DD Ward is Writing

Odds and Ends

What am I Reading?

I am current reading High Times in the Low Parliament by Kelly Robson. I’ve just started it, but I like so far. We have a charming girl failure of a Lesbian in scribe extraordinaire: Lana Baker. She gets suckered in to delivering a letter by a sexy girl who gives her kisses. And she finds herself ordered to attend the Low Parliament. It’s a short book, so saying more than that would be telling. So yeah, I’m not recommending it yet, but I am enjoying it.

What am I Watching?

I am watching a bunch of things right now. I’m watching My-Hime, and Magical Girl Spec-Ops Asuka. This is because I am writing two magical girl stories, and am trying to bone up on the lore of a genre I hadn’t watched much as a child.

I am also watching Touring After the Apocalypse with Margaret. This is a beautiful little series. I have read some of the manga, and recommended it.

My To Read List

  • The Fiance Farce, by Alexandria Bellefleur
  • Kraken, by China Mieville
  • Wrath Goddess Sing, by Maya Deane
  • Winterglass, by Benjanun Sriduangkaew
  • The Audacity, by Carmen Loup
  • Mrs. Middleton, by KA Walsh
  • In Another World with My Smartphone, Vol 2, Patora Fuyuharaa
  • Rebecca, by Daphne Du Maurier
  • Reborn to Master the Blade, Vol 1, by Hayaken
  • The Delicate Things We Make, by Milena McKay
  • Ubik, by Philip K Dick

My To Watch Movie List

  • Lake Mungo
  • The Endless
  • Ichi the Killer
  • Noah
  • Train to Busan
  • RRR
  • It Follows
  • Patlabor: The Movie
  • Patlabor 2
  • Let the Right One In
  • Only Lovers Left Alive

My To Watch TV Series List

  • BNA
  • Komi Can’t Communicate
  • Gnosia
  • Sailor Moon Crystal
  • She-Hulk
  • Ms. Marvel
  • FLCL
  • Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
  • CyberPunk 2077: Edgerunners
  • Devilman Crybaby
  • The Haunting of Hill House
  • Sense8

My To Play List

  • Far Cry 6
  • Monster Hunter World
  • Persona 5
  • Nier: Automata
  • Cyberpunk: 2077
  • Sable
  • Sandland
  • The Sinking City 
  • Metro: Exodus
  • Deus Ex: Human Revolution
  • Alien: Isolation
  • The Shrouded Isle 
  • Axiom Verge 2
  • Elden Ring

What do I Recommend?

This section may get long. I’ll start small for now.

Books

  • This is How You Lose the Time War, This is a great novel. My newest top five book. I stumbled across it when it went viral online a few years ago. This is the story of a duel between two time warriors as they battle across all of history. The story is written as a series of letters that the two warriors leave for each other. And the story unfolds through these letters.
  • Hogfather, This is far from the first Discworld book. Fortunately, you do not need to read the other books first. Each book will benefit from reading the preceding ones, but none are necessary to read the later books. This is a book about belief and the power of belief. And I cannot recommend it enough. It’s also about a plan to assassinate a pig themed Santa Claus analogue.
  • Ishmael, This book reshaped how I understood history. This book is a Socratic dialogue between a teacher (Ishmael) and an unnamed student. They debate the fate of humanity, and story of civilization. You will either love or hate this book. Very few people have a neutral opinion about it. Take that however you like.
  • Brown Girl in the Ring, A post apocalyptic occult tale set in Canada? Yes please. It centers people of color and their voices. This book though, I do recommend an audio book, because the dialogue was meant to be heard- much like Shakespeare. Give this one a try.

Movies

  • The Matrix, Everyone knows the Matrix. But in case you haven’t seen it, here’s the basics. It’s a tightly written science fiction martial arts action movie. It uses special effects its own sequels couldn’t match. It has interesting things to say about self and cause and effect. And it has so many martial arts and gun fights.
  • Bram Stoker’s Dracula, I love Dracula. And you should read the book and watch the other Dracula movies- even the bad ones. This Dracula is the closest to the novel, which isn’t hard given how much earlier adaptations changed. It’s sumptuous and rich and over the top. And it slaps. Watch it.
  • Princess Mononoke, This may be my favorite movie of all time. Hayao Miyazaki is a genius. Watch all of his stuff. This one is melancholy tale of the war between civilization and the wild places. The animation is gorgeous. The movie resists easy answers. It’s a masterpiece.
  • Mandy, The weirdest of my recommendations, Mandy is a psychedelic revenge story. Imagery is dark and bloody and all over the map in the best way possible. Content warning, the movie does fridge the protagonist’s wife to get the plot moving. So that happens. But the movie is still an amazing experience.

TV Series

  • Revolutionary Girl Utena, I’m not sure how to explain this series without spoiling things. It’s got swords and duels. It’s get lesbians and longing. It’s got toxic pretty boys and girls. It’s got an upside down castle. It’s wild and dense and I love it.
  • Mononoke, The most artistically experimental of my recommendations. A story about a medicine seller of ambiguous gender who hunts the supernatural. Each story includes a tragic mystery that unravels as the story progresses. Not for everybody, but those who like it will love it.
  • Doctor Who, The longest running Science Fiction series of all time. There is some rough writing in places. But a stunning amount of the writing is great across the whole history of the series. Maybe start with the Ninth Doctor reboot, and look into the old stuff later. But don’t sleep on this.
  • Pride and Prejudice,This is the Pride and Prejudice adaptation. Long enough to let the plot breathe. Well acted, well shot, well written. If you read romance, you know this story. You’ve probably seen this series.

Video Games

  • Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, I recommend nearly every Legend of Zelda game. But I love Breath of the Wild, and I have sunk a massive amount of time into it. Beautiful and wistful. Creative and engaging. Wonderful to simply walk across, I recommend this game.
  • Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, This may be my favorite Metroidvania game of all time. The DNA of this game is stamped on every Metroidvania that followed it. The sprite graphics are gorgeous. The music stands on its own. The gameplay is fun and engaging and creative. Play this game.
  • Final Fantasy XII, This may be a controversial recommendation. People tend to recommend 6 or 7 rather than 12. But this was the game I 100% completed. It compelled me to farm items and do ridiculous dangerous side quests. It urged me to beat unfairly hard optional boss and unfairly hard optional boss. This game absorbed too much of my life for me not to recommend it.
  • Stardew Valley, This game is nostalgic and cozy on one level. And on another level this game is dark and complicated and about the layers that people hide from the world. And also you run a farm. And running a farm is fun.