Top Five Games:
Pokemon TCG: I’ve played ever since I was a kid in elementary school, so this game will always has a very special place in my heart!
Exploding Kittens: I love the old maid style, fast paced games! I also love cats, and ‘punny’ games, so it’s a match made in heaven for me.
One Night Ultimate Werewolf: I love social deduction games, which is what this game is! The constant suspicion of everyone around you as you try to find the werewolf; super suspenseful and super fun!
Carcassonne: This one is more of a city building game, which I always find satisfying to play (if you’re doing well that is). It’s the kind of game that’s easy to learn but difficult to master, at least for me, and it’s a ton of fun
Machi Koro: This is similar to Carcassonne, also being a city building game, and is a fast paced race to build the biggest city. I really like the overall look and aesthetic of the game, and it’s a ton of fun
Top Five Graphic Novels:
Kim & Kim: This is one of the first comic books I ever picked up at The Dragon, and the writer, Mags Visaggio, ended up being one of my favourite writers of all time. It’s all about bounty hunters kicking butt in space, and it explores LGBTQ themes, which is the first comic I ever read that did that! It opened my eyes to what comics could be.
Nimona: When I first started coming to The Dragon a few years back, I was recommended to read this book, and I fell in love with it. It’s about a sidekick and super-villain duo that are actually the good guys in the story! It’s a funny, and awesome read.
Wet Moon: I’ve never felt more represented in a story than this one. It’s filled with amazing, and well developed characters from so many different backgrounds. I’d say it’s ‘slice of life’ meets ‘mystery’ since there’s always a bit of a supernatural element in an otherwise day to day story about young people navatiating their lives.
Snot Girl: I always have a hard time explaining quite what this story is about, and I love it! The story is so unique, and really makes you do a double take. It explores the duality of people; what we see versus who we really are, and it also has a bit of a mysterious element to it that keeps you curious and interested.
Ice Cream Man: Horror stories have always been one of my favourite genres, and Ice cream man chills me to the bone. It isn’t full of gore and jump scares, but is about stories that are very relatable; making them all the more scary!
Favourite Manga:
Goodnight Punpun: This is a quirky, yet dark take on the journey of childhood. This story is about the main character, Onodera Punpun, basically growing up from a young child to an adult, and the many struggles he faces along the way. Each volume explores his life at a different stage, and it removes the usual innocence that childhood usually depicts. It’s ‘slice of life’ with a weird flair, which is right up my ally
My Hero Academia: This is what I’d call the Bleach and Naruto of today (at least for me). In a society where 80% of the world has super powers (or quirks) the main character isn’t one of them! It’s an amazing story about a young boy’s journey to becoming the world’s greatest hero, and I love reading stories about young people overcoming adversity and becoming the best version of themselves! It’s super inspiring.
Frankenstein by Junji Ito: Horror is one of my favourite genres; it gets my heart pumping and I’m on the edge of my seat! Frankenstein is one of my favourite compilations of short stories by Junji Ito, but all of his stories have a very unique way of bending our everyday reality into something twisted and unnerving!
I hear the Sunspot: This is a romance between two young men in university, where one has a hearing disability, and how they navigate their relationship. I find stories like this really important, and there aren’t enough of them! It’s a beautiful and interesting read.
That sky blue feeling: This is a highschool slice of life, and romance, about a young boy who moves to a new school becomes friends with another boy who is bullied for his sexuality. Again, stories like this are hard to come by, and it really warms my heart to see more stories of young love that isn’t the kind we’re used to seeing in the media. It’s also a very funny and sweet story, and worth reading!