June was another blur of a month. I think I did some stuff? I can barely remember what day it is.
MOVIES & TV
DISCLOSURE
This Neflix documentary focuses on the history of trans representation in media and is definitely worth checking out. It shines a spotlight on the ways trans characters have been portrayed (or NOT portrayed) in film and television and also discusses the pressures and prejudices faced by trans actors and activists.
GAMES
WATCH DOGS 2
I finally got around to playing Watch Dogs 2 in June and mostly enjoyed it. The game focuses on a group of hackers, called Dedsec, who are out to stop the shady tech giants and politicians who are corrupting the world. I loved the various members of this rag-tag group and my favorites parts of the game were their conversations, interactions, and character-specific missions.
My biggest issue with WD2 is that the game can be played stealthy/non-lethal or explodey/guns blazing, and one of these options feels waaaaay less appropriate for the story. If you have your hackers going on about needing to protect The People and then rushing in and murdering a bunch of security guards at a server farm, things don’t sit quite right. I played extremely stealthy/non-lethally and constantly felt like the game was expecting me to play it differently. On multiple occasions I missed out on big action set-pieces because I sent my little remote-controlled robot into the enemy base instead of going in myself. The driving in WD2 is also a bit uneven; when I had a motorcycle it was great fun zipping through traffic, but any other vehicle was cumbersome and annoying to control.
Despite those issues though, I had a blast traversing the game’s beautifully rendered, very immersive recreation of San Francisco and sneakily hacking and roboting my way to victory. So a bit hit-and-miss, but overall a good game.
MONSTER PROM
I randomly came across Monster Prom while watching a gaming livestream on YouTube. It’s a silly, very meta dating sim where you try to romance various attractive monsters and convince one of them to go to prom with you. The humor in Monster Prom is definitely aimed at adults and is occasionally a bit dark, which suited me just fine. I laughed a lot. Weirdly, it kind of reminded me of hanging out with friends in college. The game is very quick to play, with 30 and 60-minute options, which is good since there are tons of different endings and storylines.
BOOKS
Binti by Nnedi Okorafor
Binti is a mathematical genius and the first of the Himba people to be accepted to Oomza University. She leaves home on a spaceship bound for the prestigious school, but the voyage goes wrong almost immediately with the arrival of the Meduse, an alien race in conflict with Oomza. In order to survive, Binti relies on her skills, the history of her people, and a magical artifact that allows her to communicate with the strange, tentacled aliens. This novella is only 96-pages long and in that short time Nnedi Okorafor manages to build a detailed, vivid world and a very memorable main character. Thumbs up.
Saga: Compendium One by Brian K Vaughan and Fiona Staples
I finally got caught up on Saga in June, thanks to Compendium One which collects all of the current issues of the comic (1-54) into one heavy collection (seriously, this book is like 5lbs). Saga is about Marko and Alana, two soldiers from different sides of an endless, stupid planetary war. They fall in love, have a baby, and are forced to go on the run to escape a whole bunch of people who want them dead. The comic follows their adventures, along with the adventures of a bunch of other strange, messed up characters in this strange, messed up universe. There is excitement, romance, extreme violence, bizarre aliens, poignant drama, and a story/art combo that kept me engrossed through 1,300 pages. The art in this series is particularly noteworthy - Fiona Staples is one of my favorite comic artists and Saga is a feast for the eyes. The last issue ends on a HUUUUGE cliffhanger and now the comic is on a hiatus. Gah! *grabby hands*
The Seventh Bride by T. Kingfisher
Rhea is the miller’s daughter, a 15 year old girl who spends her days keeping the grain hopper clear of mice and chasing away a vicious swan who keeps stealing her sandwiches. When a nobleman, Lord Crevan, shows up and proposes marriage, there isn’t much Rhea or her family can do to say no. Commoners don’t refuse lords. Crevan insists that Rhea visit his manor before the wedding, which leads the girl into a situation far worse than she expected, because Crevan is actually a sorcerer and his manor is filled with six other brides who have been the victims of his disturbing magic. The Seventh Bride is sort of a reimagining of the Bluebeard story, but the protagonist, along with the other women in the dark mansion, have far more agency and influence on the story. The book is occasionally really creepy but also includes plenty of T. Kingfisher’s brand of levity, particularly when it comes to Rhea’s unexpected hedgehog familiar.
Heartsong by T.J. Klune
There isn’t much I can say about Heartsong that will make any sense if you haven’t read the first two books in TJ Klune’s Green Creek series (this is book 3), so I’ll just point out that if you are in the mood for angsty, romantic, gay werewolf drama, these are the books for you. They are so good and SO ANGSTY.
One bit about Heartsong that I did want to mention is that the structure and the way the story is revealed is very effective. When I started to realize that what I thought was happening was NOT what was actually happening, I had a major “waaaaaait a minute” moment, which was great.
Two Rogues Make a Right by Cat Sebastian
Two Rogues Make a Right is a soft, sweet romance about two friends since childhood who finally manage to admit their feelings for each other. When Will finds out that his best friend Martin is very sick and living in an attic, he more-or-less kidnaps the man and brings him to a small country cabin to recuperate. So we’ve got close quarters, pent up feelings, and only one bed. *chef’s kiss*
Two Rogues is the third book in Cat Sebastian’s Seducing the Sedgewicks series and since so much of the story is connected to events and characters from the previous books, it doesn’t stand too well on its own. But I enjoyed all three books in this series so I would recommend starting from the beginning. They are low-stress and a nice escape for a few hours.
