#Is so Evangeline-ish

[acourtofquestions]

Starting Empire of Storms right now!!!

[rosiethorns88]

Dropping this artwork that was recently featured in the Fairyloot February 2023 YA box! Another papercraft of Jacks and Evangeline from ONCE UPON A BROKEN HEART by Stephanie Garber. The box was themed Morally Grey - so of course I went Morally PINK. This one was a bit more abstract than my previous OUABH papercrafts used for the reverse dust jackets of the FL editions. (looking back, it's very Sailormoon-ish??) 💔🌙 Lots of symbols from the series, but also a call-back to the Deck of Destiny from the Caraval series. Jacks is reaching out through The Prince of Hearts card, manifesting from a dark and starry form, to reach out to Evangeline. Like the previous IN THE LIVES OF PUPPETS papercraft, Jacks is sporting another instance of color shifts that I love to assemble! 🍎 I had a super fun time with Evangeline's outfit here; the fox-inspired dark gloves and fluffy tail/train, the arrow motifs, and the very Stephanie-esque ballerina ensemble to tie it all together. I can't get away from the vellum! 🦊 Fairyloot spoiled me with opting to use foil accents on their print, so I made sure to use a gold foil paper in the original papercraft as well! Just more EvaJacks, tiding me over until Curse. ;_; 👉👉👉💌💔

[deim0sdread]

HEY HEY CHAT DID U EVER YAP ABOUT UR OC X CANON THING CUS ID KIKE TO KNOW I LOVE OC X CANON THINGS 🙏🙏🙏

I DID BUT NOT TOO MUCH IN CASE PEOPLE WOULD JUMP ME FOR IT BUT OMG SINCE SOMEONE WANTS TO HEAR ME YAP ABOUT EVA AND DALLY I'M GONNA YAP ABOUT THEM BECAUSE OMLLLLL THEY'RE ALWAYS ON MY MINDDDDD So Evangeline and Dally first met at the Curtis house, Dally was there to pick up Pony for them to head to the drive-in. They were both around 15 at that time and she was hanging out with Soda and laughing along to whatever Mrs Curtis had been talking about at the time. To him she was just another greaser girl even if she looked like more of a Soc than a greaser she didn't act like a Soc. She seemed too real for that. They barely really interacted after that until a few months before the beginning of the first book, she was walking home from school in the rain after a P.E. class and he was driving by in some car that was probably Buck's or Two-Bit's. He called out to her, mostly to try and hit on her. He was just trying to pick her up and she didn't really entertain him like most others did. They ended up bickering back and forth and eventually she got in his car and they headed to Buck's place. She took a shower there and got changed into some of Dally's clothes. She didn't have any dry clothes so it wasn't weird to her anyway. They got drunk after that, her more than him. They bickered a little and ended up kissing a few times. Dally decided to stop it since he was still with Sylvia and Evangeline did not appreciate that at all. Her and Sylvia never did get along much. She considers that Sylvia fucked up her chance to get with Dally since they got together soon after she told Sylvia and Sandy she had a thing for Dally. She still didn't argue with Dally on that and they just ended up making out on the couch. After that they started hooking up mostly and Dally excused it by saying that Sylvia was most likely two timing him anyway and she was so at least he wasn't wrong. They never got to be official, her parents would kill her if they found out she was dating someone like Dallas Winston. He wanted her to be a Soc so badly, to get with a rich guy and marry him and her mom wanted her to be someone who wasn't a thug, with someone who wasn't like her father now or like when he was her age. When Dally dies she's so heartbroken she makes an attempts at ending her own life. To her, Dally was the only one who ever really understood her. They were pretty much dating just not officially. Soda found her on a bridge with a glass bottle stuck in her throat and he luckily managed to get her saved. She wasn't ever really the same after that. For a long time she was pretty much like her mother, haunting wherever she was rather than actually being present. Soda tried to be there for her like she'd been there for him before Dally died. She's never the same afterwards. She developed a hatred of cops. She ended up getting married with Soda since they both couldn't get over their one that got away. Might as well be together knowing who the other's heart truly belonged to rather than lying to someone else and hurting them. They ended up having three kids together, Dallas, Johnny and Sandy, at least they got a normal-ish life in the end. It wasn't what either of them wanted but it's good enough. They got a ranch that Darry and Pony helped paying for after Pony's book sold a ton. They had an okay life...

@izaacs-notdeadyet

[seastarblue]

Hey, happy storyteller Saturday! If your characters had to keep one important/personal memento from their childhood, what would it be?

hiii and happy STS to you too!

———

Think I’ll use the characters from Interwoven for this—also I quite like the interview-ish format so we’re doing that:

~~~

“If you had to keep one personal memento from your childhood, what would it be?”

Kaiden:

“I’ve got this.” *motions to the worn blue cloak she’s wearing*

Felix:

“Eh, don’t really do sentiments. Probably the cool little knife my old man got me when I turned… 12?”

Li Hua:

“Oh! I had this little alchemist’s set—it was the highlight of my childhood. Probably not very useful now, but I still think it was awesome! Though I’m not sure where I could put it…”

Aleksi:

“…I’m not sure.” *turns away and says nothing more*

Mehri:

“I have this!” *holds up a pendant*

Noha:

“… the little green blanket.” *straight up leaves*

Harper:

“…Well I didn’t have much, to be fair. Probably a… teddy? Or something? Whatever.” *he looks annoyed and says nothing else. very unlike him.*

Evangeline:

“I had an old sketchbook, I suppose I’d like to have it back.”

~~~ a lot of my characters have old things that they still carry on their person, it’s a theme I’m noticing. Like Harper still wears an old (now fitting) coat, and Aleksi still has old beads that he puts in his hair.

———

aaaaand that’s gotten quite long I think it’ll just be those!

thanks for the ask, @cc-writes-stuff ! ✨

[josephseedismyfather]

Ship Traits!

THANK YOU @inafieldofdaisies, @g0dspeeed, @noodlecupcakes, @cassietrn, @la-grosse-patate

@scorpiosleeps, @3llisarts, and @omen-speaker for tagging me!!! 🥰 So sorry for the delay!

Gonna post for all 3 ships, so it'll be a long one. Will cut it after Harley & Jacob.

Rules: bold/color the themes that apply to your ship, and italicize the theme if it’s one-sided, within your story.

Harley x Jacob

height difference (5'3" vs 6'3") / mutual pining (eventually) / first kiss / wedding / in-jokes / lgbtq+ (Harley is bi) / family disapproves (it's John, he disapproves, poor baby) / would die for each other / would kill for each other / fake relationship / arranged wedding / cuddlers (eventually) / pda friendly / and they were roommates / holding hands / secret relationship / opposing worldviews / getting a pet (Harley gets Boomer!) / have kids / want kids / grow old together / relationship failures / rests head on shoulder/ share a bed / relationship doubts (SO MANY) / they have a song / first date / sharing a blanket / mutual interests / study buddies / bathing together / crash into hello / accidental nudity / laundry / same hobbies / cooking for each other / big fancy gala / forehead touches (rare) / hair stroking / sitting on each other’s laps / sexual tension (like...all of it) / can’t be together / battle couple / Friends (kinda) to Lovers / Enemies to Lovers / Lovers to Enemies / KEEPING SECRETS / love after loss / exes / declaration of love / flirting / love triangle / destructive romance (the most!) / envy / “I Don’t Want to Ruin Our Friendship” / shared values (eventually) / slow burn / does not end well (which time?) / happily ever after (ish) / love letters

Goodness. I got emotional filling this out for them!

height difference (5'9" vs 6'1") / mutual pining / first kiss / wedding (a true event, thanks Joseph 🙄) / in-jokes / lgbtq+ (Evangeline is bi) / family disapproves (Oh look, it's John again. Always disapproving.) / would die for each other / would kill for each other / fake relationship / arranged wedding / cuddlers / pda friendly / and they were roommates / holding hands / secret relationship / opposing worldviews / getting a pet (Evangeline eventually cares for Peaches) / have kids / want kids / grow old together / relationship failures / rests head on shoulder (Joseph more than Evangeline) / share a bed / relationship doubts (never Joseph) / they have a song / first date / sharing a blanket / mutual interests / study buddies / bathing together (he always insists) / crash into hello / accidental nudity (oops!) / laundry / same hobbies / cooking for each other / big fancy gala / forehead touches / hair stroking / sitting on each other’s laps / sexual tension / can’t be together / battle couple / Friends to Lovers / Enemies to Lovers / Lovers to Enemies / keeping secrets / love after loss / exes / declaration of love / flirting / love triangle / destructive romance / envy / “I Don’t Want to Ruin Our Friendship” / shared values / slow burn (the slowest) / does not end well / happily ever after (ish) / love letters

Evangeline x Joseph

Austin x Johnny

height difference (I mean, how much of a difference counts as a difference? 5'10" vs 6'1" [guess who is shorter?]) / mutual pining / first kiss / wedding / in-jokes / lgbtq+ / family disapproves (I mean, come on. Dep is trying to fuck everything up. let's be honest.) / would die for each other (John isn't dying for anyone, sorry.) / would kill for each other (been there done that?) / fake relationship / arranged wedding / cuddlers / pda friendly / and they were roommates (a looong time ago) / holding hands (only when they're all old and shit) / secret relationship / opposing worldviews / getting a pet (Cheeseburger never leaves Austin's side once he finds him) (John *hates* it) / have kids / want kids / grow old together (more like...grow old adjacently) / relationship failures / rests head on shoulder/ share a bed / relationship doubts / they have a song / first date / sharing a blanket / mutual interests / study buddies / bathing together / crash into hello / accidental nudity / laundry / same hobbies / cooking for each other / big fancy gala / forehead touches/ hair stroking (old man shit) / sitting on each other’s laps / sexual tension / can’t be together / battle couple (eventually) / Friends to Lovers / Enemies to Lovers / Lovers to Enemies (listen. they know each other in every stage of life!) / keeping secrets / love after loss / exes / declaration of love / flirting / love triangle / destructive "romance" / envy / “I Don’t Want to Ruin Our Friendship” / shared values / slow burn / does not end well / happily ever after / love letters

Well. Just reminded myself how screwed up all my ships are. Should probably get to writing a little quicker. 🤔

Opt-in/out of tag list here.

Apologies for doubles, I'm kinda late, and no pressure! @wrathfulrook, @socially-awkward-skeleton, @trench-rot, @ladyoriza, @redreart

@hotmessteaparty, @voidbuggg, @insanityofvaas, @simplegenius042, @malefiquinn

@strangefable, @chazz-anova, @aristomal, @ocdemon-747, @evilvvithin

@carlosoliveiraa, @grimmylover7, and anybody else who wants to play. Tag me! 😘

[animasola86]

EVERYONE HAS BROWN EYES!

Except Garreth, Ominis, Cressida and Adelaide!

Long post full of slightly unflattering pictures of eyes and eyebrows incoming:

Or so I found. If you can name any other NPC who doesn't have brown eyes, please do so! Garreth can't be the only one with green eyes! (Among the students at least, haven't checked the adults yet...)

Now, let the brown-eyed-parade commence! (I really am not complaining!)

Starting with: Sebastian, Poppy, unnamed Slytherin boy and Andrew Larson

Continuing with: Grace Pinch-Smedley, Astoria Crickett, Zenobia Noke and Leander

On with: Samantha Dale, Natsai Onai, Amit Thakkar, Lucan Brattleby and Nellie Oggspire

And last and certainly least (sorry): Duncan Hobhouse and Everett Clopton

Concluding: 15 out of these 19 students have brown eyes. The lighting was never 100% perfect for these, but despite my bad eyesight I can at least confirm that Cressida and Adelaide do have blue-ish eyes (or green-ish?! The longer I stare at those, the less sure I am XD), while the rest of the students (except Garreth and Ominis obv) range from all kinds of brown eyes (hazel and darker and whatnot, I'm no expert). Which is, I guess, quite common in Britain/Scotland? (Again, neither expert nor a native - though I just did a very quick google search and apparently brown is rather rare?! At least today, let's just say in 1890 more ppl had brown eyes...)

Also: Adelaide has the longest eyelashes and Ominis and Grace have the best groomed eyebrows! Only Everett's glasses have nose pads and all three of them are round. (Things I noticed while staring at these for hours...)

Oh and I forgot so many! Let's look at them without picture evidence (lemme check the HL wiki real quick ahem):

Nerida Roberts (brown) Imelda Reyes (brown) Violet McDowell (brown)

Lenora Everleigh (brown) Sacharissa Tugwood (green???) Arthur Plummly (brown and glasses) Charlotte Morrison (brown) Evangeline Bardsley (brown)

(so it's now 22 out of 27 for brown eyes!)

Case in point, I'd say, even more ppl with brown eyes! (Have to take pictures of Sacharissa next!)

So, yeah, thanks for coming to my TED talk!

(Brown eyes rules! Though as a green-eyed-person myself I wish there were more of us XD)

[clockypastaa]

IT'S SO CUTE THAT TIM X CONNIE IS ACTUALLY A SHIP, IDK IT JUST TICKLES MY BRAIN IN THE RIGHT PLACE (pls draw them more, I need this ship)

PS. I love your art style <333

To be honest, the crack ship appeared around.. 2019? Ish. From a role play, and Tim go with Connie. Ever since then I shipped them a lot more than usual, I am glad people are enjoying my stupid crack ship 😢❤ Tim and Toby have a decent relationship , but Toby is pissed of that, he for with his mother out of everyone.

The major reason I ship them is because Tim was the only person who escaped the whole Marble Hornets ordeal. While Connie was the only Rogers, besides Toby but his who knows where, wthat survived at the end. Both are in similar place and i find it cute that they depend on each other to move on forward or to heal.

I even gave them a daughter, named Evangeline Wright. Have more sketches and old art of them. I will TOTALLY bring them up more in the future. ❤

[moobell55]

More slightly less happy Evajacks head cannons :)

Trigger warning: Some references to blood, previous violence is past books, and that stupid bastard Apollo

-They have a fairly happy marriage but had problems in the beginning (Lots of Miscommunication, both struggle with expressing feelings in the beginning)

-Jacks has the hardest time believing Eva will be happy with him (Thinking marrying him will be never end in a happy ending for Eva, knowing he’s not the best person who will never be as good or kind as her)

-In the beginning intimacy is hard for them (Jacks doesn’t want to pressure her, Eva doesn’t Have a lot of experience and feels as if it won’t be enjoyable for Jacks (This ends fairly quickly though))

-Eva has lots of back pain from her Scars and Jacks is terrified of hurting her (Scars are from when she got Whipped in Tbona, obviously going to still cause pain and sensitivity)

-Eva gets jumpy sometimes whenever Jacks kisses or touched her neck (From when Apollo tries to strangle her and when Chaos ripped out her throat)

-Jacks has a hard time talking about his past (Knows he was a bad Fate and killed and hurt dozens of people over him life)

-After Turing human Jacks has trouble remembering when to eat (As a Fate he only ate apples, I think he’d have a hard time adjusting to being able to eat normal amounts)

-Jacks is very disorganized while Eva likes things in certain places (She’s not overly picky but Jacks is a borderline slob with leaving things out)

-They fight over their wedding (Jacks just wants it to be them, Eva wants to invite their friends, they end up having two)

-Children is another hard discussion for them (Eva wants kids but Jacks feels as if he could never be the father his children would deserve)

-Naming their children is another tough discussion (Not so much for a girls name, but Evangeline wants to name their son after Jacks, he refuses claiming "It's bad enough his father is a monster, he shouldn't have to bear the name of one too." In the end they agree to name their son after Evangeline father, Maximilian or Max for short)

-Their last name is not really a fight but a more interesting discussion (Jacks doesn't have a last name in the books he's only called "Jacks of The Hollow," I feel as if Eva would want him to take her last name Fox)

-They can't decide what season they should get married in (Northern winters are horribly cold, Eva seems like a summer kinda girl but Jacks seems more Autumn-ish to me)

I'm a firm believer that these two will get their much deserved happy ending, but that doesn't mean it will be all Sunshine and Rainbows for these two.

Do they love each other more than anything? Of course they do. But that doesn't mean they won't fight, they'll just know how you have to fight for your happily ever after to keep it.

Since I made a happy head cannon one I decided they should suffer just a little bit :)

I'm always interested in hearing your thoughts and opinions in the comments

[thewiddershinsme]

Reading Once Upon a Broken Heart, finished Part II: The Magnificent North

-well, that was a lot of surprising turns. I did not expect Apollo to propose to Evangeline the first night of Nocte Neverending (I was actually under the impression this “neverending” ball that has gone on for months in the past was gonna last the entire series). I definitely did not expect for Evangeline to actually marry Apollo. And I really did not think Apollo was going to be killed off immediately upon arriving at the honeymoon suite. Right when I was just getting invested on what their post-bewitchment relationship was gonna be like.

-I can’t even guess who killed him at this point. Tiberius is sus, but Evangeline’s impression was he deep down cared for his brother. I think he’s about to become our main antagonist out for revenge. Marisol definitely has it out for Evangeline, but don’t think she’d actually murder the Crown Prince. And there are all of the other potential brides that have motive.

-I still like Evangeline a lot, she’s made some poor (cough stupid and emotional) choices, but she’s so optimistic that things will work out eventually, and she tries her best to choose to believe the best about others without being willfully ignorant about them. I love her “choose the third option” mentality, and the strength she draws from memories of her parents. And the pink hair is supposedly plot relevant, which makes it better I guess.

-speaking of the prophecy, I again love the entire concept of how retelling history is twisted in the North. They can’t even write down anything about the Valor, so no info is truly reliable. No clue what Jacks wants, but considering he’s still heartbroken over Tella, my theory is it is a way for him to break the one true love thing that’s his Fate-shtick.

-I kinda have a theory that after Caraval the author wanted to do a series with Jacks, but as an AU in a medieval-ish straight up fairytale world, so that’s how we got this “there’s a line separating the North and the South and no magic can cross it” situation. Cause this setting doesn’t feel like it belongs in the same world as the Meridian Empire (which for some reason I always picture as semi-gaslamp fantasy/steampunkish). I honestly applaud this approach. It’s a great way to completely shift gears while continuing the story of a favorite established character (reminds me a bit of the Wall in Stardust, or the islands in One Piece that have varying technology).

-despite all the drama, I actually chuckled a bit when Jacks revealed he was only making Evangeline going around kissing people cause he thought it was funny.

-I want Evangeline to have the wedding on the pier that she dreamed about.

-I have not forgotten unsettling guard that approached Evangeline in the town. I thought he’d be Tiberius but guess that’s wrong.

-I don’t know who this girl is that is somewhat familiar to Evangeline, yet knows enough about Jacks and Fates to brew an antidote for poison tears. Which Fate had poison tears?

-Every time I read the title, I get the song “Once Upon a Broken Heart” from the Ella Enchanted soundtrack in my head (great song, tbd if fits this book)

[acourtofquestions]

Favorite character from Throne of Glass so far? And try to guess mine 😜

Ooh, a good question! One that I actually have an answer to; despite the fact my answer really is all of them😂 (well all minus the obvious ones your NOT supposed to like; Arobynn, Maeve, Rourke Farran, the Blackbeak Matron, etc.) and while I am going to try & self-edit (something I’m terrible at, as any glance at my blog will show😂) the easiest explanation I have is probably this:

I will always utterly adore Fleetfoot like no other. Same with Abraxos. And Elide (who I seem to be in agreement with the characters; we would die for that cinnamon roll😂)

Fenrys snuck up on me & I’m still figuring it out, but I think he’s funny, and very charismatic/compassionate.

Asterin Blackbeak has really grown to have such a joy-filled place in my heart. & I really enjoy the 13’s dynamic & badassery. So, of course Manon is on there too (from the first introduction when I was like… she’s killing people… but somehow I like her? To now being the child of peace, the hope & heart of the “heartless”).

Aedion (despite our occasional moments of a tiff) I love the way he loves. Dorian (I don’t think we share an opinion on this one, which is totally okay) I just really appreciate his mind! Chaol was for a while then the opposite, right now I think I’m positive neutral-ish? … I can pretty much always find things to love in main/side/random characters.

And don’t get me started on Sam Cortland… that man… always beloved😭

Lysandra Ennar (despite that EoS plotted ending lol😅😅) I love her, I love the way she loves her found family, I love her sisterhood with Evangeline (esp. dear to me in my own life), & I appreciate the way her trauma is NOT her entire story.

Rowan Whitethorn (who funny enough was NOT a favorite for a while; twas a rough start but once I loved him, (& will never) not love him).

And now dwindled down to the answer of all answers, beyond even this series or Maasverse (of all fandoms this & she have become an all-time fav) Aelin Galathynius; I almost can’t explain it & would just say READ 8 BOOKS & you’ll get it😂 she’s such an arc & fleshed out character, a kind I don’t see often (especially in powerful female character personalities when a main character or any role for that matter) she makes sense to me, there’s a lot beyond the surface, she & that have meant a lot to me in my own life/trauma/grief & (much like the MANY characters that fall for her for this same reason) she's just something else; wild, fiery, witty & hilarious, impossibly smart, sharp but king, empathetic/understanding & compassionate, fiery yet controlled, deep-feeling & loving, bold & somehow joyful, brave (even if afraid), & very much the force of life & humanity & falling in love with living. She’s the (fire) heart of the story for a good reason.

Now, as far as your favorite goes THAT'S is a very good question (one that I will also leave in your ask box in case it’s easier; whichever works best for you whether here or there :-) is it cheating to have glanced at your blog previously?😂 … okay, so, I’m going to guess based on that & conversations plus general vibes Manon, Rowan, or Aelin. Less so the latter, esp. as I think it just vibes a little more (idk why… total guess here😂😝)? I definitely think your questions/thoughts are very well-put & intelligently written, plus fun & kind… so I’m leaning towards Rowan more so because of the amount of heart & “a dreamer's heart” he does have? We’ll see, regardless I have no doubt it’s a great one & can’t wait to hear it😆 so, thanks SO much for the double fun ask!!😊🫶

[the-vast-corner-of-the-galaxy]

VISIONS OF MANDALORE- DREAM CAST

Hi, I am still alive, and I am here ready to bring my dream cast for Visions of Mandalore if it ever gets the chance to become a show or a movie (which will never happen, I know). Anyways, here is the first part of the cast for the Kryze family (ft. Obi Wan)

Satine Kryze interpreted by:

McKenna Grace or Dove Cameron

***

Obi Wan Kenobi interpreted by:

Walker Scobell, Sebastian Croft, or Jaren Lewison

***

Bo Katan Kryze interpreted by:

Raegan Revord or Sadie Sink

***

Adonai Kryze (Satine and Bo's dad) interpreted by:

Brad Pitt, Chris Evans, or Ewan McGregor

***

Erica Kryze (Satine and Bo's mom) interpreted by:

Emma Stone, Evangeline Lily, or Virginia Kull

Keep in mind that Satine, Obi, and Bo are teenagers in this story, which is why the actors I chose were young-ish.

Also, PLEASE give me suggestions on who else could be on the dream cast, and suggest any teen/young actors who can easily interpret Bo Katan or Satine (and also Obi Wan) since this took SO LONG too make.

I know Ewan as Satine's dad may seem criminal since Ewan will forever be known as Obi Wan, but I just can't really picture anyone else playing Duke Adonai because Ewan just resembles him so well.

The next part will include Qui Gon and people from Clan Vizsla, who will be in the next part of the story.

(btw, Erica Kryze is my OC for mama Kryze)

[no-romance-club]

|| ART WIP ||

So I was talking to my friend (@/silliest-fluffyboots) about having OCs as the SIX cast, so after a while I decided to attempt to draw it digitally. It’s a very rough sketch/draft so just bear with me.

This alr took 4-ish hours I’m gonna kms/j

~Meet the Cast~

Cathrine of Aragon - Kaida (Demon Slayer)

Anne Boleyn - Ahmose (Hazbin Hotel)

Jane Seymour - Evangeline (Outsiders sona/oc)

Anne of Cleves - Auster (DC)

Kathrine Howard - Kai (Redacted ASMR Darlin’ (masc) bc of Darlin’ n Quinn)

Catherine Parr - Orion (Hazbin Hotel (Heaven))

If you want to know anything about any of my OCs just ask

[annamatix]

okay. so. the blonde identity. let’s talk about it.

(there no spoilers in this review btw)

TLDR; 3.5/5 stars, pretty disappointing, lots of failed character development and forced stereotypes

i have to admit, i went into this book with high expectations. like HIGH expectations. because c’mon, this is ally freaking carter. the woman has never written a book less than 3 stars in her life. but that’s exactly what this book was. like 3.5 stars. im sorry to say i was pretty disappointed.

i’ll spare you the sap-talk about how i discovered her middle school and became obsessed with her books and felt really touched when the TBI dedication page said For the GGs. I’m so proud of you because i am one of those gallagher girls! but. oh there are so many buts.

i feel like ally got so caught up in trying to make this book adult-y (since she’s only ever written YA and MG) that it kind of backfired on her. the first few chapters were great. the right dose of ally carter funny and cute. but after that it was a blur of inner-and-outer-dialogue that felt like balancing on this cliff of childish and adultish. the characters acted like kids sometimes and adults other times. like they couldn’t make up their mind.

speaking of childish, zoe (the fmc) reminded me of evangeline fox so much it was uncanny. and i don’t really mean that as a compliment. it was weird. ally usually writes like super badass fmcs, so i feel like when she tried writing a softie it came out all wrong.

also, can we talk about sawyer (the mmc)'s dad? like, are you serious? are you serious? he was the most un-ally-carter character in this entire book. being all like oh i loved your mother but i didn’t get to do anything properly so you should go get your happily ever after when you have the chance in front of you son and i think i visibly made a cringing face when i read it. i guess it’s fine, really, cause ally probably wanted to try out a new genre and i went in thinking it was her typical spy book but with an adult flare to it, so i was caught off guard.

regarding the romance itself: to me the relationship between zoe and sawyer in the middle to end-ish felt a lot like adam and juliette’s relationship in the shatter me series. huge promises and awkward and messy and wholly unbearable to deal with.

i cannot shake off the childish vibes i got from this book and its characters. like ally, i love you, but it was so-- like-- whiny. like she forced a lot of NA stereotypes and stuff into it.

don’t get me wrong though-- ally shines, like actually shines, in YA. after this i just don’t think NA is right for her (or maybe she just needs practice). nonetheless.

i LOVEDDDD the last line, though. “ ‘Long story short, I’m in an enemies-to-lovers situation.’ Alex took a deep breath. ‘And I think I’m gonna need your help.’ ” that was so good. and alex is the kind of sassy, uber-independent fmcs that ally is so used to writing so… here’s to hoping the sequel with her will be better.

[the-owl-tree]

doooooo you have your own xenofiction ocs? like your own story and universe? i used to be deep in wc fan theories and aus then i realized i could just make characters that i wanted to see, lol. and its honestly made me enjoy xenofiction a lot more

*grips your shoulders* yes

i have like. very different ideas about a ton of things and admittedly none are very developed (aside from one but like. we'll get to it). but i've got three-ish dependingonwhatyoucountasxenofiction ideas that i've got some ideas for

(ordered least developed to most developed)

i've been playing around with my pharaoh ant palace drama idea and i love the idea of it being a revenge story of some beleagured young queen who gets fucked over by the other stronger colonies. it uses the help of insects outside their colony to take down the other queens while also strengthening their own colony. this one is the least developed, it's just an idea and there's no real groundwork i've made in actually pursuing it beyond research on the species.

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apocalypse meow follows a cat clowder in yarmouth, nova scotia, trying to survive. the catch? it's set in a post apocalyptic future where creatures have mutated horribly and the clowder is forced to advance to survive. the climate is unforgiving and their way of life even more so. they operate under a strict hierarchy with a focus on reproduction and order:

(hierarchy in order of most to least power) queen (the biggest and oldest cat who can reproduce, makes the final decisions) queen's court (which consists of "ladies-in-waiting" (job rank name is gonna change) and the highest ranking tomcats (big jowled boys who are expected to protect the queen and the court) + the queen's offspring the court's offspring the remaining members of the clowder who tend to do the more dangerous work such as hunting near the outskirts of the territory and are the first to be sent out in fights

the story's protagonist centers on the lowest rank of the court's offspring who finds herself forced into the politics of the tomcats trying to ensure their own kitten's success as queen- no matter who's life they have to take to ensure it. i've got some character ideas and plotlines but it's very much a rough draft.

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now my final idea is one i've got lots of ideas and set characters....but it also may not fall into what people are looking for in xenofiction. I've talked about them here and here

my furry oc's copycat and spellbrewer are part of an advanced future where people have superpowers (the power system is fairly developed but also needs some fine tuning). In this world, superhero and supervillain are job occupations, you can become a celebrity by enlisting with a corporation and being able to fight evil (think the boys, worm, the celebrity aspects of the umbrella academy tv adaptation, etc.). Supervillain is more like a wrestling heel, in which you can be the big bad to perform for people to root against....or you can be a legitimate threat. Higher risk = higher rewards after all.

The story is an ensemble cast but would follow mainly Evangeline/Eva (villain name "Spellbrewer") with the ability to create a wide variety of potions using ingredients and her henchmen, Ridley (villain name "Copycat") who, if she can stay touching you for thirty seconds, has the ability to copy one's superpower for a minute. The two are aspiring supervillains who wish to become real threats (well, Eva does; Ridley is still under the watchful eye of the heroes after killing one of them as a teen by accident).

This one admittedly just has animal protagonists because I'm a furry and I think furry designs are cool. It doesn't play a huge role in the actual story and is purely aesthetic, so I kind of hesitate to include it.......but i'm gonna nonetheless cause it's very fun and i've gotten some interest in it and i love them so LOOK AT MY HEAD BLORBOS.

but yeah! those are my stories, thank you so much for asking, i got SO excited when i saw this ask :D

[crenna]

so i was gonna dye my hair a little more rose gold-ish shade bc it’s cute (*cough* i’m obsessed with evangeline fox and she’s too relatable *cough*) but will i chicken out and leave my hair as it is? we will see

[bmacreadz]

"Once Upon a Broken Heart" by Stephanie Garber

"Once Upon a Broken Heart" is the first book in a trilogy that seems like it will definitely be worth the read (and the wait!).

This story follows Evangeline who, through heartbreaking circumstances, ends up making a deal with an infamous magic being who is rumored to be cunning and unpredictable. If you've read Garber's "Caraval" series, then you've already met Jacks.

In this story, Jacks is not what he appears to be, or what he appeared to be in the previous trilogy. He's definitely not an angel, but we are able to see him thaw a little towards Evangeline. And it is a thawing because there's not a whole lot of "romance" in this one.

I was a worried initially because I really wanted this book to give me something in the direction of romance. The title wasn't promising romance, and the description wasn't really giving me anything either (and for me to expect any different was absolutely on me). However, I'm very happy with the direction I see this story going. Granted, I am positive that I will have to read every book in this trilogy before finally having my breath taken away by that blessed feeling of falling in love, but from what I know of Garber, she always gives us something. I'm guessing we'll have enough to hold onto throughout each installment that we'll want to keep reading and rooting for Evangeline and Jacks.

What Garber didn't really give us so much was world-building. I, personally, didn't miss it too much because I was so focused on what was going on with Evangeline. It becomes pretty clear that Jacks isn't the only one hiding things from her and I don't anticipate her misfortune letting up any time soon. Regardless, it's hard for me to picture in my head the world that Garber set this story in. Evangeline travels somewhere north of where "Legendary" and "Finale" are set - where fairytales, myths, and legends hold some grain of truth. She is sent there by the newly-established Empress Scarlett Dragna to meet the crowned prince and serve as an ambassador on behalf of Valenda and the Meridian Empire. But I don't really know much about the actual place of The Magnificent North. Once again, from what I know of Garber, I'm certain she'll reveal even more to us as we continue reading the rest of the series.

The ending of "Once Upon a Broken Heart" definitely shocked me into a "I-can't-believe-she-just-ended-it-like-that!" state. Garber definitely wanted her readers to come back. So, I immediately bought the second book, "The Ballad of Never After" on my Kindle. And that review will be coming soon(-ish).

Sidenote #1: I read one review that stated something along the lines of "this book was just a setup for sequels." I have to agree, I think. It's pretty clear that this first installment is just a taste of what will come, but that's definitely not a deterrent for me. I want the subsequent books to be better and tell me more and make me feel all the things. To each their own, of course, but I wasn't entirely put-off by the idea that this book was just an introduction. In fact, thinking of it like that only makes me more excited for part two!

Sidenote #2: I haven't been posting as much because I haven't been reading as much. Last year, I think I read so many good books that I set myself up for failure because it's been so hard for me to keep interest in some of the stories I've been trying to read. I have some on my TBR list that I was waiting to buy in paperback, but will probably just get on my Kindle so I can go ahead and read try them out. That being said, book recommendations are appreciated. :)