Our Favourite Media of October 2018

[helloladies]

Each month, we look back over the media we loved in the previous month, from books to film to video games and more.

KJ

Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers — All the books in this series have been delightful, readable, and engaging, thematically similar while feeling fresh and different from each other. Record of a Spaceborn Few feels more like a series of loosely connected character studies than a traditional story, which is part of its charm, for me: learning about these individuals, what drives them, how they grow and change over the space of a few months. Although I wouldn't say this book has no plot, the plot isn't the point -- it's how the characters react to everything that happens, how they are affected by it. Since I am a character driven reader, that works for me, but your mileage may vary. If you are up for spending some time with good people doing their best in space, then I entirely recommend it.

The Magpies — I was recently recommended this actual play podcast that uses the Blades in the Dark RPG, a dice-light system based around storytelling, character development, and pulling heists. The players and the characters are all women with a focus on stories about queer characters. Add to that a fascinating dark-but-not-grim setting, all kinds of political intrigue and growing mysteries, and an excellent GM, and you have a bit old pile of KJ bait. I listened to the first arc over the space of a month; that arc has just wrapped up as of this writing, with a new one about to start on the day this will be posted, so it's a great time to jump in if you're curious.

Susan

Castlevania — The second series of Castlevania came out recently, and while I have Reservations about aspects of it (Ask Me About My Opinions About Who Gets To Speak And Be Active And Who Has To Do Emotional Labour In This Gory Violent Fantasy Show), I really enjoyed it. It had the found family aspects of my heart because I'm a sucker for competent people who bicker but respect for each other's skills, it had characters napping together, it almost made the villains' various plans make sense, and it has a mostly satisfying ending that still managed to break my heart. I'm ready for series three.

The Return of the Obra Dinn — So you know how I really like murder mysteries and time travel? Someone made a game where you are an insurance investigator attempting find out what happened to the passengers and crew of the good ship Obra Dinn through the use of a pocket watch that lets you see the last few seconds of someone's life, and it's exactly my thing. Especially because you don't find what happens in chronological order, and that is extremely my jam; I really enjoyed getting to see how the characters changed through time, and the way that characters that initially seem awful are revealed to be sympathetic, or the reverse! I liked the voice acting and the little scenes that you get to walk through (they're basically static images full of clues and horrible surprises), and it was really fun to play with a couple of friends as we tried to piece it all together between us! If you like logic puzzles, this might be for you.

Venom — I'll be honest, the fannish reaction is what sold me on Venom. My entire corner of the internet seemed to rise up and declare "It's trash, but it's OUR kind of trash," and the fanworks exploded into being. I can definitely see why people criticised it – the pacing is off, I'm not sure the timeline makes any sense, and there's a couple of questions that not only don't get answered, but don't really get brought up ever again – but... It's a silly movie about Eddie Brock and a goo monster vs Someone Who Is Totally Legally Distinct From Elon Musk, with a really good cast. (Seriously, Tom Hardy chews on the scenery like it's his last meal on earth and it's BRILLIANT.) I enjoyed it a lot, and I'm looking forward to all of the fic.

What have you enjoyed this month?