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Have you read Digger by Ursula Vernon?
Yes, completely!
Yes, partially
No
I've never heard of it
Propaganda:
"A webcomic with gravitas. The print collections earned the Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story. A very sensible wombat has to deal with bizarre going ons in a foreign land."
Digger: Say, Ed…this is probably a strange question but…what’s your definition of evil?
Ed: …Ed is definitely needing tea.
Digger: All I could come up with is “hurting people for no reason”.
Ed: What? No. No! Digger-Mousie is not knowing evil very well. Evil is having reason, always, many and many. If hunter beats mate, has reason, always. Mate is lazy, burning food, is stupid, is speaking on and on. Is always being a reason.
Digger: What? But Ed, those aren’t good reasons!
Ed: No, but evil is still being- is having reason- is being reasonable! Mousie understands? Is always being reason. Is punishing world for not being…like in head. Is always reason. World should be different, is reason.
--
[do not add undescribed images to my post]
make a poll with five of your all-time favorite characters, and then tag five people to do the same. see which character is everyone's favorite.
I was tagged by @sherlock-is-ace
Anyone who wants, please consider yourself tagged to play the game!
Which character is your favorite?
Senshi (Dungeon Meshi)
Death (Discworld)
Death (The Sandman)
Digger-of-Unnecessarily-Convoluted-Tunnels (Digger)
Emet-Selch (Final Fantasy XIV)
hey that last post reminded me: if you've never heard of "digger of unnecessarily convoluted tunnels" then may i introduce you to the incredible webcomic Digger by Ursula Vernon aka one of my favorite comics of all time. it's an incredible fantasy tale about gods, demons, prejudice, injustice, the nature of good and evil, and one incredibly jaded little wombat just trying to get back home, who absolutely did not sign up for this crap.
Have you read Digger? It's a web comic with the best anthropomorphic hyena society I've ever seen
Digger is phenomenal. I've loved it for years and years-- it was the first thing by Ursula Vernon that I ever read, after having already been familiar with her art, and I've stayed a huge fan of her work since (I've got a whole pile of her books on kindle and they all kick ass). I've re-read it a few times now, and I've got lines memorized, parts that still make me laugh out loud, and like... at least three points that are guaranteed to make me cry.
Among everything else that's great about that story, you're right-- the hyena society and mythology that she created are straight up the best take on that kind of thing that I've ever seen. (edited to add a screencap from the comic.... also an excuse to re-read parts of it while looking for a good part to screencap? yes.)
I'm still amazed that none of that was planned out from the start, and that she only decided to introduce the first hyena character because she was having too much trouble drawing a bear.
Hi, I just saw your blog and I have to ask; do you have any recommendations for people who really, really enjoyed the Murderbot Diaries? Im kinda obsessed with it
Hi @extra-plus-ordinary ! I am so flattered to be asked this because I LOVE giving recommendations.
The first thing I’ll say is, there is a very active Murderbot discord server and if you aren’t in it send me a dm and I’ll get you a link! The lovely folks there can probably give you lots more recommendations than me. I’ll admit I haven’t been on there much lately because life be like that sometimes, but you can bet I’ll be active there plenty when the next Murderbot book comes out in a few months! The folks there also found me links to a couple Murderbot short stories that you should absolutely check out if you haven’t yet.
I have to admit, my first thought on getting this ask is... there isn’t anything else quite like Murderbot! Sometimes all you want is more Murderbot and we don’t have any (yet). The first time I finished the series I started over again at the beginning because all I wanted was More Murderbot Please. It took me awhile to be in the mood for anything else. I absolutely recommend indulging that mood because personally, when all I want is Just This Book, I end up disliking anything else I try to read, even when I normally would like it. But! If you are in the mood to try something a bit different with perhaps some overlapping appeal, let me offer a few suggestions:
The Queens Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner
I have to mention this first because it’s fans of THIS series that got me to read Murderbot. Also I’ve been obsessed with these books since I was a teen. Similarities between the series include:
Sarcastic first person narration—this is mostly just in the first book of the series, The Thief. If you, like me, fell in love with Murderbot because of its voice, give this book a try. Gen is a different narrator in many ways, but I find the appeal similar. There are also some similar character dynamics and interactions with a group gradually getting to know a character they previously underestimated, and forming strong friendships over the course of the series.
However, I will note that The Thief is notably different from the rest of the series in tone and pacing, and some people find it boring. That was not my experience, but many recommend starting the series with the second book.
The second book has a character that I feel is similar to Murderbot on many levels, but I don’t want to say much more about it because SPOILERS. Actually I don’t want to say any more about the series at all because it’s really best to just go in and experience it for yourself. Take my word for it—many people love both series, there is lots of crossover appeal.
The Mandalorian tv series
Ok I feel kinda dumb mentioning this because I feel like everyone’s probably heard of this show by now and has already decided whether they’re gonna watch it. I mean, it’s STAR WARS. So I’ll be brief here, but I really feel like Mando and Murderbot have a LOT in common and would get along really well, and people drawn to one of these characters might also like the other. Murderbot wishes he had as good an excuse as Mando for keeping a helmet on at all times. They’re both similarly good at their jobs (which involve fighting), and end up coming to care for characters weaker and less experienced than themselves. They then put themselves on the line to protect their new Found Family, while steadfastly refusing to admit that they have any feelings whatsoever. Also, so far? No romantic pairings. Murderbot would approve. There are more comparisons I could make but I’ll stop....So yeah, if for some reason you haven’t given The Mandalorian a try.... do it.
Digger by Ursula Vernon
Ok, so the cool thing about this recommendation (aside from the fact that it’s a super amazing story, which I’ll talk more about in a bit) is you can read the WHOLE THING. FOR FREE. RIGHT NOW. Don’t have to put it on hold at the library, don’t have to order it and wait for it to come in the mail, don’t have to track it down in a used bookstore. ITS ALL FREE: http://diggercomic.com/blog/2007/02/01/wombat1-gnorf/
That link should take you to the first page of the comic.
The first comparison I’ll make here is the VOICE. Digger has a first person funny/sarcastic voice that reminds me a LOT a of Murderbot. Different, of course, but..., I think Murderbot would really like Digger. She would be a good client. Practical, tries to stay safe and make good decisions, and she would 100% get Murderbot’s sense of humor. She gets thrown into a crazy magical world and takes it all in stride, making plenty of friends she’s ready to defend with her life.
Yeah, Murderbot would like Digger.
I’d go on, but seriously—did you forget I just said THE WHOLE THING IS FREE TO READ ONLINE so just.... go start reading it and get a taste for it yourself.
http://diggercomic.com/blog/2007/02/01/wombat1-gnorf/
Digger by Ursula Vernon » Archive » Digger
The Vorkosigan Saga
This is a big one that will keep you occupied for awhile! I don’t remember how many books are in the series... 20 maybe? I don’t even know. This is the series I re read when I was coming off my Murderbot high a few months back, because in some ways it has a similar vibe.
Anyway, this is another Space Drama that explores some interesting potential economics, politics, and conflicts of a future of planets linked by wormholes. Some of the planets have a more Corporation Rim feel, others are like Preservation, with many others thrown in the mix. The main character, Miles Vorkosigan... he would love Murderbot. He’d recruit it on the spot—a competent person who shows initiative? Wonderful! On the other hand, Murderbot would HATE Miles.... no sense of self preservation, barreling into problems with no clear plan of how to get out... he would drive Murderbot absolutely crazy.
Personally, I started reading the series with The Warriors Apprentice, and that’s where I recommend starting. However technically Shards of Honor, which tells the story of Miles’ parents and how they met, is the first book chronologically.
The Winter Prince by Elizabeth Wein
This is a very short novel (so if the Murderbot novella length worked for you, give this a try). It’s a gripping take on Arthurian Legend told from the point of view of Medraut (Mordred). Medraut reminds me of Murderbot in many ways—he feels unworthy of love because of what he is, wrestling with a violent past and trying to be better, struggling to know what to do when he is loved by people who he doesn’t think should love him. Also, like All Systems Red, his narrative is addressed to a specific person, which affects how the story is read.
So those are just a few books/series I recommend for Murderbot fans! And everyone, really, because these are all excellent because my taste is impeccable ;-).
I hope there is something here to tide you over til the next Murderbot book comes out @extra-plus-ordinary 😁
a thing that upsets me deeply is that when Ed from Digger is first discussing his concept of evil with Digger (Evil...is having reason- being reasonable!...Is punishing world for not being…like in head. Is always reason) he gives a list of possible “reasons” for spousal abuse (is lazy, burning food, is stupid, is speaking on and on) that, with context later on, you realize only came to mind so effortlessly because they’re clearly reasons Blood Eyes gave to him to justify why he deserved to be hurt. like, thank god he has enough distance to see it for what it is, but this is one of those fictional tragedies about which one needs to yell on the internet in order to exorcise one’s feelings, and unfortunately the fandom is approximately half a tumbleweed so I’m still thinking about it years later because I didn’t get enough yelling in at the time
