Atlas Anime Review: The Apothecary Diaries

The Apothecary Diaries is an anime series based on a light novel saga. Maomao, the main character, is hilarious and intelligent. She started out life with some incredible challenges and has successfully navigated perilous environments. She’s armed with her knowledge of medicine and poisons, along with keen observational and deductive skills.

The supporting characters are fantastic too, with Jinshi being the most intriguing. Let’s dive into what makes this one of my favorite shows.

  • Animation: Crisp, memorable, and vivid. There are truly so many gorgeous scenes.
  • Cast: Incredible. The voice actors inhabited the characters with impressive effects and keep the audience immersed.
  • Music: Evocative. The best parts of the soundtrack are when Maomao is contemplating or when she’s being intimidating.
  • Story: Multilayered and interesting. The season pulls together fascinating elements that don’t at first seem connected.

The Apothecary Diaries is a clever and refreshing anime, with an incredibly strong first season. I’m excited to see what else happens. While we wait for the second season, I’ll check out the light novels and/or manga.

Here’s the trailer:

Spring 2024 Story Updates

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Text: Spring Story Updates Image: flowers of different colors as the background.

It’s the Spring of 2024! We’re into one of my favorite times of the year. Here are my writing plans for this season.

The Architect’s Guardian: On October 10, 2023, I published Awakening, the first novel in my new sci-fi m/m romance. I’ve been busy drafting the sequel, Discovering. I’m still on track to publish that in Fall 2024, but I’m leaving myself some flexibility and will push it to 2025 if necessary.

Dragon Shifter Fantasy Series: I’m having a great time writing this romance about a town guardian and a mage. They’re both stubborn and have opposing interests, at least at the beginning.

Book Cover Art: Finding A Balance

I’m putting together my book cover art request for Discovering, book two in The Architect’s Guardian Series. It’s always fun to pick out what elements to have in the cover art.

In book one, Awakening, Armando and Izdahl went through quite a few changes. I’d like the cover for the sequel to reflect that, as well as hint at what’s to come. That’s an interesting balancing act.

I always like to review my decision-making process when choosing elements for each cover. All my book covers have been created by Deranged Doctor Design. So far, I’ve worked with them five times, beginning in 2017.

Whenever I have a cover made, I learn something about myself and commissioning work. Over the years, I’ve become better at completing the briefs, so that the cover turns out the way I imagined. Sometimes, it’s even better than I’d imagined! It’s a rewarding experience to go from discussing cover art ideas to having the final version that best represents what’s happening in the book.

Atlas Video Game Review: Baldur’s Gate 3

Baldur's Gate 3 poster image with some of the main characters.

I started playing Baldur’s Gate 3 in November 2023. It’s a brilliant fantasy role-playing video game, by Larian Studios. I became thoroughly immersed in this world and the replay value is phenomenal. I’m now on my second playthrough. Here are my thoughts about this adventure:

  • Cast: Incredibly talented. They portray the characters so well. Favorite companions are Halsin, Karlach, and Wyll.
  • Combat System: Flexible and gives you significant room to innovate. “I wonder if I can…” leads to fun surprises (usually). ^_^
  • Graphics: Crisp and vivid. They truly pull you into the story, especially during emotional moments.
  • Music: Fantastic. I often listen to the soundtrack when I write because it’s so atmospheric and rich.
  • Story: Engaging and memorable. There are so many routes to achieve a wide variety of objectives.

This is the first game I’ve played by Larian Studios. They’ve left a stunning impression. So, I’ve been checking out their other work. Based on what I’ve seen, their content is on par with the Dragon Age Series and the Mass Effect Series, from BioWare.

Below are images from my 1st and 2nd Baldur’s Gate 3 playthroughs. I know I’ll return to this world.

Player character images from Baldur's Gate 3, including several profile pictures and the scene where the Shadow Curse is lifted.
Player character images from Baldur's Gate 3, including two profile pictures and scenes with the player and party members.

Winter 2023 Story Updates

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Image from Anya on Pixabay. A snow covered path leads between a row of trees. Sunlight shines between the trees.

It’s the Winter of 2023! Where did the year go? Here are my plans for this season.

The Architect’s Guardian: On October 10, 2023, I published Awakening, the first novel in my new sci-fi m/m romance. Retribution, the sequel, is my writing priority for this winter. My goal is to publish that in Fall 2024.

Dragon Shifter Fantasy Series: Another story I’m working on is a dragon shifter romance! I’ll have many more details about this in 2024.

Lone Wolf and Cub Trope

When I lived in Japan, I used to watch the reruns of the show, Lone Wolf and Cub. Ever since then, it’s been interesting to spot where the theme pops up. That’s why I find The Mandalorian and The Last Of Us to be so gripping. Other examples across media include:

  • God of War 2018
  • Logan
  • Somali and the Forest Spirit

I highly recommend those series, along with Seirei No Moribito. This gripping show gives you an emotional journey twice, as Jiguro takes care of Balsa and then Balsa protects Chagum.

A woman stands with an arm around the shoulders of a boy, as they stare into the distance. Cover for Seirei No Moribito series.

Awakening Is Available Now!

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Awakening is the first book in The Architect’s Guardian Series! Purchase here and check out the playlist.

  • Genres: MM Romance, Science Fiction
  • Main Characters: Izdahl Amasi and Armando Medina
  • Tropes: Found Family, Hurt/Comfort, Second Chance
  • Word Count: ~96,000

Cover by Deranged Doctor Design.

Book cover for Awakening, by Octavia Atlas. Two male characters stand on the smoky streets of a city. One of the characters has massive black wings and releases fire from his right hand, while standing protectively by the other male.

Armando Medina suffered a tragic loss at the hands of some Nitelvosa, supernatural beings who control his world. For decades, he’s been unable to forget the horrific night when his life changed.

Izdahl Amasi, a member of a prominent Nitelvosa family, had briefly dated Armando. He’d hoped for much more, but Armando’s trauma drove a painful wedge between them. With each passing day, Izdahl’s heart grew heavier, as he thought of what could have been.

Now, Armando and Izdahl find themselves connected in unexpected ways. Despite how much Armando tries to avoid the truth of their attraction, he’s drawn to Izdahl. Looming over them are events from Armando’s youth and the mystery of who’s responsible for his anguish. Can Armando open his heart and trust Izdahl? Or will Izdahl stop believing they have a chance?

Content warning: deaths of minor characters, discussion of trauma, injury to characters.

Fall 2023 Story Updates

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Landscape with various trees changing from summer to fall colors.

It’s the Fall of 2023! Here are my plans for this season.

The Architect’s Guardian: Next month, I’ll publish Awakening, the first novel in my new sci-fi m/m romance. I’ve also been working on the sequel. Preorder Awakening. It will be widely available on October 10, 2023.

The Agitator’s Code World: In The Agitator’s Code Series, I introduced Ariston and Reimon. Their story is coming along nicely. There’s a deeper dive into their lives, which was first touched upon in Tildari Sunrises, the conclusion of the trilogy about Darion and Tolrek.