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Whatever I VOTED. YOUR TURN. Menu Home About A Brief Biography of John Scalzi Availability for Interviews, Appearances, Writing Work and Optioning Existing Work Books and Other Projects by John Scalzi Contact Information Guidelines for Publicity, Blurbing, Unpublished Work, Story Ideas, Retweets, Guest Blogging, Charitable Solicitations, Autographing, Educational Use and School Assignments Scheduled Appearances Site Disclaimer, Comment and Privacy Policy The Canonical Bacon Page The Scalzi Creative Sampler Webtoon Recommendation Time: Freaking Romance Posted on October 27, 2020 4 Comments Hello everyone and welcome to another edition of Webtoon Recommendation Time! The time where I bring you the best webtoons around (in my opinion) and tell you to read them. Or, rather, try to give you reasons why you should read them. For this round of recommendations, we have Freaking Romance , a romance/drama webtoon with some supernatural stuff thrown in! The last one I wrote about is taking a break after ending its second season, so I decided to start this one and let me tell you, I was hooked . Obsessed right from the beginning. It just draws you in and doesn’t let you go for the next 70 some episodes. The suspense, the anticipation, it’s a page turner for sure. Except it doesn’t exactly have pages. The main character, Zylith, moves into a new apartment, only to find out it’s haunted by a ghost! A very handsome one, at that. But, that doesn’t seem to be quite right, he’s not exactly a ghost… and he turns out to be someone from another dimension. With their limited interactions through a tear in the space time continuum, is it possible to fall in love? I absolutely adore romance webtoons, they’re for sure my favorite kind. And this one has the added element of parallel universes, which is super cool concept I’ve always liked. This webcomic is humorous, relatable, adorable, fun, and all around just really interesting. Watching Zylith combat toxic, abusive relationships while forging new, loving ones is inspiring, and makes you admire Zylith for her strength. Besides being a strong, independent character, she’s also hilarious, creative, cute as a button, and a truly lovable main character. The other characters are just as lovable, each having totally unique personalities that are fun to watch interact with each other. And there’s a cat! Named Mr. Purrfect! How could you not love a comic with a cat who has a pun for a name? This is another webcomic where it’s evident the artist’s style changes a bit over time, but again, I’m all here for it! I absolutely adore the character designs so watching the artist improve on the appearance of the characters throughout the episodes is really awesome. Like I said, Zylith is adorable, meanwhile Verose is hot as heck, and Zelan is literal perfection. Honestly for me to try out a webcomic all you have to do is make your characters hot and I’ll give it a shot. Same goes for watching an anime. But, for me to recommend one, it actually has to be good, of course. And let me tell you, you will not be disappointed if you give this one a chance. This is one of my favorites of all time, definitely top three! I implore you to start today, and let me know what you think in the comments! Check it out here , and make sure to go to the beginning! Have a great day and enjoy this bonus picture of Zelan because he’s so freaking cute. -AMS Share: Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window) The Big Idea: Marshall Ryan Maresca Posted on October 27, 2020 3 Comments In Marshall Ryan Maresca’s newest novel, People of the City , seven heroes come together for an Avengers-style ultimate team up. Who are these heroes, and how does their chemistry make it all work? Read on. MARSHALL RYAN MARESCA: Five years ago, when my debut novel The Thorn of Dentonhill was released, it was the first step in a larger, far more ambitious plan. A plan that was, frankly, more than a little crazy. But like all crazy plans, once it took root in my brain, I couldn’t let it go. “There was an idea. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people to see if they could become something more.” You’ve heard this idea before, of course. Regardless of how you phrase it— though the Nick Fury phrasing does resonate with me— it’s an idea we keep coming back to, largely because as long as we’ve had characters that occupy the same world, we want them to meet. We love a team-up. Let’s back up a bit. Many years ago, I started outlining a vision for an epic fantasy. Because, of course , I was thinking in terms of the grand epic. A large cast of characters, with a different skills and backgrounds, who come together for a goal of the common good. But, regardless of why they come together, the key element is they come together. That’s where that first vision kept unravelling. When I started to work out who each of these champions were, they each wanted their own journeys, and those were not coming together quickly or neatly. Then the obvious answer jumped out at me: let it unravel. Instead of trying to force the plot threads to weave together from the beginning, I realized I could explore each one of them on their own. I could make each one its own series. From that seed, I cultivated the concepts and casts of characters that grew into the four series set in Maradaine, starting each with The Thorn of Dentonhill, A Murder of Mages, The Holver Alley Crew and The Way Of The Shield , respectively. Four fantasy series, blending the genre with superhero narratives, police procedurals, heist stories and political thrillers. With each of those series, I put my champions in place. And, hopefully, got readers to fall in love with them. Because, for any Big Hero Team Up to work, you need to love the characters involved. You need to be invested in not just them and their stories, but the very idea of how cool it’s gonna be when they meet . You want to build up to that moment where they’re all finally going to be in the same place and think, it’s happening! So, who are these heroes? First, from The Thorn of Dentonhill and following novels , we have Veranix Calbert , aka The Thorn. He’s a magic student at the University of Maradaine, and also a vigilante fighting his personal war against the drug cartel led by Willem Fenmere. When he thinks he can help someone, he’s going to jump into a situation with his whole heart and no plan. Next, from A Murder of Mages , there are Inspectors Satrine Rainey and Minox Welling . Satrine is a former street-rat, former spy and a working mother, who found her way into the constabulary after her husband was attacked and left for dead. Minox is an untrained, uncircled mage from a large constabulary family, who uses his knowledge and skills to serve as an inspector, even though it means being hated and ostracized by circled mages. They’re both serious, professional, and dedicated to having each other’s backs. Third, coming from The Holver Alley Crew : Asti and Verci Rynax. Asti was a spy in Druth Intelligence, but on one mission he was betrayed, captured and psychically tortured, leaving him with a shattered, damaged mind, and even though he returned home for a quiet life, the quiet life was not there for him. His brother, Verci, a former thief and trapmaster, was about to open a gadget and tinkerer shop. The two of them were going to lead a simple, straight life on the right side of the law. But then a fire destroyed everything. They are fiercely loyal to each other and the people in their run-down neighborhood, ready to do whatever they can to keep it safe, no matter what it...