#!poly

Title: After the Storm

Author: H Birchwood, Key Dyson & Raymond Roach

Format: Text  (with art!)

Published/Free: Both

Length: 194,299 words

Status: Complete

Rating: Mature

Warnings: past sexual assault, trauma, abuse, alcohol use, food insecurity, violence, consent issues

Link:

Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/story/213099434-after-the-storm

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1003186

Summary: After four years of hell on a ship with a deadly crew, all Rich wants is a second chance. Get some sun, relax, maybe hook up with a cute guy. But old scars, bad habits, and an insane AI aren’t going to make it easy…  Rich Merrill, gene-tweaked supersoldier by birth and AI support technician by vocation, is done fighting. Finally reassigned after four hellish years aboard the Sympatico, a dysfunctional ship with a deadly crew, all he wants is to make the most of his second chance. The survival skills that got him through his last posting aren’t going to help him on the Reliant, though. In among a kinder, gentler crew, Rich’s old scars and bad habits are just as much of a problem as vengeful ex-crewmates, or the Sympatico’s corrupted AI, which wants him back. Rich wants to be a better person. He wants to make some friends, finally. He’d especially like to be friends–or more–with Basil Wright, a brilliant teen rival who’s grown up captivatingly handsome; or Liam Beaker, a beautiful, mercurial botanist and fellow tweak. Rich wants to reconnect with what’s left of his family, pick up some hobbies, get some sun, learn to relax. But if he can’t learn how to leave his old life behind, his new life won’t be worth living.

Review: This story is sweet and comforting. The characters distinct and endearing. The world building is interesting and feels alive.

Title: Fallen Hero: Rebirth Author: Malin Rydén Format: Online text-based Choose-Your-Own-Adventure game Published/Free: Published Length: 380,000 Status: Complete Rating: Mature Warnings: Possible mentions of past abuse, suicide, alcoholism Link: https://www.choiceofgames.com/user-contributed/fallen-hero-rebirth/ Summary: Become the greatest telepathic villain Los Diablos has ever known! Once you were famous; soon you will be infamous. That is, unless your old friends in the Rangers stop you first. Juggle different identities and preserve your secrets as you build new alliances and try to forget the friendships you’ve left behind.

Title: Black Sails Format: TV Show Published/Free: It’s free with a Starz subscription (so not free technically) Length: 4 Seasons (38 episodes total) Status: Complete Rating: Mature to Ultra mature  Warnings: Rape (specifically in ep 3, and somewhat through s1. There is very little, if any, outside of that season after), major character death, a graphic keelhauling scene, blood, action violence. Link: on Starz. also hulu (s1-3) Summary: This is a prequel to Treasure Island and is set in Nassau during the golden age of piracy. It follows Captain Flint and characters involved with the crew or Nassau as Captain Flint chases after a shit ton of gold–and then turns to a power struggle on pirate freedom. 

Review: This is a very very good show. The first season is a little….clearly trying to attract the straight man audience but then it starts to get gay and the women get very powerful. There are many gay characters and (with the exception of one) they all survive! One of the strongest characters is a queer black woman who came from a slave start (before the show) and ended up so powerful (and spoilers: she doesn’t die). 

The characters are all nuanced and interesting and it is a very good show. The action scenes are tight and exciting. The relationships are so good (and a lot are gay which is what a lot of y'all reading this are looking for haha). The story is good and is not just focused on a hunt for gold. It talks of the problems with England and touches on “othering” (a lot having to do with the queer characters). It’s one big power struggle and it is amazing. There’s also a poly relationship if you’re into that. 

Title: Minu ga Hana Author: Rana Dorada (me!) Format: Web Serial Published/Free: Free Length: 600 to 1000 words per post Status: Ongoing Rating: T Warnings: Swearing, mentions of drug use, eating disorders, sexual assault, and/or bigotry. Link: https://minu-ga-hana-story.tumblr.com/ Summary:A web serial following the paranormal investigator Manami Hayase as she struggles to get her career off the ground. The scores of new people she meets along the way make it clear the world around her isn’t quite what she expected. In fact, it may be even better.

Title: MON★STAR Studios Author: vampmilk Format: Webcomic Published/Free: Free Length: Ongoing Status: WIP Rating: Teen Warnings: Mentions of/implied sexual content Link: https://tapastic.com/series/monstarstudios Summary: In a modern city where humans and monsters live together peacefully, college dropout Ramone Garcia makes some strange and exciting friends when he becomes the first human employee at MON★STAR Studios, a monster-centric gay adult film studio.

Title: The Starving Years Author: Jordan Castillo Price Format: Novel Published/Free: Published Length: 276 Pages Status: Complete Rating: Mature Warnings: Child death/endangerment, violence, cannibalism Link: http://www.amazon.com/Starving-Years-Jordan-Castillo-Price-ebook/dp/B007H0KETI Summary: Imagine a world without hunger. In 1960, a superfood was invented that made starvation a thing of the past. Manna, the cheaply manufactured staple food, is now as ubiquitous as salt in the world’s cupboards, pantries and larders. Nelson Oliver knows plenty about manna. He’s a food scientist—according to his diploma, that is. Lately, he’s been running the register at the local video rental dive to scrape together the cash for his exorbitantly priced migraine medication. In a job fair gone bad, Nelson hooks up with copywriter Javier and his computer-geek pal Tim, who whisks them away from the worst of the fiasco in his repurposed moving truck. At least, Nelson thinks those two are acquainted, but they’re acting so evasive about it, he’s not sure how they know each other, exactly. Javier is impervious to Nelson’s flirting, and Tim’s name could appear in the dictionary under the entry for “awkward.” And with a riot raging through Manhattan and yet another headache coming on, it doesn’t seem like Nelson will get an answer anytime soon. One thing’s for sure, the tension between the three of them is thick enough to cut with a knife…even one of those dull plastic dealies that come in the package with Mannariffic EZ-Mealz.

Review: This book is pretty dark in places, but never falls so far into it that it becomes depressing to read. It’s an excellent dystopian novel with messages about the dangers of capitalism and corrupt government. However, it’s also about fighting against the odds, found family, and loyalty when you don’t expect it. Nelson, Tim, and Javier make an intriguing love “triangle”, and though their romance develops throughout the book, it is in no way the focus of the book. The story is tight and the characters outside the threesome are explored and fleshed out, just as interesting as the protag and his leading men.