 point 10 months ago* (7 children)

    I think I might have started one of her books and noped out. I’ll check my library.

    Beggars in Spain was my first intro to her, and Ej-Es (free to read link) sticks out in my mind.

    She explores ethics/politics in sci-fi along with female sexuality, though more old school. People have said she's got Ayn Rand vibes, but she's not, some of her characters take on those characteristics so that she can tear them down later.

    Also: Ann Leckie's Ancillary Justice series is amazing. Gender/politics/individualism/collectivism all mixed together into a plot at breakneck speed where the characters are described more by what they say and do, than how many limbs and genitals they have

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 7 child comments
  • [–] 2 points 10 months ago (6 children)

    I got Nancy Kress confused with Ann Leckie. I started Ancillary Justice and wasn't impressed.

    Looks like we don't overlap much, but that's cool.

    Enjoy your holidays

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 6 child comments
  • [–] 2 points 10 months ago* (5 children)

    Oh shame. I knew it took me ~10 pages to get into the flow of her writing, and I struggled up til then at which her style suddenly 'clicked' for me and I was hooked

    In terms of interest overlap: tentatively ask, thoughts on Andy Weir?

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 5 child comments
  • [–] 2 points 10 months ago (4 children)

    I liked 'The Martian' and 'Project Hail Mary.'

    I think he's a grade A++ plotter and a grade B- writer. On the other hand, 'Project...' was being narrated by the character, so maybe that's the way the character writes?

    Of all the writers I mentioned, I'd put Tanith Lee at the top for her prose. She can create an entire world in a few paragraphs.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 4 child comments
  • [–] 2 points 10 months ago (3 children)

    Ah we are different then. I genuinely do not enjoy his writing, and find his characters all interchangeable and quirky because he says so. The science is tacked on like a chemistry teacher putting their kids to bed.

    I'll check out Tanith Lee, thanks for the recommendation. Please check out the Ej-Es story I linked too

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 3 child comments
  • [–] 1 point 10 months ago (3 children)

    The Female Man is hella transphobic.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 3 child comments
  • [–] 1 point 10 months ago (2 children)

    The Female Man was written in 1975.

    Sorry that a book written fifty years ago isn't up to date in its approach.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 34 points 10 months ago (2 children)
  • [–] 19 points 10 months ago (2 children)

    Being a dwarf sounds alot like my ADHD

  • source
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 17 points 10 months ago (3 children)

    Dwarf gonna carve the sides, not the strikeface which will get damaged and does it's job better when flat.

  • source
  • hideshow 3 child comments
  • [–] 16 points 10 months ago (5 children)

    Except dwarves and elves hate each other in almost every lore

  • source
  • hideshow 5 child comments
  • [–] 30 points 10 months ago (6 children)

    Nobody ever accused Legolas and Gimli of being straight.

  • source
  • hideshow 6 child comments
  • [–] 22 points 10 months ago (4 children)

    I mean, I might.

    In the books, they talk a great deal about their favorite elf women.

    None of it would be out of place for a gay couple with some bi tendencies - but it is enough that I wouldn't assume either is exclusively gay.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 4 child comments
  • [–] 10 points 10 months ago (3 children)

    I remember Gimli talking about Galadriel, but who did Legolas talk about?

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 3 child comments
  • [–] 11 points 10 months ago

    I'd be fine with the dwarf disappearing for 36 hours and forgetting I exist.

  • source
  • [–] 12 points 10 months ago

    Today I realized that elves and dwarves represent different locations of the neurodivergent spectrum.

  • source
  • [–] 3 points 10 months ago

    Anyone who has not seen the Fantasy High episode where they just dunk on elves the whole session owes it to themselves to watch it

  • source
  • [–] 2 points 10 months ago

    Ahh… this brings us to the nature of the hair she shared…

  • source
  • [–] 1 point 10 months ago

    checks out.

  • source