Friday DE

[bjornwilde]

What are some of you favorite myths or mythological figures? 

Alternately, what are some stories you've consumed recently or in the past that people really need to read?

Comments

[yinyangwizard]

DE #1: I play one of them! Three guesses which and the first two don't count.

DE #2: Everyone needs to read Snow Crash, and not just because I play a character from it. It's a cyberpunk classic that predicted or even inspired many of the innovations of the internet era, like Second Life and Google Earth.

[bjornwilde]

I loved Snow Crash! I think I need to reread cause all I remember is the opening with YT and the end part with Hiro wandering around and people giving him space cause they thought he was a mad man. And the Babylon bits.

[yinyangwizard]

I've read it multiple times, most recently when I picked it up before reintroducing YT to the bar. I went through and did color-coded highlighting (on the Kindle version).

Reading it in my early thirties has been a different experience than reading it in my early-to-mid twenties. The idea that religion can be adaptive or maladaptive is something I didn't really pick up on before. And there's a lot of stuff about the relationships between the characters and their emotional lives that I did not realize before, although to be fair that's not really the focus of the book.

[misslucyjane]

I've gone through phases of obsession with many mythologies as I've discovered them. There's plenty more out there to be discovered, of course. I really like the story of Enkidu and Gilgamesh, the more playful stories about Thor (like the time he stood in for Freya [or was it Frigga? it's been a while] when she was promised to one of the frost giants), and the epic saga of bad decisions that is most mortals in Greek mythology.

Currently I'm fascinated with Russian folktales about Baba Yaga. There's just something about a powerful old woman that speaks to me right now :D.

Stories: I eagerly await everyone's answers for this. Lately if it's not fic or comics, I ain't reading it, and I really need to read some actual books again. That said, a comic recommended to me in preparation for the Dr. Strange movie that I really enjoyed is The Oath, in which Stephen Strange has to solve his own attempted murder and save Wong, his manservant, before he succumbs to brain cancer.

[bjornwilde]

I *love* Baba Yaga! And feel bad I forgot to list her.

"Dr. Strange: Season One" is really good as well! Not quite canon. "Dr. Strange: The Doctor Is Out" is another great story and more in canon I believe. Both have gorgeous art.

[mightbeagoodone]

Yay more Dr. Strange recs! Thanks!

Isn't Baba Yaga awesome? Just her TVtropes page makes me want to clap my hands with glee.

[bjornwilde]

Oh, I haven't read her tvtropes page.

Another Dr. Strange rec is Into SHamballa. I used to have this great best stories of Dr. Strange rec list a Tumblr user had created but I can't find it now.

[mightbeagoodone]

Ask and ye shall receive (or mention and you'll get it anyway :D): Baba Yaga on TVtropes.

Thanks! I listen to the Marvel Movie News podcast and one of the regular hosts is a big Dr. Strange fan, so he's been recommending books and series for a few months now. I'm building up quite a reading list for when my comics budget has something in it again.

[bjornwilde]

Cool and thanks!

Check your local library. They may have the trades, either in physical form or digital. I feel I should warn that the modern Strange (like within the past five years) has been written as a chronic lady's man, if not a love/sex addict. I'm not a fan of this approach to the character but it does give him flaws.

[bjornwilde]

DE #1: I've a lot to be honest, and I've thought of playing them from time to time. Manannan mac Lir, Finn mac Cumhaill, Bast, Miyamoto Musashi (I know he's historical but he's become mythic), Freya, Loki, and Reynardine are a few that come to mind straight away.

DE #2: I'm in the middle of the Southern Reach trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer. If you like Welcome to Nightvale, X-files, or Lost, you should check this series out.
Leave It to Chance is still a classic for me. A great comic that ended before it's time. There are two out of print TPB, Nancy Drew meets Harry Dresden, sort of.
Voltron: Legendary Defender, is amazing and if you loved the original, you will likely love this. It's very faithful but is its own thing as well.

[yinyangwizard]

You mean the Netflix series? I love it even though I wasn't really into any of the previous incarnations. Waiting eagerly for Season 2!

[bjornwilde]

Yes, the Netflix series. I love Pidge and Hunk. = ]

[bjornwilde]

Oh, and another book rec, Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. Think Oceans 11 in a fantasy world heavily influenced by Eastern Europe and Russian.

[ceitfianna]

DE 1: I always come back to Greek mythology, I love the messiness of it. I'm currently reading a nonfiction book about daily life in Egypt which is reminding me of how strange their myths were. Various incarnations of fairies are some of my favorite folklores to delve into especially ones that are will to go, yup, they were messed up. I'm also in the midst of reading a nonfiction book about the history of rodeos in prep for AU week and the folklore/mythology of the American West draws me in a lot.

DE 2: I've started reading through some of the ARCs from the library conference. Vassa in the Night, a modern retelling of the one of the Baba Yaga stories is amazing. I highly recommend it. Voltron was wonderful, I haven't finished it but love what I'm seeing. Mary Balogh's Survivor Club books, romances where all the main characters survived the Napoleonic wars and the heart of all the books is them healing and figuring out how to start a new life and let go of who they were before the war. I have the last book waiting on my TBR pile. Leverage, five seasons that creates this fantastic arc yet individual episodes can also stand on their own.

[yinyangwizard]

I remember reading the D'Aulaires' book of Greek myths all the time when I was a kid. They had a really interesting explanation for why Zeus had so many kids with mortal women - he wanted to father heroes who would protect and glorify Greece.

Ha! Turns out he was just a philandering horndog.