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loneswaggingranger · 3 years ago

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Marvel Movies 2021 Review

I'd like to preface this by saying I have not watched Spiderman: No Way Home yet (criminal, I know, cinemas are crowded, COVID is rampant and it's not on Disney+ or Netflix what can I say) so that won't be included in this review. Also, that these are all just my very subjective ratings and views because I just think a lot when consuming media. Like. A lot. You might also tell that my judgements hinge largely on relatability, the main character's development and story engagement. There are bound to be plotholes and cliches, but as long as I enjoyed the movie, I'm happy with it. Which means that this is again, all very very subjective things and I don't mean to step on anyone's toes while making these comments. So, yeah, disclaimer disclaimer, all that jazz.

Anyway! Let's dive into it!

1. Black Widow - solid 8/10

Natasha hasn't been known for getting the best representation throughout the marvel films (Joss Whedon no babies = monster *cough, cough*), and honestly I've never been particularly invested in her either. But, this movie gave Natasha so much more texture as a solid, multi-faceted character. My only nitpick would be that it was released after Endgame, because I feel like if it had been released earlier, Natasha's passing would have had much more traction, at least to me. It would have been nice to see her story have as much focus as some of the other Avengers, instead of just being part of the main Avengers films/as a side character in other Avengers' films before she died, is what I'm suggesting.

Nevertheless, as a film on its own, Black Widow definitely hit all the right points for me! I enjoyed the chaotic banter between everyone, the high tensions and emotions, all the new characters introduced were engaging and fun to watch and Natasha's chemistry with her family just made so much sense despite me having never heard of them before. Also I might be over-identifying, because I too come from a many-conflicts family of one dad, one mom and two sisters, and being the younger of the two you bet I rooted for Yelena with my whole heart. It's just... really nice to be able to see some aspect of yourself in a story, albeit a dozen times removed. (Which just goes to show that representation, even the most minimal distant amount, matters.)

Another thing I really enjoyed about this portrayal of Natasha is that she is portrayed as a hero who heals, who mends the broken pieces and brings everyone together again. It is a very refreshing take from the classic saviour hero trope (not to say that this trope is bad, it's just nice to see some diversity in our arsenal of heroes ya know?). I loved that the movie accentuates Natasha's role as a healer which motivates her to save people, as well as her making reparations for what she did in her former years. I watched this while at a very low point, and it was just comforting to revisit why I love good hero movies so much while watching Black Widow.

So all in all, yeah, Black Widow just felt like a very endearing personal story which I wished I could have seen sooner rather than later.

2. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings - 7.5/10

It's been a hot minute since I last watched this one, but I remember coming out feeling very impressed! Being Chinese myself, hearing my language being spoken accurately on the big screen of something as big as Hollywood Marvel just really, really made me smile. And while I'm not American, some of the struggles i.e. meeting high parental expectations in a foreign land was still very, very relatable to me (Katy and her fam).

The martial arts sequences were all very nostalgic and it reminded me of the kickass Jackie Chan stuff my dad would have us watch with him. It's just really, really nice to see these little things of my culture (not that I know jackshit about Chinese martial arts but still!!! It was cool to watch!!!) being inserted into the narrative of a franchise I've grown to be so attached to.

The plot was rather generic, new-superhero-finds-worth-for-self but it's the generic stuff that I've never not enjoyed watching. And Shang-Chi has these really cool parallel moments when he beats his father using the same techniques that his mother did, and the sister Xia-Ling had these impeccable girl-boss moments and I'm all for that! The story as a whole was all really fun to experience!

However, the characters driving the story, I feel, did not strike as deep as I hoped they would have. Like, I don't get the same giddy grin when I think of Shang-Chi versus when I think of Tony Stark. That's probably just because they're still early in the works, and we'll gradually get to feel more for them, but at the moment it's just 'oh yay boy conquered fear' 'oh wow pretty skies' 'ah here comes the dramatic boss fight'. Like it's something I appreciated watching and probably won't find a need to re-watch any time soon.

Still!!! This existence of this movie gives me great hope for the rest of the Shang-Chi stories that are to come.

3. Eternals - 4/10

Look, I'm sorry, I really, really wanted to like this one. The cast being so diverse automatically gives it brownie points in my book, and the plot concept should have been something that I liked - a bunch of dysfunctionally related celestials who descended from the beginningless of time now banding together and working through their differences to fight another resurfacing ancient threat. It should work.

But sadly it just... didn't. Not for me, anyway. I think the problem was introducing way too many characters in one movie. Every time I start to feel something for somebody, there isn't enough time to sink those feels in before I'm forced to shift my attention to this other tragedy happening to another character when I had only just started to get mildly invested in the previous one.

Like, don’t get me wrong, there were many iconic scenes, some that got a genuine chuckle out of me, but I can only stomach so many variations of "humans good? should we help them? no we shouldn't >:(". And, with all due respect to the creators who put in the effort into this story, but did they really have to center everything around a main character that was physically and mentally weaker than those around her? Like, maybe she's just not my type of character (the chosen one trope), but I just found her so unengaging due to her not being able to do anything other than worry about the responsibilities placed on her shoulders. Like, Sersi was literally chosen just because Ikaris liked her and Ajak thought that might somehow serve to prevent Ikaris from being a dick? And Ikaris was just this, overly dramatic, brooding antagonist - and not in a good way - and they keep cinematically hashing out the Icarus flew too close to the sun symbolism too many times I just- like did he really just yeet himself to the sun after everything was said and done???? Also the weird love triangle thing between Sersi, Ikaris and Sprite (who is technically still mentally a teenager) just didn’t do it for me. Maybe I'm just not a fan of romantic drama, maybe these are just not the type of characters that I enjoy watching, but it is just unfortunate that the main trio are the trio that I care least about.

I understand that this film lays groundwork to some crucial concepts that might hint at where Marvel is heading in the future, and these concepts are actually pretty fun to think about but I just really, really wished they picked better characters to focus on. Druig and Makkari, for one, had so much potential but we only got a few glimpses of them. (No seriously Druig and Makkari single-handedly saved the show for me, I loved their chemistry together and Makkari is just so damn COOL and I really wish they gave her more time to shine dammit) Kingo was also hilarious, and heck even the Gilgamesh and Thena plotline could have been better fleshed out had it been given the time to. Because at this point, the only thing entertaining about The Eternals was the chemistry between characters (which is always fun to watch) while none of the deeper stuff really had a chance to stick. It felt like they were just shoving a bunch of characters down our throats.

Which is really, really sad, because this film has a very diverse cast that I would love to like but the execution of this story just.... didn't do it for me. And Marvel has always been known for not spectacular villain concepts, so I can give it a pass for the nameless villain that really didn't have much other than 'they were born to oppose the celestials' (probably because they were busy juggling the other nine or so characters on the other side), but just. I didn't come out feeling very satisfied watching Eternals. Good concept, weak execution.

And yeah! That's all for the movies. I'll probably make a separate post for the TV series because that is another set of stories that I'd love to share my perspective on! So! Until next time!

#I should use less exclamation points huh #also damn #I did not mean to diss so hard on Eternals #but it's okay #right?#just an opinion ok #marvel #black widow #shang chi and the ten rings #eternals movie #natasha romanov #yelena black widow #i love them with all my heart #also to anyone who read to the end of this #thank you :")#love you 3000

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doodleimprovement · 4 years ago

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Ghostly Friend - An Entangled Fates Fanfic

Why yes, this IS a fanfic of a fanfic. I never said I had any shame

Because frankly, @ahatintimepieces made too fun a concept for me to pass up giving the two a little diversion.

Enjoy !

“Oh, this is the timeline with the cool blue ghost!”

Luka wasn’t sure what to think of the girl’s excitement as they trekked through the alternate Subcon, the two of them taking a detour from their adventure- albeit accidentally.

This Subcon Forest had a.. different.. air to it. Less lonely, but… somehow more ominous.

Hattie led the two of them out of the denser forests dank air and into a field of muted closed flowers and rather unusual plants that climbed so much taller than you’d expect. Off in the distance we’re some conspicuous shallow hills with no trees. Perhaps man-made?

“They’re here!” The girl squealed, running through the taller grasses that went all the way up to her waist

“Wait, Hattie, what are you talking about? There isn’t anyone-” He tried to keep up, yelling after her while stumbling through the field.

And then the scenery moved.

Those were not shallow hills

The being- whatever it was- rose from its laying position as if sitting up in bed, and stretched out, it’s curling hair constantly floating as if suspended in water, billowing like dark clouds.

They turned to face the sounds approaching them, revealing glowing, Cyan eyes and a gentle gaze - a far cry from Snatcher, whose yellow eyes nearly always betrayed some form of chaotic energy when Luka met the ghost in dreams.

“Hi!!” Hattie waved and grinned “I’m the Hattie from the other universe. I came here with a friend by accident!”

The large ghost tilted their head for a second, before giving a fanged smile and letting out a low chuckle, the echo in their voice feeling as if on a different level from Snatchers, rattling the young man to his bones

“Hello there, my dear” the ghost greeted, reaching over and offering their large hand “It is lovely to see you again, mistake or not.” Hattie motioned for Luka to join her, and he cautiously followed suit “Let me get a look at you and your friend, hm? I need to introduce myself to them”

The hand lifted the duo up towards the ghosts face and their eyes narrowed in scrutiny as they gazed at Luka

“Well, aren’t you familiar” the ghost commented, seeming more amused than anything else “I go by “the ghost of the flowers”, most days, but you may call me Nell”

… Where had he heard that name before?

“Luka. I go by Luka”

“Ah” the ghost responded “So what brings you to our forest, hm?”

“We were jumpin’ through universes and went to the wrong one” the girl explained succinctly “but it’s nice to see you too!”

Nell chuckled once again “And you are her guardian, I assume?”

Luka nodded “Yes, uh, well, someone has to”

The ghost leaned back against some sturdy trees “Indeed” they agreed, before placing their hand on a lower part of their body, where legs might have been “How about you tell me what you have been up to, hm?”

Luka didn’t say very much for the next few minutes, letting Hattie ramble and rave and storytell to her little hearts content about the perilous journey they’d been on. Once in a while she’d turn to him to get his affirmation on some of the more fantastical details (or what her definition of the word was, at least) and he'd give an encouraging nod, or a “yup, that happened” in response.

Her grin was worth the time they were wasting, it was the most excited she’d seemed in some time.

Nell, for their part, listened with what Luka assumed was interest. It was the kind of interest that reminded him of when the head college nurse would let people ramble about how they got hurt while she diligently treated -

… Wait.

“Luka?”

The man was jolted out of his realization

“You okay?” Hattie asked.

“Yeah uh, can I ask you a question, Nell?” He tittered.

“You may”

“Uh, would your full name happen to be uh, AnnaBella?”

There was a pause to their expression, a large chunk of their amusement gone. The expression now seemed surprised, but contemplative.

“Little Harriet” Their glowing eyes fell on the girl. “I need to speak with Luka. Can you go find My Yellelily basket? It’s by the lake”

Harriet- seeming to read the aura better than Luka could, and slid off of the ghost’s hand, disappearing behind foliage.

Luka very suddenly felt very, very nervous.

“I’m sorry, was that not supposed to be said? Was it rude?”

They didn’t respond at first, lifting his sitting form in her hand while scrutinizing him, eyes thin.

“Full name”

“Hm?”

“What do you think is my full name”

“Uh, uhm” Luka’s mind tried to remember the nurse’s last name. Something long.. Italian

“Uh, Bounatti? Close to that” He weakly answered… and they chuckled.

“Bounacci?”

“Yes, that!”

“The full name should be AnnaBella Gracia Buonacci” They corrected “And how do you know me, dear?”

“Uh, you’re the head nurse at the college medical center”

“Huh” They nodded “A nurse? That sounds accurate. I was an apothecary in life”

“... So, you’re a ghost?”

“What else might I be?”

Luka shrugged a bit helplessly. “I don’t know. I just wasn’t sure what could’ve happened to you. You seem very… mild-mannered, where I’m from.”

“Huh…” They moved him down onto the ground “Tell me… is there a “Vanessa” in your timeline?”

“Oh, yes!” He jumped a bit once he landed in the grasses. “She’s my girlfriend, she’s wonderful! Is she here in this universe? .. Is she a ghost like you?”

“.. In a manner of speaking” they vaguely answered, as they pulled themselves up and turned, their form twisted, like the smoke of a candle, and their form shrunk, taking on a more humanoid shape, though their hair remained flowing and ethereal.

“Heh… uh, what do you mean?”

Their eyes narrowed at him, approaching him.

“Heed my warning” They maintained eye contact “I loved her. The only person that loved her more was her husband”

His heart partially stopped beating at the idea of them marrying

“But be wary of her.”

That feeling left

“After all, if this was her kingdom, and she is all that is left of it’s legacy.. Who is to blame?”

There was a moment of pause between the two of them

“... My… My Vanessa isn’t like that” He responded.

“Mine wasn’t either” Was all the ghost responded with

“Ahem”

The two turned, seeing Hattie there with a wicker basket filled to the brim with beautiful, golden lilies

“I uh, picked more of them for you!”

A smile reappeared on Nell’s face. “Wonderful, dear” They reached and took it “Once refined, this will make the finest salve for Titter-Ivy” They explained “You two should probably get going, hm?”

Hattie nodded “Are ya ready, Luka?” She reached and grabbed his hand

“Oh, uhm, yeah” He nodded “Uh, thank you for your time, Nell”

They gave him a smile. It seemed… sad? Melancholy? It didn’t feel like a happy smile

“Tread carefully, you two. And Luka?”

“.. Yes?”

“Don’t be a stranger, hm?”

The man blinked, unsure what they meant, but before he could respond, the Ghost turned with their basket, and faded with a twist into smoke.

“.. Are you okay?” Hattie asked

“Yeah… let’s go, hm?”

The girl just nodded, pulling him back into the dense thicket of the forest.

But the ghost’s words couldn’t leave his mind

“Mine wasn’t either”

#ahatintimepieces #entangled fates #luka #hattie #ahit nell #ghost nell #antonia writes #this was fun #antonias fandoms

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frogcook · 3 years ago

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"Er, h-hello Theo-san! I was wondering if you would be able to make kalua pig. It's a dish native to my hometown, just a little village boarded by the Coral Sea. T-Truth be told, I've been feeling a little homesick lately, a-and I need a little pick me up since work at the lounge has been so stressful... b-but please don't feel pressured to or anything! I wouldn't want to trouble you!" - a stuttering Octa A-kun

(Reminder to watch watchers Dish Granted)

"D'awwww, take it easy lil' guy, dunno what your employers are doing to you but you're always welcome here."

The mention of homesickness had also struck a chord within Theo. After sitting the student down he started to look up kalua pig on his phone.

"Truth be told I miss home too… see ya ain't alone! It's no biggie to do this for you. Anything to close that space between your heart."

He gave the student a hearty thump on his back, although he may have underestimated his fragility just a bit.

"Oops sorry! Haha I forget my own strength sometimes… Anyways! It seems relatively simple although I don't really have an underground oven… and uh, do you mind waiting here for 16 hours?"

Even if he can't see the student's face he can tell that's a no.

"Hey hey it's not a bother! Not a bother at all! We'll think of something I'm sure!"

Oh no he messed up didn't he? Now he's upset and oh god what's Theo going to do? A head pat, that's what he's going to do.

"Don't be upset now… Because I have an idea. You're from Night Raven right? They only accept the best of the best, so that means you're one of the best! So, I'll need your help alright?"

After seeing the student's eyes light up behind his bangs, Theo returned it with a warm smile.

"Sorry for making you work ahead of your hours… But uhm- it's relatively simple, in a way. Y'know that thing scientists use to replicate aging? It's kinda like that but magic. Normally it would be a heavy load on one person but since you're here you can probably help. It may make you feel tired if you're up to the task."

"Nothing I'm not used to…"

"Huh? Get some rest after this alright? I'll show that good for nothin' boss how to treat their employees correctly…"

Most unlike his normal demeanor he took on a grumpy face before realizing he may be scaring his guest.

"Ahahaha don't worry about it! Sit down and relax, it's your time off!"

With a brief session of washing his hands, it was off to the pantry! Or the fridge since there was some pork butt hidden around the back. He didn't know what to do with it until now. Using a carving fork, he would poke holes all over, though the force put into them seems slightly more violent than normal. While slathering the meat with salt and sauces he chirped up with his own thoughts.

"What's the village like? It sounds homely. Did ya see any of the merpeople? It's really interesting how diverse life is huh. Oh you surf? That's awesome! I'd love to see it one day."

The conversation had whittled the empty space in between and it was onto the next step.

"And would you look at that it's time! Stand by the slow cooker over there and I'll show you what to do."

After setting the meat inside the slow cooker and a quick session of sanitation, Theo took out a ladle with a green gem embedded.

"Silly, I know but hey practical! How about a little practice alright? It's just like aging and lighting something on fire! Slowly!"

Well that was very reassuring, but he has no time to think about his poor word choice! He set out an apple on the table and tapped it with the gem of his ladle. With the passing of a few seconds the apple started to heat up and age a little past it's prime.

"My condolences to this apple, but you saw that right? It's a combination of fire and time. Try to recreate it alright? This small amount won't do much harm, I think."

He sat down another apple and gave the mob student a reassuring smile. He shyly tapped the apple and surprisingly got it on the first try! Hooray! Although that joy would wither away just as the apple had because oh god it's on fire.

"Oops oops! Oh no not again-"

Theo recklessly cupped tap water from the sink and splattered it over the apple. Along with the floorboards and table.

"Okay that was on me, we should've done this outside. That was great though, although maaaaaybe you went a little overboard. Something on your mind? This is telling me that you're not having the best time. Oh and don't worry about the slow cooker, let's just say it can take the heat."

After Theo had cleaned up, he would sit him and his guest by the slow cooker.

"Alright so just tap your gem on the meat before I close it, I'll do it too. We have to keep a steady flow of magic, strong emotions could throw it off."

Gentle taps of the pork and off to hell it goes!

"We're gonna be here for an hour or so. Conversation can aid this process, mostly because the flow of feelings will be constant. So tell me about yourself! I'll talk about myself too if it helps."

And so the shadowy student started a stream of words. From his time by that quaint little village to the hell known as Night Raven College. Anger, sadness, and happiness, all apparent in his words. All the while, Theo was listening patiently.

The best part of it all, none of it threw off the flow! He must have been keeping his cool because of the meat.

"Hah! I get ya, I had to work 2 jobs before, the managers were nice because I was a kid n' all. Couldn't thank them enough. But your manager… is a kid like you? Huh? I take back what I said before, I'm going straight to his parents. It's always your old folks that influence you the most y'know? Yours have raised a mighty fine young man."

Theo gave him a playful punch on the shoulder. The student had given a bashful smile before looking away.

"Don't be so modest now! Work hard and you'll go places I promise. And grades aren't everything, work isn't everything. Sure they might help and you gotta do your best. But this is your life, live it how you want to. And live it with pride. You aren't anyone's servant, got that? Your hard work is for you and you only!"

The ding of the cooker had indicated the end of their wait. Theo pulled the plug and carefully removed the pig onto a platter. He took a fork and started tearing into it, creating several juicy shreds of meat. With a few extra garnishes and sauces, it was finally ready.

"Your dish has been granted! Good job on the meat, even if it was a lil' overcooked, I think it makes it better! You've got skill, just keep working at it. What matters is that you keep going, not that you stand out. And please rest after this. I think I will too- only after I eat this with you! May or may not have made 12 servings but you can take it all-"

#twst oc #Theo's dish granted #Theo Kimathi #twisted wonderland

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jazajas · 4 years ago

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okay so i finished love, victor a while ago and i saw some other reviews and thoughts about it here so now i've got a pretty good list on my thoughts and feelings.

tl;dr: it has some issues, yes, but im gonna hold out and hope it gets better later on because the same thing happened with the first few eps, i wasn't that into it but then it got good, and nothing is ever great with the first season, because at that point we're getting used to those characters.

⚠️caution: spoilers ahead (im on mobile, i cant get an under-the-cut)⚠️

1. while a leah on the offbeat movie would have been amazing movie sequel (even tho i havent read the book yet, im just here for the wlw content) i am kind of glad we got this instead. mostly because I've seen book series where one movie was good, so they decide to do the rest, turn out bad (hunger games? divergent? percy jackson? the hobbit?) because so much was cut from the book-to-first movie writing, that other scenes wouldn't make sense to future movies if they had those in while cutting others. however, i am sad that i didn't get to make the choice of deciding whether what was cut was wrong etc. about future movies, but i'll take what i can get.

2. LGBTQ+ POC as a lead! that's amazing! as a ace/bi lantina that's close to home (it also is great that victor's from texas and so is ya gorl) and even then it's a mixed latinx family! i think pilar mentioned that at least the grandmother left Colombia and i saw the Puerto Rican flag in victor's room. also the salazar's are definitely from small town texas, even without knowing the name. (church barbeques, the use of the words "such a diverse city" in regards to atlanta)

3. a lack of actual lgbtq+ main storylines (so far) is kind of sad for a show like this. i was getting serious bi/pan vibes (as a lot of other people) from victor from the beginning, and when it was implied that victor was actually gay (while great, not shaming) as it has been brought to my attention, there was a lot of looking at a lot of straight relationship problems (please let us know more about benji)- edit 6/18: upon further consideration, it very much is a show about questioning your sexuality, I'm speaking about the other straight relationship issues, not mia and Victor's, its just the first season.

4. let us talk about cheating for a sec. never okay, in any circumstance. i feel sorry for mia that she saw victor making out with benji and the fact that he was doing any of that in the first place. victor made a choice to lie about the espresso machine and then kissed benji at the hotel and then when benji was fighting with derek, basically confessed his love and mistakes, then proceeded to makeout with benji after he broke up with derek, he built that grave and now he must lie in it. i get having feelings for a guy when you are in a relationship with a girl, and not accepting yourself enough to end that relationship but you really want it to work so you can be "normal". really, he should have told mia after he got back from the trip tho. i get being in highschool and doing stupid stuff and making dumb decisions, but for a show aimed at teens i think we should also remind said teens to make good choices even if we have to lose some realism within the character choices.

4. pilar and her decisions based off her brother pissed me off. because i honestly think that if she'd kept her mouth shut about what she knew or confronted victor about it in the first place we could have avoided a LOT of mess. did she not learn from snooping around her mother's business about her relationships that going behind a person's back doesnt end well? i did, however, like the pilar/felix friendship and was really kind of hoping that they'd get together during their coffee hangout (although now im glad that didn't happen) because they had a deeper understanding of each other. same with wendy/felix, although they do seem to much alike to work out in the long run but i still feel bad for wendy.

5. i don't know how i feel about lake and andrew, as people separate from each other. both seem to be the way they are from their upbringing (not confirmed why andrew is such an ass, but if his comment about his dad is anything to go by i bet it's got something to do with attention) but andrew seems to be less, idk, superficial? like he turned down mia because he didn't want to be a rebound, he didn't out victor, he actually stood up to early teasing the other dudes in the lockerroom were doing at victor (with teasing of his own obviously but that interaction had him on my nice list until much later). lake? lake. i honestly don't have an opinion of her? not really. i mean after hanging out with pilar i was hoping felix wouldn't go back to lake. is her name laken? i feel like her full name is laken. but they also played the "im only like this because my mom is really superficial about stuff and i do like the geeky nice guy but appearances" to "actually screw the norms im gonna makeout with him infront of the whole student body". i honestly thought she was gonna be bi because she kept hitting on mia when she was helping set up for her "date" and "big night" and there was one point where i saw her face fall at something mia said in relation to her and idk i was hoping she'd be bi (i figured early on that victor/mia wasnt gonna work and was like "oh mia/lake would be cute" but now idk.

6. okay on to the "big night", i have one word. NO. i didn't like the peer pressure into having sex. i agreed with felix when he said "your body your choice" but im also disappointed that victor made out with mia and when lake was talking to felix after victor left he didn't try to stand up for victor.

7. on to age gaps because i hadn't really thought of this at first. we'll start with benji/derek: WHAT GRADE IS BENJI?! because that determines my thoughts. if he's a sophomore that meant that he and Derek started dating benji's freshman year and thats eugh, don't do that, don't care if its a gay couple that shouldn't be happening because the maturity of the two characters is DRASTICALLY different (this is also a reason i am not a fan of cmbyn) but that would explain why they were so rocky. hoping the event at the gay bar was open to anyone not just for drinking, but not liking that fact that not one of the adults with victor were like: hey, this is a 16 year old, that's kind of wack when that dude was hitting on victor. that made me question some stuff. although i figure it might be making up for the lack of a gay bar scene in love, simon. but even then, in svthsa it's a restaurant with a bar that some people go to just to drink at, it wasn't just a bar, simon could be there but should NOT have accepted drinks from college kids, not matter how attractive.

8. i loved how bram and simon and their friends helped victor out though. i like how bram was like: hey i know my friends are a lot so here's a gay basketball league becaue there's no one way to be gay. i like how Simon talked about needing help himself just to help victor and how he said his friends were cool with it because it's a community. i like of justin(?) mentioned how being what his parents wanted was putting on a mask and pretending, not him doing drag. my favorite lines from that ep are: "and before you ask my pronouns are they/them/theirs" "'they're all gay? even that guy? he's like [insert really tall number]' 'yeah. you should see him in heels'" "or in simon's case: really unathletic" "and also because bram said that if i wore [the jean jacket] one more time he'd burn it". also katya was there. and the group hug too!

9. the back hand homophobia in relation to family is sad, but realistic and i sincerely hope his parents are kind enough not to be too harsh on victor because of it. anything they say that isn't positive or supportive of victor is bad but i hope they realize that there is more to him than that and that they can come to terms with it because it's not always that hard to be a part of that community and super religious. i am biromantic and catholic. and while there are some things i wont agree on my mom with, i know that it's more of a strike against God for kicking out gay kids from families than it is to be gay, because those parents were given trust by GOD to love those kids no matter what, and be good parents. so in the end, the parents are wrong and harmful and in the case of christians against jesus's teachings to love everyone.

10. this is fan speculation but dont think simon/bram are going through a rough patch? i honestly think it'd be a little cruel to the characters to have on of their actors be producing but then not have that relationship stay. and while it's not set in stone and obviously things happen in the real world, we have no proof script wise about there being a rift. all we have are bad photoshopped ig photos and scenes where two characters are never standing next to each other probably beccaue schedules never link up correctly for minor characters. who knows, maybe nick robinson was filming for a movie where is does have an even more major role than victor's gay guru in a series about victor so his filming time was around that. im gonna keep hope that things are okay.

11. that being said: we need more mainstream wlw content, because someone said it earlier and it really does seem to be catering to straight girls. i'll admit i did freak out when benji played call me maybe which is something i associated with him and victor but then kissed a guy because who wouldn't? we get that serenade and sweetness and then it'a ripped from us. but i did mellow out. if i flipped later it was because victor was making dumb decisions and i had to give myself a moment of compsure before i continued.

in the end, i'd say that there is a lot of growth this series needs to go through, but i also know that some people just aren't going to like it and i get that. but i also know that sometimes the best of stories have rocky starts, nothing is ever perfect from the beginning. and besides, further seasons are on hold until we figure out this covid thing, which means that you bet they're gonna be looking at our feedback. they saw what we thought before, they can do it again

i really did like it but we need more ACTUAL lgbtq+ relationship stuff from this series and better decisions on what we are teaching the younger generations, as well as what we want to focus on and realism within characters. i'm giving it an 8/10, because there is always room for growth and i really hope we get better things out of this than what we have been given in season 2.

edit: someone mentioned it really seeming like it was meant for Disney+ and i felt that. also to anyone who reaches the tags agter reading ALL OF THIS: i am sorry

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emerald-studies · 4 years ago

Text

Diverse Perspectives | Discussion 2

I talked with @a-sucker-for-rosalie for her perspective as an Indian-American, Muslim woman and who is also the daughter of immigrants.

*Tumblr deleted this post AGAIN when I tired to post this, so again sorry for the mistakes*

[ It is required to participate and watch/read these discussions, in order to follow me. Participate or get tf out. We aren’t performative in my lil’ area on Tumblr.

This discussion isn’t representative of an entire population or meant to be super professional. It’s to share different perspectives and also is an opportunity for me to practice what I preach: intersectionality. If you’d like to participate in this series please send me a pm or an ask and I’ll get back to you ASAP. We can do a written, audio, or video interview.]

youtube

Faith: Ok, now...

A /@a-sucker-for-rosalie : Hi, my blog is @a-sucker-for-rosalie and my main blog is @theawkwardmuslimgirl, I’m a 24 yo Muslim woman from the United States and this is my story.

F: *laughs* Good job!

Have you felt an urge to assimilate by anyone in your life, or society in general?

A: Yeah absolutely, I think one of the biggest things for me has been my name I have an Arabic name, it’s something that’s been difficult for people to pronounce over the years, even my coworkers and some people in my family don’t say it properly and I’ve gone back and forth between absolutely hating my name and trying to whitewash it. Telling people to call me AJ or give me a nickname whatever they can think of or shortening it somehow. And then at some point when I reached college, and I kind of started to understand myself a lot better, I was like “Wait a minute, no...I love my name. My Grandmother who I’m so close to, or was before she passed away, she named me.” and it just became this big thing for me where my name was important to me and it was representative of my culture and my religion and yeah I’ve gone back and forth on that but I’ve kinda settled into, I like my name I’m not going to do nicknames anymore, ya know...if someone at least tries to make an effort to pronounce it properly, that's good enough for me right now. But I'm done hating that part of myself.

F: Right. And I think it's a kind of on other people to, just not make a big deal about it. If it's a cool, it's a cool name like then just say it's a cool name. You don't have to, like, drag out that whole conversation about “Oh, how do you pronounce it syllable by syllable by syllable?” Like, I mean, unless you (A ) want to, but like, I know, I've had friends that like I've encountered other people and they, they like kind of pick it apart and be like, “Oh, that sounds weird”. And it's just like,

A: Mm hmm.

F: So like, what? yourself yours sounds really basic, Claire. That also reminds me of Hasan Minhaj on Ellen, when Ellen pronounced his name wrong. And that was a whole thing, but it was like it just really makes you think like you can pronounce Timothée Chalamet Why can't you make an effort to pronounce someone else's name accurately?

A: Yeah, exactly. And my whole thing for a while, it's just like, I'm saying my name for you before you even see it spelled--

F:*laughs*

A: --you should be able to say it back to me, like you're purposely--You've never heard it before, and you're purposely making it harder for yourself.

F: That’s so accurate, you do Introduce yourself. So, yeah, that’s ridiculous.

As a child of immigrants, how is the anti immigrant talking point affected your mental health?

A: Um, I mean, I'm pretty white passing. And as a Muslim, I don't wear hijab at the moment. So on a personal level, like out in every day, I don't feel that. But then, you know, when Trump was running for president, and things like that, and there is all this, people were half joking that he was going to put Muslim people in concentration camps or something. And then the Muslim ban happen with travel. I think that was very painful to experience. I mean, it's definitely come and gone. It's not a constant thing. Like, I don't feel oppressed or as targeted as say, like, Black people or even like, Mexican immigrants or anything like that. But it definitely has. When it's come up again, it's difficult to deal with and it's hurtful and then you do go through all those emotions of questioning. “Okay, so like people are cool to my face, but when it comes down to it, who's gonna protect me or who secretly doesn't like my people?” You know,

F: Right. Yeah. Because all that has shifted, you know, like, people are hiding their ignorance. Trying to rationalize it now, so you never really know, is on your side. I think it's just like so scary.

A: And there’s people are like, “Oh, you're cool, but you know, the other people.” It's like, ummmm

F: I've heard someone say “You're like a good Black.”. Like,

A: Yeah, that's not cool.

F: Would you say like, do you just....I don't know, like, everyone is good in some way, I believe, like, deep down somewhere or they were good, and then they were just corrupted. So,

A: Yeah, I mean, I know people probably don't mean harm by saying that. And like, it’s just like, dude, educate yourself.

F: I mean, personally, I do think them by not meaning any harm, but saying it anyways makes it harmful.

A: Yeah, sure.

F: I mean, them kind of knowing that they're talking about something that they don't really know about. I think that's me. That's just me.

A: But no, you're right. I think there's a weird thing. I mean, when, when the whole protests started, and this Black lives matter thing, just in the past couple months got really big. There were all these white people on social media posting about, “I had no idea that Black people go through this!” and like, “I'm starting to really look at my privilege as a white person”. And I was like, okay, so many people really don't know what's going on. And on the one hand, I don't think they're bad people. And I know they don't mean it the way it comes across. So I do try to give people the benefit of the doubt. Like a lot of times it is just the lack of education on their part. Yeah, like I try. I try not to hate on people or like, call them out on that stuff. It's just like, Okay, here’s how you should actually approach this....

F: It's funny the way you put that

A: Like, like white women checking their privilege on Instagram was like, blowing my mind.

F: Oh, yeah. Not No. Yeah, Emma Emma Watson like, posting those black squares but cropping them so they fit her aesthetic.

A: Ah, God.

F: Yeah. And like, I have seen stuff like that, like, “Oh, I know about this” or, um, and it's, but, you know, the first wave really wasn't like 2014/2015 (of BLM)

A: Yeah.

F: And I remember because I was 14 or 15. So like if I was 14, and like, all these older people are like, “Oh, I know....” I'm like, Well, if I know Yeah,

A: What were you doing this whole time?

F: those women crack me up.

A: They crack me up too

F: Yeah, they're just discovering this like new like, essential oil.

A: Yeah, it's exactly like that.

You've lived in India for a year--Did you experience a culture shock or did you feel a sense of belonging?

A: Oh, absolutely. I don't think I've ever felt like such an outcast before. A lot of it was I didn't speak the language. My mom's parents when she was a year old, they moved to Canada and they didn't teach her our mother tongue either. Because they were kind of hell bent on their kids assimilating into Canadian culture, and fitting in with the white people. They didn't want them to be outcasts there either. I remember my mom telling me she was the only kid in her school and Black parents. Yeah, it was very, very white. And then, you know, I was the only kid in my Indian School who didn't speak the language. They spoke English at the school. So it wasn't that bad, but I think I definitely did stand out. As an American person. I was just talking to my sister last night. She's like, yeah, yeah. I told them. We live in California. And they're like, Oh, do you know Jennifer Lopez? I don't know.

F: You that's so fair, though. We give like Yeah, you do that to each other. Like, if you hear someone lives in____, like you're like, oh, have you seen a _____ out and about?

A: Yeah, I don't know. I think definitely It was early 2000s. Two. So there was sort of it was a different time. You can say stuff like that. Like we didn't, there was no social media or anything. So you don't really understand how other people live. Just what you see on TV.

F: I do you really regret not being taught your...[mother tounge]?

A: Yeah, I do wish I learned it. Um, I do want to try to pick it up. I know, in adulthood, that's a lot harder. But my cousins have picked it back up again. So I feel like I definitely could. It's not like I don't want to turn it into a “whoa is me” kind of thing because all my grandparents spoke fluent English. It was never a problem.

F: Mm hmm.

A: I think it's more of a retaining culture thing, but I don't think I would ever go back to India at this point, just because of the political climate there. There is a lot happening between Hindus and Muslims and just, it's not safe. And I don't know if I would ever make that journey again. As a non-tourist.

There have been many terrorist attacks against your community, how do you manage the pain of people viewing terrorism against your culture versus, like viewing it differently than 9/11? or other terrorist attacks against white people? Or largely white populations?

A: Also, good question. Um, I don't know, I feel like growing up as a Muslim, you've always kind of had this thing in your head that you are the other. And you're different from people. And I was think I was four or five when 9/11 happened. So I grew up with that feeling. It's not, I don't know any different. So it is this kind of thing of like, okay, I do understand that a large group of people hate us and we are targeted sometimes. But I think just like reaching back to my community and like looking back at my religion and like spiritual stuff kind of helps me like that.

F: Have you experienced your friends viewing it differently? Like holding other terrorist attacks in like a grander I don't know how to phrase this--

A: I think I get what you're saying. Like, like they think it's worse when it happens to white people.

F: Yeah cuz I've had friends that did stuff like that that would say like, you know like even America in general just like we paused in my online school one time for like five years minutes for 9/11 I'm like, Okay. Um, that's, that's great. Um, are we going to do that with like, I would have, I mean, not to say “all terrorist actions matter”, Yeah. It's such a huge thing. And then I'm like, okay, but are we going to tie that to what America has done in the Middle East? Like, I mean,

A: I'm very lucky that my friend group has always been very diverse. And they open and likes to talk about the news and keep up with those kind of stuff. I mean, my best friends are like an Indian Hindu and like a Catholic, Korean. Like, we're all over the place of that stuff, to kind of understand each other in that sense. So I've never had that problem for I feel other defy my friends in that way. And also As an ethnic person, I do tend to look for friends who are also in some sort of minority, just like as a comfort thing.

F: Mm hmm.

A: So I'm very blessed that I haven't had to, like unfriend people over things like that.

F: That's amazing. I'm glad you have that support. And your discussions must be very interesting.

A: Oh they’re great, we have great discussions.

How do you see yourself in your country?

A: I know it's like, trendy to be like, “I hate America. This place sucks”. Especially like as a woman as an immigrant as a minority. Like I, I, I recognize how blessed I am to be here and have the opportunities that I've had because my parents immigrated, and because this country does allow us so much freedom. I do think sometimes I question my place here. But for the most part, like, I don't want to say it's great, but like, I, I know what I have and I value it. I don't take it for granted.

F: Yeah, that's a good way to put it.

Do you think that public figures are afraid to voice their support for the Muslim community?

A: Some of them Yes. I can't think of off the top of my head who said what about what but I do, just like with influencers and stuff, like the Christchurch mosque shooting, a lot of people were silent about that. And that was very painful to see. But I don't know I feel like it's just it's something I expect at this point. Like, I never expect anybody to stick up for us. But when I see it, it definitely is nice. Like, I remember Kylie Jenner's but something when that happen, and I was like, “Oh, God bless you, thank God”. Someone said something. I think Kim Kardashian and I think Kourtney or Khloe might not have said something. And I was like, “Huh.” Like, I don't know, it's just like, you have to wonder where everybody's loyalty lies and like, do you have something against Muslims? 50 people just died for no reason while they were peacefully praying, like, is that not something? But then, like, I don't know. It's the whole thing of like, influencers saying they don't want to be “political”, which I used to understand. And at this point, you cannot not be political because it's just it's such a big part of Life at this point, and if you're not political, I don't know if you're aligned with Trump, or like your low key racist or what..so you saying nothing says something, you know?

F: Yeah, I totally agree. I think that says so much when you look at a person and what they talk about, but it says so much more what they don't talk about, ] I think--and like there are a lot of things to talk about To be fair, but when you look at current events, and tying what they're not talking about, to the present day, like in this moment, then that says so much and I'm sorry that more people didn't say anything about shooting that was just atrocious. Like, I mean, I didn't have social media than I would’ve said something.---

A: So I got up that morning and cried so hard. Just I was like, I mean, I don't need influencers to like, be pseudo activists or anything, but once in a while just remind your audience what you're aligned with. I feel like that's very important.

F: Yeah, yeah. I think that's so yeah, that's so fair because you may like have someone who is racist or like anti-Semitic or like any...homophobic in your follows and, like, if you don't talk about something, if you don't say, “Oh, we support blank here, get out if you don't”, or if you don't talk about frequently enough. I feel like those types of people can like, I don't know, hide themselves. I think, that's scary. Um, And I'm so sorry that you had to go through that type of feeling where you don't feel that enough people were talking about that tragic, tragic event. And I hope it never happens again, it should have happened in the first place.

Do you feel that you were the face of your religion and race when you lived in a very white area?

A: Um, like I said, I'm white passing. So no. And when I when I lived in those areas, I was very, very young. So it wasn't even an opportunity for me to even fully understand that my place as a Indian person or a Muslim person, but I definitely did not connect or relate to the white people. They're like it when you're young. You know, you're different. You just can't figure out how yet.

F: Hmm, that's a good way to put it. Yeah.

Is there a bigger divide between the young population and the older population in your culture versus the young white population? And the older white population?

A: Yeah, I think there is. That's a great question. Um, I think it just in that move from India, or any you know, you see this with most immigrants, no matter where they're from, but coming from your the motherland to the west. It's just the culture shock. I mean, with young people, so they want to assimilate. I see that with my peers a lot. They're just very desperate to fit in. They want the American culture they want to behave like white people. Go smoking and drinking and dating and whatever, things that aren't necessarily a part of our culture. But yeah, there's there's a lot of people trying to blend in. And I see a lot of brown people who were Indian when it's convenient, like on Instagram. It's like, “Ooooh, I'm Ethnic”, and then the other six days a week, and they're white. You know?

F: *laughs* Yes, I do. Like, that reminds me of like Halsey who brings out the fact that she's Black(?) when necessary.

A: I mean, like, I get it. There is a struggle there being white passing and still trying to be like, “Hey, I'm here.” Part of this culture and experience in some way or another in like you do feel like you have to prove that. And also, like, as a white passing person, I do feel like I haven't had a lot of experience that feels like a universal experience for other brown people. Like I don't get targeted like that I wasn't bullied for being brown or my skin or my hair or whatever, or my accent. So there is kind of this weird lack of camaraderie because you're not visibly part of your community sometimes. So I kind of understand where she's coming from. But when she uses it as a tool, it's like--

F: Yeah, like, Yeah, exactly. Like if you are using your platform to share voices that have had that experience. Like that's a totally other thing. Yeah, when you pull it out to complain about shampoo at a hotel Yeah, no, it doesn't suit curly hair of shampoo.

A: Who doesn’t bring shampoo?

*laughs*

What do you think about the hard working immigrant stereotype?

A: Um, because, like coming from an Asian background, you do have the people who did were the parents and grandparents who pull themselves up by the bootstraps and actually did work very, very hard to get their kids and grandkids where they are. But at the same time, I think both my parents came from like a generally privileged or like, middle class background. Like, my parents have degrees and my dad always had a job and he had his own apartment and cars stuff there wasn't that sort of struggle with us. I don't think it's not necessarily a universal experience. I do think Asian people need to check their privilege on that one like a lot of us, and we did not have that struggle.

F: Interesting. And this is a final question:

You've lived in diverse areas and very white areas, which area has affected you more?

F: ...although you said that you were in the white areas when you were younger.

A: So I think that definitely did have an effect on me. I think less so in terms of my culture, but more so just as a human being and how I tend to treat myself or treat other people as an adult, and even in school, like I know how it feels to be the outcast, and I know what it feels like to not fit in. So I think in that sense, it's just really shaped my worldview, like being kind to other people and them how I want to treat other people and identifying in other minority groups. How they feel other-ed.

F: Hmm, yeah, using that for good. Mm hmm. Yeah.

A: Really shaping my own understanding.

F: Yeah. That's amazing. Um, thank you for doing this.

A: Absolutely. Thank you for interviewing me. I appreciate it.

F: Anytime. If you want to come back anytime I can make more questions. I will stop the recording so we can talk a little bit privately. And thank you again.

Let’s have a discussion! Did you learn anything new from this conversation?

Let me know here.

To close out each post, I’d like to write a lil’ paragraph about the person I talk with:

Even though our talk was shorter than others I’ve had in this series, I could tell just how sweet A is. Her voice made me smile constantly throughout our chat. I’m appalled that she, and her community as a whole, have been subjected to the horrors of mankind that often are brushed off or ignored. Her strength and positivity are inspirational for me. I’m once again blessed that she took the time to chat with me. A was also another person who was there for me (sending love to the egg gang, again) and I’m so lucky to have such marvelous people as friends/supporters. A, if you ever need anything I’m sooo here for you.

You’re a sensational person.

-Faithxx

#twilight #muslim #india #immigrants #discussionswithfaith

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carriagelamp · 4 years ago

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~ Queer Lit 30 Day Book Challenge ~

I decided to do this challenge I came across for June! Originally it was designed as a “day-by-day” thing, but my June was way too hectic to do a write up every single day… so I decided to make a nice compilation for the end of the month instead!

This is perhaps not the “purest” form of the challenge but I wanted it to be personal for me. Growing up when I did and where I did, I had very little exposure to queer books, especially age-appropriate queer books. That being said, there’s some books on this list that are really only “queer” by technically, or through a secondary character rather than the main character. I debated whether to include these but finally decided that, yes, I would. I owe it to myself. Even though some of these books that aren’t “as queer” as other, they were (or are) really important to me as a queer person and my journey is understanding that, so I wanted to acknowledge them!

More info about the books and the challenge under the cut!

Day One: First Queer Book You Remember Reading

Color by Taishi Zaou and Eiki Eiki

Remember how I mentioned a lack of available, age-appropriate queer books? I was one of those kids who was definitely exposed (probably too young) to queer manga/yaoi. It wasn’t necessarily what I wanted, especially as a wee ace teen, but it was the best I had at the time and it meant the world to me at the time, to see same-sex relationships even if looking back on them is very “YIKES”.

I’m sure I read others before this, but Color is one of the first that I really remember and which I a) actually owned and which b) wasn’t completely repellent in hindsight! I haven’t reread it in probably over a decade so I have no idea how it stands up, but at the time it read like a much more “realistic” account of two teenagers developing a crush and starting a relationship and as a questioning teenager it really helped me realize that this was a real, viable option.

Day Two: Queer Book That Reminds You Of Home

The Witch Boy by Molly Knox Ostertag

I hummed and hawed about this one for a long time because honestly I tend to read books that make me feel far from home. I decided to go with The Witch Boy though because it’s a story that challenges gender norms and stars a large family out in the woods, running wild and exploring magic, and honestly it gives me vibes that remind me of vacationing with my extended family. We’re also partially ginger and inclined to run wild in the woods. If we knew magic we’d have used it for sure.

This book is about 13 year old Aster, who lives in a family where the women all become witches and the men all become shifters. Aster, however, has no interest in shapeshifting and instead finds ways to study magic and learn the arts of witchcraft while constantly being pushed out by his female relatives… though everything might change when a new danger, that may or may not be connected to Aster studying magic, begins to appear.

Day Three: Queer Book That Has Been On Your TBR Too Long

Beneath The Citadel by Destiny Soria

That was an easy choice, this has been sitting on my bookshelf for months, staring at me accusingly every time I enter my room. I’m really excited to read it (Magical heist? Rebellion? With an asexual protagonist? Yes please) but for some reason I have not gotten around to it. Some day, baby, some day.

Day Four: Queer Book With A Name Or Number In The Title

George by Alex Gino

George is an absolutely charming middle grade novel about a child named George who the world perceives as male… but who knows she’s definitely a girl. The novel begins when her class decided to put on a play about the novel they had just read: Charlotte’s Web. George is desperate to play Charlotte, her favourite character, but isn’t even allowed to try out because it’s a “girl’s role”. George and her best friend struggle with how to handle this problem and manage George’s secret amid elementary school and home drama.

This book is really adorable – it was a nice, easy, cozy read for an adult, and would also make a great read aloud to elementary-age children if you want to introduce them to transgender characters.

Day Five: Queer Book Where The Protag Has A Fun Job

The Magic Misfits by Neil Patrick Harris

Not actually a queer protagnoist, but a queer side character who plays a major role in the series. Mister Vernon, one of Leila’s fathers, has arguable the coolest job: he’s a retired stage magician turn magic shop owner, which is complete with large rabbit, hidden room, and tons of fascinating gadgets to help a young practical magician learn their trade. He is hands down one of the neatest character in the series and is a major catalyst throughout the series.

The first book follows Carter, a runaway orphan who practices street magic to get by, as he runs away from his horrible uncle and winds up meeting a gang of magic-loving friends in a small town. Hiding from his uncle is only the beginning though, and the mysteries surrounding the town and Mister Vernon become thicker and thicker as the series goes on.

Day Six: Favourite Queer Graphic Novel

Check, Please! by Ngozi Ukazu

There’s lots of fantastic queer graphic novels out there, but I have to name Check, Please! as my favourite (and not just because I’m Canadian and am legally obligated to at least show interest in a hockey story). Check, Please! is the friggin cutest story about Eric “Bitty” Bittle, former figure skater and avid baker, who joins the Samwell University hockey team. The story is told in the form of Bitty’s vlog as he recounts the bizarre quirks of the Samwell hockey team, his struggle to overcome his fear of checking, and his growing crush on the team captain, Jack. Seriously guys, this is cavity-inducing sweetness and you can read it all online for free, here on tumblr @omgcheckplease or at its own website, checkpleasecomic.

Day Seven: Queer Book You Often Reread

Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan

Another book I haven’t reread in years, but this was the first queer novel I ever read (and owned!) so I read it obsessively, first the copy from the high school library and then my own copy (which is, let us say, well-thumbed by this point). It was pure fluff, in an aggressively diverse, relentlessly accepting, rainbow-coloured high school and it was exactly what I wanted in high school, and it still makes me happy whenever I remember it. It’s a straight-up high school romance, pretty traditional to the genre, but it has the most delightful supporting cast you could ever ask for. Maybe I should reread it again this summer…

Day Eight: Queer Book With A Happy Ending

Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst

This was a bit more of a “yeah it was fine” book for me, but honestly… queer people deserve some average, run-of-the-mill YA fantasies. As far as my normal reading preferences go, run-of-the-mill YA fantasies are my bread and butter. And this one has a cute sapphic romance to go with it. It’s about Denna, a princess with a dangerous secret: she has a magical Affinity for fire, despite being betrothed to the prince of a kingdom that aggressively prosecutes and fears magic-users. So now Denna is in a strange land, trying to hide her increasingly volatile magic, solve an assassination that rocked the kingdom, and deal with the growing connection between her and the prince’s wild sister, Mare. It has court intrigue, a murder mystery, horses, and lots of confused sapphic pining so it’s totally worth picking up if you want a light summer fantasy adventure.

Day Nine: Queer Book With (Over) 100 Pages

River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey

I decided to try to get as close to 100 pages as possible! River of Teeth is a 114-page novella that I haven’t quite finished (work and covid stress happened) but which I am fucking losing my mind for. I can’t recommend it enough. It’s peak alternative history, about queer hippopotamus-riding cowboys in Louisiana during the early 20th (late 19th?) century. Like… I don’t know how to emphasize how unbelievably cool this book is. Genderqueer demolition expert with a giant crush and a penance for making things blow up and attempting to poison guests when they’re bored?? Check. Gay gunslinging hippo-riding cowboy with an angsty backstory (and also a giant crush)? Check. Sexy, fat, badass lady con artist with an albino hippo that she spoils? Check. Like damn guys. I’m not done the book and I’ve already bought the sequel because I know the second I pick it back up I’m not gonna stop until I’ve ploughed through it all. This book is the epitome of “refuge in audacity” and “rule of cool”. Is it over the fucking top? Absolutely but that’s the point.

Day Ten: Favourite Queer Genre Novel

The Red Scrolls of Magic by Cassandra Clare

I’ll be honest, I’m a little shaky on what counts as a genre novel (isn’t… everything… a genre??) so I decided to interpret it as “slightly trashy YA supernatural fantasy” because that sure is a hella specific genre I’m weak for.

I really thought I was done with the Shadowhunter novels, I thought they were a goofy series I left behind in teenagerhood that I could look back on with amused indulgence. And then I found out that there was a novel specifically about Alec and Magnus and! Oh no! Ding dong I was wrong. I fell back in hard because listen… I love them. They were one of the first canonical same-sex relationships I ever read about in an actual novel, they meant a lot to me then and still mean a lot to me now. I have nothing to say to defend myself here except that this book wrecked me and I can’t wait for the sequel.

Day Eleven: Queer Book You Love In A Genre You Don’t Read

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O’Connel

I am very rarely a slice-of-life / romance genre sort of person. I like my stories cut with a heavy dose of fantasy, scifi, action-adventure… something. So a graphic novel that’s not only a romance, but one about an unhealthy relationship and infidelity is like… super outside my usual range of reading material. But it was very much worth the read! The art was stunning, and the complicated emotions it tapped into really touched me. I’m very happy to have read it, and was so damn satisfied by the end.

Day Twelve: Queer Book With A Strong Sense Of Place

Belle Révolte by Linsey Miller

Linsey Miller is one author I very actively follow, I love her works and they always have very distinct, complicated worlds with unique societies and magic systems. Belle Révolte was her latest book and followed a prince-and-the-pauper type of story, in which wealthy Emilie des Marais is determined to learn noonday (magical) arts in order to become a physician, someone who can actually work to make her home a better place… but this is not something a proper lady would ever be allowed to do. So she flees her finishing school and meets poor, but magically gifted, Annette Boucher and offers her the chance to switch places. Annette goes back to school as “Emilie” and gets to hone her skills at the midnight arts while Emilie will use her name to sneak into medical school and fight her way up the ranks to physician. This is a challenging enough task, with rebellion roiling just beneath the surface and the country about to slip into a arrogant war that threatens the lives of hundreds…

Day Thirteen: Queer Book That Really Made You Think

Our Dreams At Dusk by Yuhki Kamatani

This is a four book manga series that is completely breath-taking. It’s touched by magical-realism and completely drowned in visually stunning metaphors and symbolism. Seriously, I’ve reread these books multiples times trying to digest how the wide variety of symbols overlap and contradict and compliment and challenge each other. I still haven’t really gotten a solid handle on it, it’s very fluid, so yeah… definitely makes me think.

The story starts with Tasuku Kaname who believes he may have just been outed as gay by a high school friend, and feels like he’s watching his entire world crumble around him. He is seriously considering taking his own life, when he runs into the mysterious woman “Someone-san” and winds up leading him to a drop-in center that’s run by a local non-profit, and is also a hub for a number of queer people in the community. The books follow Tasuku as he grows, learns, makes mistakes, and confronts his feelings, along with a number of other members at the drop-in center. It is completely beautiful, optimistic, but also quite stark and harsh at its look at homophobia and transphobia in modern Japanese society and how it can effect people in different ways. I just bought book four and can’t wait to read it and see how everything ends.

Day Fourteen: Queer Book That Made You Cry

The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline

Holy shit guys. Listen. Listen. If you don’t read any other book on this list, please consider reading The Marrow Thieves. It is hands down the best book I’ve read so far this year. Another book that doesn’t have a queer character as the protag, but as one of the main supporting characters and listen, his story fucking destroyed me as a person. That romance just… aaaaaaah. AAAAAAAAH.

Anyway. The Marrow Thieves is a Canadian dystopian novel. It takes place in a post-climate change world in which society has been ravaged – partially due to the wildly different and extreme weather patterns, but also through a strange disease that has spread through the population that has left people completely incapable of dreaming. Now unable to rest, process their lives, and dream of a future, people are being driven insane and only one group appears to be immune: North America’s First Nations people appear to be unaffected. And so they begin to be harvested, rounded up and collected in “school” in order for people to suck the marrow out of them to give to white people afflicted by this disease. The Marrow Thieves follows a First Nations boy named Frenchie as he flees the recruiters and tries his best to survive in this post-apocalyptic like wilderness, banding together with other First Nations people who are heading north, where they hope to find communities of their own people with whom they can shelter and start to rebuild their lives.

It’s a YA level novel, not very long, and such an insanely good read. I cannot emphasize enough PLEASE GO READ THIS BOOK.

Day Fifteen: Queer Book That Made You LOL

Mostly Void, Partially Stars by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor

Welcome to Nightvale always makes me laugh and it was a lot of fun to get to read the transcripts of the episodes. I’m a sucker for novelizations/transcripts of shows. It was a nice nostalgia trip and gave me an excuse to go back and relisten to some of my favourite episodes too! If you’ve never gotten into Nightvale… hey, it’s a classic! Podcast is fucking stunning if you’re into podcasts, and if you’re not but would enjoy a weird, queer, eldritch horror comedy then try the book! It’s the first “season” compiled in text form, exactly how it’s heard in the show.

Day Sixteen: Queer Book That Is Really Personal To You

Jughead volume 1 by Chip Zdarsky et al

Including this one because gee golly it sure did make me want to fight a lot of people for quite a while. It was one of the first stories I ever found/read that had an explicitly asexual main character… (and a character I already really loved! Which I now got to feel an even stronger connection to! It was so fun and validating!) so it was super awesome how like half of tumblr decided for a year there that this was apparently a cardinal sin. Imagine… one single version of old, long standing comic series deciding to retcon a character to represent a heavily under-represented community… imagine being so fucking angry about that that you decide to start a hate campaign on the internet. So much fun to live through that as an ace person. Anyway, these comics were nothing amazing but I sure do love them aggressively out of pure spite, even now that the aphobia on tumblr has died back down I will hold this to my chest and adore it.

Day Seventeen: Favourite Queer Book Sequel or Spin Off

The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee

Honestly do I even need to say anything here? Is there any queer person who hasn’t read Mackenzi Lee’s The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue series? If you are someone who hasn’t read it yet… go do that?? Absolutely stunning, one of my all-time favourite book series. It’s the perfect combination of hilarious and goofy, intense action, heartfelt character development, and a dash of “wait was that supernatural or??” This sequel was fantastic, this time focusing on Felicity, Monty’s sister, and her quest to become a physician despite being a woman in the 18th century. Awesome look at femininity, feminism, asexuality, and race. (Also… OT3? OT3.)

Day Eighteen: Favourite Queer Book By A Favourite Author

Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett

One of those “ehh is this technically queer? Not really but close enough, it is in my heart” books. It was one of the books I read as a teenager when I was still beginning to seek out and try to explore queer lit in so much as I could.

Terry Pratchett is, hands down, my favourite author, and though he doesn’t tend to write explicitly queer literature, his exploration of gender through allegory is top fucking tier. Everything to do with the dwarves in his series is fascinating, and a really great challenge/critique/exploration of gender, and this is the book that takes it to the next level (and brings in at least implicitly queer characters). It’s about Polly Perks, who lives in a small, war torn nation, choosing to join the army in order to find out what happened to her brother. However, as tradition dictates, she can’t join as a girl… so she disguises herself as Ozzer, a young man. There’s a lot of twists and turns, and as always Pratchett delivers fantastic humour and just absolutely delicious satire.

Day Nineteen: Queer Book That Changed Your Life

And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson

This was the book that made me realize that I, as a queer teacher, could have queer kid lit in my future classroom. Maybe a comparatively small revelation, but a really important one to me. It made me realize that this didn’t need to be something I kept a secret in my professional life and which could really positively influence children, especially queer children. It was the first queer children’s book I ever bought.

Day Twenty: Favourite Queer Book Series

Candy Color Paradox by Isaku Natsume

Alright… I’ll admit it, this isn’t actually my favourite series, but I’ve used my favourites in other spots. And this is a good one! Definitely more of an actual “yaoi” than the other manga I’ve included (here there be sex) but it has a very different vibe that what I’m used to from that type of manga. The main pair are actually both capable, mature adults, with careers they actively care about, and who get together in the first volume!

The rest of the series is less about them angst-ily toeing around their relationship, and much more about them learning to grow as a couple and balance their work and relationship and society. It’s funny and sweet, and I really enjoy these two losers. It’s a very low-stakes enemy-to-friends-to-lovers story, in which Onoe (a reporter) and Kaburagi (a photographer) are paired up on a news story they’re supposed to dig into together. What starts as a bickering rivalry gradually becomes respect, friendship, and love~ Onoe is a gremlin of a protag, so he’s a treat to follow.

Day Twenty-One: Queer Book That You Recommend A Lot

Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller

To repeat myself: Linsey Miller is awesome! This is my favourite book of hers, the first of a duology. It’s kind of like an intense, edgy Tamora Pierce novel with murder. In this world, the Queen has a team of assassins known as the Left Hand. They’re an elite group that keeps the Queen safe and does the dirty work that needs to be done to protect the kingdom and keep the encroaching nations at bay. When the assassin Opal is killed, a contest is announced to find the new Opal. People from all over come to complete for the honour of being one of the Queen’s royal assassins, including gender-fluid thief Sallot Leon. Sal has some deep motivations to become Opal that go beyond a loyalty to their kingdom, but they’re going to have to survive their competitors if they even wants a chance at it… (Sal generally goes by either she or he in the books, but I’m using they in this instance since it’s in a more general sense.)

Day Twenty-Two: Queer Book That Made You Take Action

The Deep by Rivers Solomon

Uhh, I don’t really have any books that made me take action per se, but this one sure gave me a lot to think about. It’s about deep sea mermaids who originated from the pregnant slave women tossed into the ocean to drown during passage to North America. From those dying women, this race was born and were taken in by whales, raised and protected until they could descend into the deep ocean waters, to form their own safe society. Their collective past is so painful though that as a species they’ve developed a very short term memory. But a people can’t live without any ties to their roots and so one of them, the Historian, holds all the memories for their entire species and shares it with everyone once a year so that the community can be connected to their ancestors before once again returning the memories to the Historian for safe keeping. Yetu, the current Historian, is so overwhelmed by these memories, that she can no longer take it – she flees her people, her responsibilities, and her pain and escapes to the surface instead...

Day Twenty-Three: Queer Book By An Author Who I Killed Is Dead

Cybersix by Carlos Trillo

I cannot emphasize enough, this is not actually a queer comic, it is in fact a very homophobic, transphobic and sexist comic written by a horrible person.

That being said, he’s dead and I own it now the TV series was essentially about a genderqueer superhero and a very confused bi biology professor who has a crush on both personas. I had a passionate crush on both personas as a child, and I will cherrypick this comic until I die in order to enjoy the only kickass genderqueer/genderfluid noir antihero I’ve come across. I am valid and I am not open to debate or discussion. Do not read this comic it’s horrible (but consider watching the show).

Day Twenty-Four: Queer Book You Wish You’d Read When Younger

The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang

This is such an incredibly soft story with the nicest art. There’s so much understanding and compassion in it and its exploration of gender and self-confidence and being true to yourself would have been very reassuring to me as a child, especially by late elementary/middle school.

Day Twenty-Five: Queer Book In A Historical Setting

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

A retelling of Achilles’ and Patroclus’ relationship from childhood to the Trojan war. So yeah, you can imagine that this was also a candidate for Day 14 :’) I haven’t read this one in years but god it was lovely and emotionally destroyed me as a person.

Day Twenty-Six: Queer Superhero Book or Comic

Overwatch: Reflections by Michael Chu and Miki Montillo

I don’t really read superhero stories very often (the comics have always driven me a little bonkers, trying to find a way to enter the totally unapproachable Marvel/DC canons, and the MCU burnt me out years ago for every other sort of superhero story) so this is the closest I can get. Tracer’s a superhero yeah? Anyway, I, like every other queer person in the Overwatch fandom, lost my fucking mind when this dropped for Christmas a few years back and officially declared Lena Oxton not only the face of the entire franchise but also a lesbian. It’s an adorable little comic and Tracer’s girlfriend is a sweetheart.

Day Twenty-Seven: Favourite Queer Children’s Picture Book

Prince & Knight by Daniel Haack

There’s a number of sweet queer children’s books that are popping up these days, but this is my favourite just because it’s less about ��explaining the gays to children” (though those books also have their place) and more of a cute little fantasy adventure in which the actual protagonist is gay. It’s about a prince who sets out to find himself a bride who can help rule by his side, but it quickly becomes clear that he isn’t interested in any of the girls. Instead, when a fire breathing dragon threatens his kingdom, he meets a brave knight who fights along side him. It’s very supportive and the art is lovely.

Day Twenty-Eight: Queer Book That Made You Feel Uncomfortable

Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann

This is a book with an asexual protagonist that I was originally really excited for. I know there are a lot of people out there who really enjoy this book and connected with it, but it didn’t do it for me. Maybe because my expectations were too high, but the protagonist’s experience with asexuality was vastly different than my own and the narrative voice ended up rubbing me wrong (and let’s be honest, slice-of-life romance is NOT my usual genre at all). So it’s not “made me uncomfortable because it’s Bad And Wrong” more just… totally vibed wrong with me. Maybe the perfect book for other people but definitely not for me, I had to return this one unfinished because it’s portrayal of asexuality just made me so deeply uncomfortable.

Day Twenty-Nine: Queer Book That Made You Want To Fall In Love

The Gentleman’s Guide To Vice And Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

This book had to make it on here somewhere, and honestly it could have gone in a lot of different spots, but I chose to put it here because the relationship between Monty and Percy is so incredibly sweet and authentic it really does make you want something like that. TGGTVAV (for anyone who has somehow not heard of it) takes place in the 18th century, and is about Monty, his best friend (and crush) Percy, and his sister Felicity going on a final “hurrah” tour of Europe before Monty's father finally tries to pin him down in England and force every part of Monty that’s deemed “unacceptable” out of him. So Monty intends to live this summer up… until everything goes off the rail and the three of them are suddenly fleeing across the continent with assassins at their heels and a strange, stolen artifact in their possession.

Monty has a lot of growing to do in this novel, and that’s one of my favourite things about it. For his and Percy’s relationship to ever have a chance, Monty needs to learn and change and actually communicate with other people, and it makes the relationship feel strong. Not a fluffy, surface level romance that often happens in YA but something built from the ground up by two friends who really want to make it work. Ahh, it’s lovely. One of my favourite novels.

Day Thirty: Queer Book With Your Favourite Ending

My Brother’s Husband by Gengoroh Tagame

A two-book manga series that was completely stunning. It deals with queer relationships and homophobia in a very stark, real-world manner that you don’t often get in manga, while still being incredibly loving and sympathetic. The book is about Yaichi, a single father whose estranged brother (Ryoji) recently died. One day, a Canadian named Mike arrives, introducing himself as Ryoji’s widower. Mike had come hoping to visit his late husband’s homeland to try to get some closure, and Yaichi ends up inviting Mike to stay. The whole story looks Japan’s societal biases, through Mike’s experiences, Yaichi’s thoughts, feelings and prejudices, and those of his daughter who adores Mike.

Seriously, this is one of the kindest, most earnest looks I’ve ever seen to internal prejudices that critiques them without demonizing the person who feels them. Instead it lovingly embraces grief, growth, and love. This series made me cry multiple times, was good enough that even my straight brother practically ordered me to go out and buy the second book when he finished the first, and the ending was just *chef’s kiss*

Honourable Mentions

A few books I really wanted to fit on my list somehow but couldn’t quite manage it, so here: All Out an anthology of historical fiction short stories about queer teens. The Tea Dragon Society series and Princess Princess Ever After, graphic novels by the amazingly talented Katie O’Neill. Heartstopper a webcomic turn graphic novel by Alice Oseman about a pair of rugby players. The Different Dragon a cute picture book in which the boy has two moms and which is about accepting different ways of being. And Lady Knight a part of Tamora Pierce’s Protector of the Small series because because Kel is word-of-god aro(and/or ace) and I’ve adored that series and Kel since I was about thirteen so by god I’ll take it.

Now for those that wanted to do their own challenge, I found it on @gailcarriger’s blog.

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thoreau-up · 4 years ago

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So i binged Blood of Zeus

Pros:

1. Very attractive character design so of course it’s gotta be #1 (i mean just look at apollo)

2. Only 8 eps 40ish minutes each so if you want to binge it in a day, that’s very possible

3. The giants were a really cool concept, (con #6: wish they werent just a plot device and had bigger roles)

4. It’s a typical Zeus/Hera story basically so if you’re into that i guess

5. You’ll root for Heron, or at least i did, poor thing was thrown into all of this

6. Very clean animation, id say cleaner than Castlevania (but castlevania was better off using the rough-animation)

Cons:

1. It’s a typical Zeus/Hera story: whatever the true mythological greek myth characterization of both zeus and hera are, it really took away from enjoying the show, like all hera had to do was castrate this man, honestly, idk if heron’s story is a real myth, or not, but if it was made up for the show they really i think could have done more, made it more complex, ya know, like how many of these “Zeus was horny, Hera directed her anger at innocent ppl” stories do we need? I think as a society we have progressed past the need for more zeus apologetic stories

1.5: the plot is super simple, i can only really describe it as bland but maybe this show just wasnt for me, they did leave it on a “cliff hanger” (idk it could be one) but like hades ≠ satan, and ik im not the only one in the tag that thinks so (a friend of mine wrote a paper on the whitewashing/christian-ifying of the greek gods and it applies here, zeus ≠ god and hades ≠ satan)

2. Beside from evil jealous female, the women really didnt have any role, barely any speaking lines so woohoo i guess

3. WHY IS THIS CALLED AN ANIME???? This really pissed me off, like, BoZ isnt what id categorize as a cartoon, but it’s clearly not anime, art style is completely different, made in the US, doesnt even have the same feel as anime; we americans should just call these animated shows aimed at adults like BoZ and castlevania ~animation~ why do we have to stick our animated shows into a label where it doesnt belong just for the sake of expanding your audience im sure if there are americans watching anime they’re also watching cartoons and other animated shows we dont need american animation pretending to be anime

4. I liked the voice actors, they had very strong voices, i just dont think they really worked they took me out of the fantasy or in other words prevented me from disbanding my disbelief and really getting into the show, but im sure other people found the voice acting fine and not a big deal and im probably just being picky bcuz i was watchign the show too closely after my first impressions

5. After looking at the tag and reblogging the very amazing fanarts and gifs of the good looking characters, i came across a post saying the cast was diverse, and....i guess? They all looked like they were based off of the standard white european set with few exceptions. Like, the only characters i found having the same face syndrome were the women, but lets face it, they were quite irrelevant to the show, idk, ppl need to relook at greece and realize not everyone there is white****, greek people just do not look like northern european ppl, like take the average greek person and comparw them to the average english person, there are distinct differences bcuz greece is a mediterranean country, there are more skintones and face structures than white, like why do we have to continue making Zeus the white ideal????? He reminded me more of a norse god than greek god liek did they use Chris Hemsworth’s Thor as a model reference? (*****Ok, upon posting this i immediately looked at rhe characters again, and i will say that the skintones arent just white, they do have a good gradient of skintones, idk, maybe this is bcuz im white myself but looking at the character designs, like they’re face structures and body types, and a lot of them just read north european to me, and not mediterranean, like it looks like english ppl with different skintones paint-bucketed in, but im picking at fine details here, i will take back what i said about the skintones, but zeus still looks like thor)

Take my comments as just comments, im not demanding you not watch it, make your own decision; i was just moved so much by the show to make this post (also i just cant spell and dont care to fix them)

#blood of zeus #BoZ

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valdez-and-the-argo-crew · 5 years ago

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God!Percy Fic Chapter 1

Link to the prologue https://valdez-and-the-argo-crew.tumblr.com/post/190107559251/godpercy-fic-prologue

10 years went by all too quick, but of course I hardly noticed. The only thing that kept me aware of the passage of time was how many people I knew didn’t come back to camp, whether it be from quests gone wrong or by choice.

I’d kind of taken over Dionysus’s old job here at camp. Chiron thought it would be good for me, seeing as I was so hasty to accept immortality, I deserved some sort of time out. Some time away to learn to not be too quick to say yes. I’m allowed to leave, go do other godly things but what is there to do? So I just stay here and train heroes.

The gods had started claiming more of their kids these days, after two demigods confronted them at the end of some big quest they were on. Now we get a lot more diversity with the godly parents here at camp. Makes it a lot harder to choose teams for capture the flag apparently. The captains have to level skill with numbers, for example, the Hecate kids are great but there’s only 2 of them, versus the 15 or so Aphrodite kids.

Today, I’m teaching sword fighting to the Hermes cabin and the Nemesis cabin.

“Alright welcome to your first sword class of the summer.” I paused and looked around. I noticed a few confused looking kids glancing around. “It’s nice to see some old faces, but to those of you who don’t know me, I’m Percy, and I will be teaching you all about how no to die.”

That got a chuckle out of a few people. One young kid, maybe about 6 years old looked up at me. He was a new camper but he caught my attention. He had dark black hair, which made him stand out against his blonde cabin mates. Perhaps he just hasn’t been claimed

“Mister Percy?” He paused and looked around the arena. “Are we gonna use real swords?”

I smiled and pulled riptide from my pocket, pulling off the cap and tossing the sword up just a bit. I caught it and looked at the kid. His jaw had dropped and he was looking at the sword with dazed awe.

“We are absolutely using real swords.” I said. “Now, you older campers go find armor and help the newbies with theirs. Jacob?” I looked at the head counselor of the Hermes cabin, a 16 year old named Jacob Martinez. “Help the little ones get swords that are weighted correctly”

Jacob nodded and led the younger demigods to the armory in the back of the arena. I watched the campers scatter and find armor that fit. I looked down at riptide and remembered my first sword lesson with Luke in this very arena. It seemed like only yesterday he was just an 18 year old teaching me how to parry and block on my first day of camp.

Thinking of Luke made me think of Annabeth. We’re on okay terms these days, however we don’t really talk much. She stays the year at Camp Jupiter, which I had no clue existed until recently, because I guess they were our rivals until now. Someone needs to catch my up on all the godly things I should know, I’m starting to feel a little left out.

I laughed to myself, because I’m a funny guy who thinks funny things. Eventually, though, my thoughts shifted back to Annabeth.

Annabeth was supposed to come back soon, since the summer session had started here, but sometimes she got held up. I didn’t hold it against her if she was late because I was always just happy to see her.

“Alright, we’re ready, Percy,” Jacob called from across the arena as he finished fastening a kids chest plate. I looked at him, letting my thoughts about Annabeth fade away.

“Alright kids, ready?” I asked, getting an enthusiastic nod from the newbies and shrugs from the returning campers. I showed the new campers how to hold their blade, how to stand and how to swing properly. Soon the sound of metal glancing off armor filled the air as the lessons begun.

At the end of the day, after all the days activities, I went to walk by the beach while the campers ate dinner. I could smell the offering fire from here, though it wasn’t a godly thing, it’s just because it was really strongly scented. Only gods up on Olympus get the privilege of the offerings in the fire.

I dug my toes into the sand as I paced back and fourth. I willed the water to get my feet wet as I walked. It was calming in a sense, made me feel connected to the mortal world, even though it had always been an ability of mine to stay dry. Just Poseidon things, ya know?

The sound was still tonight, and the moon reflected beautifully on its surface. I had once been in awe of how my dad was the god of all of the earth’s oceans, but now... I can almost understand. I’m by no means a major god, and I don’t have much control over anything except water, but the world and everything in it made sense to me now, in a way it never had before.

I stopped pacing and just stared out to the horizon, letting myself relax for the first time in a while.

I was quickly pulled back into reality by a gentle tug at my sleeve. It was the young kid from the Hermes cabin from earlier.

“Oh hey kiddo.” I knelt down to his level. “Jamie, isn’t it?” He smiled and nodded. He had a little gap in between his front two teeth.

“What are you doing here, why you in the dining pavilion?” I asked. Jamie looked down.

“I’m homesick,” Jamie frowned.

I didn’t know how to respond. I’m not fantastic with little kids.

“I have an older brother named Percy back at home.” Jamie continued. He looked up at me. “So I wanted to talk to you because he’s like you.”

I was a bit caught off guard by the little boy’s sentiment. I ruffled Jamie’s hair gently and stood up. “Still, buddy, it’s dinner time. I know it sucks to miss someone at home but...You could get to know your new siblings here. I know Jacob, your head counselor, loves meeting new kids. Come on, I’ll walk you back.”

“Only if you sit with me!” Jamie said.

“I guess there’s no harm in that...” I said. I really didn’t know why the rules about what table we sat at mattered. Tradition, I guess.

Jamie beamed and grabbed my hand as he lead me through the dunes and back up the path towards the pavilion. Chiron gave me an odd look as I was dragged past the head table and towards the Hermes table. All I could do was shrug as Jamie tugged me away.

“Okay I’m back!” Jamie announced proudly to his siblings at the table, who evidently had no idea he’d been gone.

“I see you are...And I see you’ve brought back a guest.” Jacob laughed, looking at me.

I simply shrugged, not sure what to say.

“Percy reminds me of my older brother at home, the one who isn’t a half blood.” Jamie said, clinging to my arm. I wasn’t used to small kids being attached to me, metaphorically or physically like Jamie was right now.

“Well...welcome to our table!” Jacob laughed as he passed over a platter of various types of bread rolls and extra goblet for me. I asked the goblet for blue soda, and took a roll off the platter. I looked over at the fire, and considered throwing the roll in...but I’m a god too and I deserve this.

“So,” Jacob began, looking at the new campers. “How was your first day of camp half blood”

The new campers, especially the younger ones, started to go on and on about the camp.

“I almost died!” Exclaimed a girl excitedly.

“Not as much as I almost died!” A younger girl countered.

Jamie started recounting his day bit by bit, adding his own commentary on thing like the lake (“the water girls are pretty”) or the volleyball courts (“but why is there normal volleyball at a magic camp?”). It was funny to hear about the camp through the eyes of a six year old.

“I wish my god dad would claim me though. That must be cool.” Jamie sighed.

Even though I’d considered this fact, it was still strange to hear. Usually people get claimed before they even get to camp now. “You don’t know your godly parent yet?”

Jamie shook his head. Jacob smiled and hit his hand on Jamie’s shoulder.

“It shouldn’t be much longer, no need to worry,” Jacob assured. “The gods made a promise a few years ago to the demigods that bridged the gab between the Greeks and the romans. All of the kids like us are supposed to get claimed as soon as possible.”

“Wait...There are Roman half bloods too!?” Jamie looked wide eyed. “Do they live in Rome? I went there last year with my mom.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh you have no idea buddy. I once met a kid who followed the path of the Egyptian gods. Carter, I think his name was. And my friend Annabeth met his sister Sadie. There are all kinds of gods out there. Most of them live here in America, however.” I said. I took a sip of my soda as Jamie processed that information.

“That is sooo cool! I want to meet a god one day!” Jamie claimed excitedly. “I wonder what gods look like...”

Jacob shot me a look that Jamie couldn’t see, almost to say ‘Should we tell him?’

I shook my head in response. Only the year round campers knew I was a god, and there weren’t too many year rounders lately. It was just mainly the head counselors and a few stragglers that had nowhere else to go. I didn’t really want it being public that I’d given up all this to become selfishly immortal.

I turned back to the conversation, listening to one of the Hermes girls talk about how she got to camp last year. I tried to look like I was paying attention but I got lost in my thoughts, thinking about what I’d sacrificed 10 years ago.

I sighed and looked back out to the ocean beyond the borders of camp. The ocean was still calm, as it had been for a while. No impending threats, no freak storms... it did feel good not to have another world ending war.

I looked down at Jamie, who was still hugging my arm as he ate an apple. I could see how out of place was with these Hermes kids. They all had similar features to a certain extent, but Jamie was just not like them. He was also the youngest, by a year or two, probably making it hard to relate to everyone else.

He looked up at me and gave me a toothy grin before turning back to the rest of the demigods at the table.

Once dinner was done, I followed everyone out to the fire pit for sing alongs. I hadn’t partaken in any of these for a few years, but I figured I could let loose. I laughed and sang and watched the fire get brighter and brighter. I almost felt like a camper again. Almost.

#percy jackon and the olympians #pjoverse #pjo #percy jackson #pjo stuff #incorrect pjo quotes #percy and grover #pjo text post #percabeth #poseidon #annabeth chase #chb #chiron #camp half blood #rick riordan

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unnursvanablog · 4 years ago

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All the books I read in 2020 / part 2.

The Golem and the Jinni - Helene Wecker: ☆☆☆☆☆

Loved how these myths and legends were used within this story. It is a beautiful tale of immigration and friendship and how Wecker conveyed that was just beautiful. The text did drag its feet in some places, but this story is also so character driven; their experience with the world, and their longings, so I understand that slow pace. Everything about it felt really sincere and it truly is a book that leaves you with something. I have never read anything like this before and I felt like it bridges the gap between historical history and fantasy well.

Naturally Tan - Tan France: ☆☆☆

I listened to this book in one sitting as I drove from the capital area and all the way home to the countryside. And I really enjoyed it because I really like Tan France and he narrated the audiobook himself. The text, the chapters and therefor the book itself goes a bit all over the place and it feels a bit vapid at times. It was about everything and nothing, really.

The Silence of Bones - June Hur: ☆☆☆

I am not so much for these types of mystery novels, so it was not something that drew me forward, but I did find the atmosphere that Hur created within the story and the historical elements really great and made the story quite enjoyable. I felt like learning a little more about certain parts of Korean history that I did not know before, and I really enjoyed that.

In the Labyrinth of Drakes - Marie Brennan: ☆☆☆

The world that Brennan has created continues to wow me. It is complex and it’s so much fun to travel around it. I love getting to know these characters at different stages of their lives and it just makes you like them even more. The story often runs into the same problem for me and that is that I find the first parts of the story so exciting, it is an adventure, but then it loses me a little towards the end.

The Will to Battle - Ada Palmer: ☆☆

After the amazing storyline of the second book, this book really lacked any excitement within the plot to propel you further and instead we got a lot of philosophical lessons and musings. In the previous books I felt like Palmer managed to strike a balance between those things, but not here. So little was going on. This story is deep, beautifully written, and complex and all that, but the text is often so long and dense, and my dyslexia just wants to skip these walls of texts that often just feel like statements about something philosophical but not real conversations or reflections from the characters.

The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep - H.G. Parry: ☆☆☆☆

I was hoping for a 'grown up version' of Cornelia Funke's Inkheart, and although that was not quite what I got, I really enjoyed this. I thought the world was well thought out, and the idea of the readers interpretation of the characters and even literary criticism can affect how they would appear in our world was a cool concept. In some places I felt that the story was a bit stunted or towards the end I was starting to predict where it was going, and there was a lot of misunderstanding between the characters so the story could continue, which got on my nerves. But for the majority of the time, it was a really fun read.

Midnight Sun - Stephenie Meyer: ☆

You can judge me for this. I judge myself too. It was strange to fall back into the Twilight world after completely falling out of it after reading the last Twilight book. But out of sheer curiosity, I decided to give this one a try. But wow… this was not fun and added almost nothing to the original story and Edward is just so damn boring and having to spend time in his mind was just kind of a torment.

The Absolute Sandman, vol 1 & 2 - Neil Gaiman: ☆☆, ☆

I was going to listen to the whole thing via the new and shiny audible version of the Sandman comics, but I could sit through more than the first two volumes. I could not tolerate the violence against the female and queer characters. Oh my god! You do not have to go that far to make your story edgy, or create a complex, dark world. Nothing that happened seemed to move me or make me want to keep listening to this story. It does not really seem to revolve around anything. Or maybe I am just too annoyed to pay attention to the story. Fortunately, Gaiman seems to have improved as a writer since.

Radio Silence - Alice Oseman: ☆☆☆☆

Listened to this and although contemporary YA is is usually not something that hooks me or interest me in any way, Oseman manages to make the story so genuine and down to earth despite all the teenage drama, and the character felt so real that it just draws you in. The daily problems of teenagers often seem too dramatic or unreal to me in books like this, but that was not here. The text is not to flowery, but not too simple either. The story just as a really good pace going on. Everything just flowed together.

Wicked Fox - Kat Cho: ☆☆☆

The story did sound like a kdrama to me and I was hoping it would be that. Just fun and cute and fluffy with some loveable characters and sprinkle of myths and legends. It was fun, it didn't go into too much depth with most things within the story. It kinda brushes over a lot of things. For me the book started of well, but then towards the middle of the book things start to happen to fast and there was not enough time spent on bulding things up, so in the end the story kinda went nowhere for me. The little bits of the Gumiho legend, at least how the legend was presented in this book, inbetween the chapters was my favorite bit.

The Silmarillion - J.R.R. Tolkien: ☆☆☆☆

You can tell that worldbuilding and just spending time making things up for this magical world that he crated was one of the things Tolkien enjoyed the most when it came to writing. The stories about Middle Earth, even the backstories, are so rich and lushus. I do struggle with the writing style, it does feel a bit dry to me at times, and it does feel like short stories set in the world of Middle Earth and not at tightly knit story which isn't always my cup of tea so it did take me a while to get into it.

The Left-Handed Booksellers of London - Garth Nix: ☆☆☆

The story really throws you straight into the action and you just have to find your bearings as best as you can while the story goes on. It was really fast paced and the story never really stops for too long to give you a breather. It was light and funny, a little weird and the character were whimsical, which I enjoyed. Sometimes I felt like I was in a Doctor Who episode, except with magic and not aliens. I just wish it would have let the story breath a little more for me to really enjoy the world that Nix had crafted and such things.

A Deadly Education - Naomi Novik: ☆☆

I do not know what happened here, but wow, this was so not Novik at her best. Neither the characters or the worldbuilding that I am used to getting from Novik was in this book and for the most part there wasn't a whole lot going on in this books. I can deal with a slow burning book and really just enjoy a good fantasy world but there was very little interesting things here to explore. I can deal with a unlikeable main character, but this one didn't grow at all during the book, she just kept on reminding us why she was cranky all the time and how much she delighted in it. There was a whole lot of telling about this magical school and the diverse world outside of it, but very little showing so it all seems rather empty and after a while I just started to skim over the text. And there was really no story there that kept me going and I could not see the purpose for anything that happened.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue - V.E. Schwab: ☆☆☆☆☆

Oh, wow. The feeling that this book created inside me and the sincerity within the text just grabbed me and would not let me go. I made me feel a lot of things, and I love when a books do that. There are so many emotions behind it and you can really feel them. The atmosphere that Schwab creates in the story is great and it hooks you in, but it is the character and their stories that make you stay. I don't usually enjoy timejumps, but Schwab did them so well and they do explain the story and the motivations for each of the characters really well, although it get's a bit repetitive at times, especially towards the end.

The Moomins: The Exploits of Moominpappa, Moominsummer Madness, Moominland Midwinter - Tove Jansson: ☆☆☆☆

I love the Moomins, but there's just something so cozy about these stories and characters. They are part of my childhood, they are so light, whimiscal and funny, yet have depth to them, which is a balance that is difficult to achieve in my opinion. My journey through this book took me almost a year, as I only occasionally picked it up to enjoy the text and my stay in this small, strange world that Jansson created. I was savoring it.

Shine - Jessica Jung: ☆☆☆

SNSD, the band that Jesscia Jung was in, is my favorite kpop band since I started listening to kpop more than 10 years ago and their music is one of the main reasons why I got into kpop to begin with. So of course I was intrigued! The story here is something that I think could be inspired Jessica experiences within the kpop industry, or that thought never left me as I read it even if there were lot of unbelievable things going on within these pages. But it's definitely overdramatized at times. But how she talks about gender discrimination between female singers and male singer, from other people in the business and from the fans and the expectations that people have towards these singers and such. That felt really authentic to me. For all the glamor and the dazzle of the kpop world within this book the plot and the characters are a bit dull, and some of the more unbelievable events (like all of those trips and secret cafes) often pulled me out of the story. And I did not find the clichéd YA romance fun to read at all.

#book reviews #book review

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televinita · 5 years ago

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Books Read in 2019: The Why

In a tradition I accidentally started for myself and now quite enjoy, at the end of the year I look back at my reading list and answer the question, why did you read this particular book?

Below, the books are split into groups by target readership age, plus nonfiction at the end. This year I have added the category “how I heard of it” as well, because I just think that info is neat.

FICTION

The Visitor - K.L. Slater. 2018. Read because: Ten episodes of The Good Cop weren't enough, so I tried to find something w/ similar characters, and this looked kinda like "TJ as a slightly more withdrawn weirdo." By the time I realized it wouldn't work due to being British, I was too excited by the prospect of a thriller to stop.

How I heard of it: Googling keywords

Like the Red Panda - Andrea Seigel. 2004. The back cover and first few pages reminded me of a friend I had once.

How I heard of it: Library

The Lost Vintage - Ann Mah. 2018. What's that? You've got some secret family history/a mystery from the past to be solved using old personal papers, including a diary? My jams.

How I heard of it: Goodreads

The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls (4th ed.) - Emilie Autumn. 2017. I googled for books that promised unique formatting/art design, and Emilie Autumn has always been an intriguing enigma to me.

I Heard the Owl Call My Name - Margaret Craven. 1967. I know this title, but not why -- when I tripped over it in the teen* section and saw how tiny it was, I decided to find out what it was about. (*it's there because it's often taught in schools. It's here because its intended audience is adult.)

Escape - Barbara Delinsky. 2011. Went looking for an audiobook -- the cover with a woman standing on a small bridge amidst the woods drew me in (I can't find that cover on the internet though), and the idea of abandoning responsibility and driving off to a small town sounded like my dream.

How I heard of it: Library

Saul and Patsy - Charles Baxter. 2003. Another search result from my attempt to cast Josh Groban in a novel -- Midwestern-set and a man very much in love with his wife, no worries about the relationship being wrecked? Sweet! (though ultimately, I had to mentally recast)

How I heard of it: Googling

California - Edan Lepucki. 2014. Needed an audiobook. The title and green forest cover caught my eye, and the off-the-grid life + promise of a mysterious and possibly suspicious settler community described in the plot appealed to me.

How I heard of it: Library

The Lost Queen of Crocker County - Elizabeth Leiknes. 2018. Woman moves back home to rural Iowa in a book described as a "love letter to the Midwest"? Look at all these good choices.

How I heard of it: Library

All The Things You Are - Declan Hughs. 2014. Was looking for a different book w/ this title, but saw Spooky Dark House cover + wild summary and wanted to know how that could possibly happen / what the explanation was.

How I heard of it: Library catalog

Tumbledown Manor - Helen Brown. 2016. Cover love. A book about restoring a historic family manor?? BRING ME THERE.

How I heard of it: Library

The War Bride's Scrapbook - Caroline Preston. 2017. IT'S LITERALLY A SCRAPBOOK. I loved her other one like this.

How I heard of it: Goodreads

Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day - Winifred Watson. 1938. Rewatched the movie and needed to relive an alternate take immediately (especially for more Michael).

How I heard of it: special features on the DVD

April & Oliver - Tess Callahan. 2009. This just screamed "(slightly less storybook) Ned/Chuck AU!!" [Pushing Daisies] at me. There was semi-platonic comfort-spooning in the second chapter, COME ON.

How I heard of it: Half Price Books

A Short Walk to the Bookshop - Aleksandra Drake. 2019. This looked like an even more solid Ned/Chuck AU, missing only the childhood connection/age similarity, with bonus fave keywords anxiety, widower, bookshop and dog.

How I heard of it: Googling

Girl Last Seen - Nina Laurin. 2017. Recently watched "Captive" and wanted a story of the aftermath from the captive's perspective.

How I heard of it: Goodreads (specifically, I looked up an older book by this title intending to check out related recs, but this came up first)

The Road to Enchantment - Kaya McLaren. 2017. Gorgeous cover/title + "single [pregnant] woman inherits late mother's ranch" = an alternate life I want to try on.

How I heard of it: Library

From Sand and Ash - Amy Harmon. 2016. Love between childhood best friends who can’t (well, aren’t supposed to) touch? Sounds like a Ned/Chuck AU to me!

How I heard of it: a book blog post

My Oxford Year - Julia Whelan. 2018. Always here for age-appropriate student/teacher romances -- I had this one saved for a while -- but read now specifically to cast David Tennant.

How I heard of it: Goodreads

The Reckoning at Gossamer Pond - Jaime Jo Wright. 2018. There's a mystery from the past being solved in the present. Also, "inherited hoarder's trailer" made me v. curious about what was inside.

How I heard of it: a book blog post

My Husband the Stranger - Rebecca Done. 2017. It's Find Books That Remind Me Of David Tennant's Roles Month, and this was my crack at "Recovery."

How I heard of it: Googling

The House on Foster Hill - Jaime Jo Wright. 2017. Fixing up a spooky abandoned historic house + solving a mystery from the past in the present!

How I heard of it: a book blog post

Broadchurch - Erin Kelly. 2014. Fell in love with the show, had to immediately relive it in text form.

How I heard of it: Goodreads

The Vanishing - Wendy Webb. 2014. Spooky historic mansion from a reliable author for the spookening season.

How I heard of it: looking up the author’s back catalog

The Scholar - Dervla McTiernan. 2019. The Ruin - Dervla McTiernan. 2018. "Hmmm looks kind of like (Irish) Broadchurch but where the detective character has a girlfriend to fuss over and worry about. Nice." Read out of order because the second one had more girlfriend content, and enjoyed it enough to go back for book 1.

How I heard of it: Googling

The Day She Died - Catriona McPherson. 2014. The cover looked perfect for the Spook Season/gloomy weather. Sign me up for insta-families and murder mysteries w/ MCs in possible danger any day.

How I heard of it: library (literally because it was right next to McTiernan)

Still Missing - Chevy Stevens. 2010. Collecting base material for when I play this scenario (abduction/prolonged captivity and its aftermath) out w/ TV characters I like.

How I heard of it: Goodreads

This Is How You Lose The Time War - Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone. 2019. It sounded EXACTLY like a (genderbent) Doctor/Master or Crowley/Aziraphale relationship.

How I heard of it: a book blog post

The Tale of Halcyon Crane - Wendy Webb. 2010. Wanted an audiobook and I like this author (esp. for spook season).

How I heard of it: author’s back catalog

The Child Garden - Catriona McPherson. 2015. I liked her previous book and this setting looked even spookier and more atmospheric.

How I heard of it: author’s back catalog

Quiet Neighbors - Catriona McPherson. 2016. One last dip into this author...because what part of "woman gets a job organizing the books in 'the oldest bookshop in a town full of bookshops' + an old cottage to stay in" does not sound like my dream life?

How I heard of it: author’s back catalog

Doctor Who: The Nightmare of Black Island - Mike Tucker. 2006. After 2.5 months in a Ten/Rose spiral, the time was nigh to pluck one of their novels I didn’t get around to reading back in my original fandom heyday.

How I heard of it: can't remember

Misery - Stephen King. 1987. I just woke up one day and decided I was in the mood to try this infamous mother of all literary whumps.

How I heard of it: can’t remember

The Whisper Man - Alex North. 2019. Went looking for books that would remind me of the father/son dynamic in "The Escape Artist."

How I heard of it: Googling

Open Your Eyes - Paula Daly. 2018. Second crack at a "Recovery"-shaped novel (it failed instantly because I didn’t take the possibility of diversity into account, but suspense is still a good genre regardless).

How I heard of it: Googling

The Last - Hanna Jameson. 2019. "Dystopian psychological thriller" + the gorgeous hotel on the cover.

How I heard of it: Goodreads

------------------

YOUNG ADULT

Blood Wounds - Susan Beth Pfeffer. 2011. Established quality author + (what I thought was a) thriller premise.

How I heard of it: author’s back catalog

Beware That Girl - Teresa Totten. 2016. I wanted an audiobook, and contemporary YA options are limited at the library. The mystery/thriller aspect sounded good enough to spend 8+ hours with.

How I heard of it: library

Trafficked - Kim Purcell. 2012. I am mystified/intrigued by domestic/non-sexual slavery, and have not seen the topic covered in YA.

How I heard of it: Goodreads

Wild Bird - Wendelin Van Draanen. 2017. I have long been fascinated by teen reform camps for girls in the wilderness.

How I heard of it: library

The Year of Luminous Love - Lurlene McDaniel. 2013. The Year of Chasing Dreams - Lurlene McDaniel. 2014.

The library didn't have Girl With the Broken Heart, but it did have a fat duology featuring similar elements of horses + tragic illness, and a trio of friends that called to mind Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.

The Pull of Gravity - Gae Polisner. 2011. I was looking for quality male friendships, but the male/female friendship + road trip in this search result sounded like I could cast them as teen versions of Survivor contestants. I forget which ones.

How I heard of it: Googling

The Summer of Jordi Perez (and the Best Burger in Los Angeles) - Amy Spalding. 2018. Established quality author + bright cover, cool title, burger quest, MC's love of fashion and job in a clothing store, and summer in L.A. setting

How I heard of it: Goodreads

Tiger Eyes - Judy Blume. 1981. Found out Amy Jo Johnson was the mom in the movie version, decided to read the book as prep since once again, I knew the title, but not why I knew it.

Darius the Great Is Not Okay - Adib Khorram. 2018. I turned the internet upside down in search of books with quality male friendships, and was pointed here.

How I heard of it: Googling

Big Doc's Girl - Mary Medearis. 1941. Went looking for vintage stories of simple country girls who reminded me of Katharine McPhee's character in The House Bunny. (spoiler alert: this was not it even a little bit, why did I think it was)

How I heard of it: Googling

With Malice - Eileen Cook. 2016. Always here for random teen thrillers, including a fictionalized version of Amanda Knox.

How I heard of it: library

The Girls of No Return - Erin Saldin. 2012. Like I said, I'm big on girls reform camps in the wilderness.

How I heard of it: Goodreads

Hope Was Here - Joan Bauer. 2000. Needed an audiobook. This one was short and by a proven quality author.

How I heard of it: library

Rules of the Road - Joan Bauer. 1998. Best Foot Forward - Joan Bauer. 2006. Bought the first super-cheap a while ago because of the cover/road trip aspect/fascinating first few pages; read NOW to keep the Bauer train rolling, followed immediately by its sequel.

How I heard of it: Goodwill/Goodreads

Now Is Everything - Amy Giles. 2017. Interesting format, sympathetic-sounding main character (edit: What Makes You Beautiful - Ha Ha Ha version.mp3), potential for a sweet and protective romance.

How I heard of it: library

Radical - E.M. Kokie. 2016. Survivalist/prepper teen? Intriguing and underrepresented concept in YA.

How I heard of it: library

Hit the Road - Caroline B. Cooney. 2006. “It's spring, which means it's time to think about road trips.” Plus I just read a fun teen + old lady on the road book (Rules of the Road). It's thematic.

How I heard of it: library

I Am Still Alive - Kate Alice Marshall. 2018. I dig survival stories, especially in the wilderness, and this one was well recced.

How I heard of it: Goodreads

The Caged Graves - Dianne K. Salerni. 2013. Spook cover!! I MUST KNOW WHY THERE ARE CAGES OVER THESE GRAVES.

How I heard of it: library

Fancy Free - Betty Cavanna. 1961. Found cheap and will read this author always.

How I heard of it: antique store

Once And For All - Sarah Dessen. 2017. Stubborn determination to complete this author's canon and literally no other reasons.

How I heard of it: Goodreads

Wired Man and Other Freaks of Nature - Sashi Kaufman. 2016. People in the Goodreads reviews were mad that the guys were so close yet not gay for each other. That's the very specific male friendship wheelhouse I've been looking for! Plus I know this author can write teen boys in a way I can tolerate.

How I heard of it: Goodreads

Field Notes on Love - Jennifer E. Smith. 2019. Needed an audiobook and this was on display at the library; it looked cute and fluffy and I was ready for an antidote to the Dessen book.

How I heard of it: library

Midnight Sun - Trish Cook. 2017. Needed an audiobook and sick!lit seemed the most reliable of my options, given that previews for the movie had looked okay and it was real short.

How I heard of it: library

9 Days and 9 Nights - Katie Cotugno. 2018. Sequel to a book that drove me insane, but where I loved the writing style and was frustratingly fond of the characters so I Had 2 Know what happened next.

How I heard of it: Goodreads

Your Destination Is On The Left - Lauren Spieller. 2018. Attractive cover + keywords like "nomadic RV lifestyle," Santa Fe, post-high-school YA, and internship

How I heard of it: library

Weird Girl and What's His Name - Meagan Brothers. 2015. X-Philes?? In MY modern-day YA fiction?? (with a side of inappropriate age-mismatched relationship?) My interest is more likely than you'd think!

How I heard of it: library

All Out of Pretty - Ingrid Palmer. 2018. Attractive design + arresting first page piqued my curiosity

How I heard of it: library

Hitchhike - Isabelle Holland. 1977. Vintage book w/ a puppy on the cover, by an author I like.

How I heard of it: Goodreads

Send No Blessings - Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. 1990. Reread from high school after it came up on the What's The Name of That Book? discussion group; felt a strong pull of positive feelings but couldn't remember much.

How I heard of it: Goodreads

The Year of the Gopher - Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. 1987 Wanted better understanding of the source material before reading an essay about this book and the above in Lost Masterworks of Young Adult Literature.

How I heard of it: another book

Up In Seth's Room - Norma Fox Mazer. 1979 There was an essay about this in Lost Masterworks too. I had read it a long time ago and remembered NOT liking it, but figured I might as well revisit it to review on Goodreads.

How I heard of it: library

Blizzard's Wake - Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. 2002. Happened to be on the shelf when I checked to see what non-Alice books of hers the library had in stock, and figured as long I'm on a Naylor kick, this might as well happen. Mainly ‘cause I saw "deadly blizzard" on the back and was like "WOW this seems useful for my hurt/comfort scenario stockpile."

How I heard of it: library

A Whole New World - Liz Braswell. 2015. Seeing the new Aladdin trailer blew up my heart with FEELINGS for the original, so I went looking for a YA retelling. Can't believe I found an actual Disney-based retelling.

How I heard of it: Library catalog

After the Dancing Days - Margaret I. Rostkowski. 1986. The connection between Roy and the little girl in The Fall reminded me of this book, so I reread it specifically to visualize Andrew as Lee Pace.

How I heard of it: Library

There's Someone Inside Your House - Stephanie Perkins. 2017. I'll read most any teen thriller you throw at me. The more murders the better.

How I heard of it: Library

All the Forever Things - Jolene Perry. 2017. Loved the author's writing style on a previous book, but couldn't stomach the love triangle. Wanted to give her another chance.

How I heard of it: Library

Aristotle and Dante Discover The Secrets of the Universe - Benjamin Alire Saenz. 2012. Been on my TBR for a while because quality male friendship; read it now to see if I should keep or get rid of the dollar store copy I bought. (answer: get rid of. it's good but not amazing to me personally)

How I heard of it: Goodreads

The Hollow Girl - Hillary Monahan. 2017. Violent revenge fantasy against rapists? Especially to save the life of a guy you like who was brutally beaten during your assault? Heck yeah.

How I heard of it: Library

The Opposite of Love - Sarah Lynn Scheerger. 2014. The hurt/comfort potential was off the charts and it vaguely reminded me of Ryan/Marissa (the O.C.).

How I heard of it: Library

Sophomore Year is Greek to Me - Meredith Zeitlin. 2015. It just looked light and cute, like summer.

How I heard of it: Library

Girl Online On Tour - Zoe Sugg. 2015. Girl Online Going Solo - Zoe Sugg. 2016. Two sequels to a book I enjoyed.

How I heard of it: Goodreads

Plague Land - Alex Scarrow. 2017. Plague Land Reborn - Alex Scarrow. 2018. Always here for illness-based apocalypse/dystopia. Would have finished the trilogy but library doesn’t have book 3 yet.

How I heard of it: Library

Pretty Fierce - Kieran Scott. 2017. Spy daughter of spies running for her life along w/ doting boyfriend (named Oliver, a name that has never let me down in fiction)? The ship radar is sounding OFF.

How I heard of it: Library

The Leaving - Lynn Hall. 1980. Will read any LH book, but this one was small and easy to take on an overnight trip plus everything about the summary and first couple of pages drew me in.

How I heard of it: author’s back catalog

Speed of Life - J.M. Kelly. 2016. Beautiful cover, blue collar family, unusual premise (twin sisters co-parenting the baby one of them had, no dad in sight), and I love stories where teens are (essentially) head of household.

How I heard of it: Thrift Books

Freshman Year and Other Unnatural Disasters - Meredith Zeitlin. 2012. Looked light and cute, because it's back-to-school time and lately I've been enjoying study blogs from people just starting high school.

How I heard of it: Library

The Land of 10,000 Madonnas - Kate Hattemer. 2016. Unsupervised teens a-wanderin' through Europe? Sign me up for that vicarious wanderlust.

How I heard of it: Goodreads

A Thousand Boy Kisses - Tillie Cole. 2016. A romance w/ astronomical hurt/comfort potential. (spoiler alert it’s too sickly saccharine even for me)

How I heard of it: Goodreads

Hooked - Catherine Greenman. 2011. Random reread of a book I had come to believe should have been 4 stars rather than 3, but couldn’t remember well enough to feel confident in changing the rating without checking first.

How I heard of it: Library

Appaloosa Summer - Tudor Robins. 2014. Horsey YA + after years of it being on my TBR, the author saw me post about this fact and offered to send me a free paperback copy for review.

How I heard of it: Goodreads

I Stop Somewhere - T.E. Carter. 2018. I too identified as a girl my classmates would never notice was missing (moreso in college, but still). Plus it's getting close to Halloween, so time for spooky/true-crime-esque reads.

How I heard of it: library

What Waits in the Woods - Kieran Scott. 2015. An ideal spook setting for the spook season!

How I heard of it: Library

Illuminae - Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff. 2015. The formatting/art design just sounded cool and unique.

How I heard of it: a book blog post

Boot Camp - Todd Strasser. 2006. I went to the library to check out a different book of his, but this caught my eye because WHUMPITY WHUMP (with a side of pining for the teacher he had previously been in a relationship with).

The Last Trip of the Magi - Michael Lorinser. 2012. Picked up cheap at a book sale for the struggling-to-survive-a-winter-night-outside aspect.

A List of Cages - Robin Roe. 2017. Male friendship loaded with hurt/comfort.

How I heard of it: Goodreads

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MIDDLE GRADE

Sparrow Road - Sheila O'Connor. 2011. The setting -- an artist's retreat at an old mansion on sprawling estate grounds formerly used as an orphanage -- captivated me.

How I heard of it: a Little Free Library (outside of a mansion repurposed as an art council's center, actually)

Annie's Life in Lists - Kristin Mahoney. 2018. I LOVE LISTS.

How I heard of it: library

Hope is a Ferris Wheel - Robin Herrera. 2014. Still grinding my teeth over Dessen's Once and For All, I was desperate for a sweet middle grade story to refresh my palate. Gimme that bright cover. Ooh, and a trailer park kid?

How I heard of it: Library

The Education of Ivy Blake - Ellen Airgood. 2015. Prairie Evers - Ellen Airgood. 2012. Also intended as a Dessen antidote, I picked up the sequel first due to the incredibly charming excerpt on the back, and then fell so in love with the character and writing style I needed more of her world.

How I heard of it: Library

When You Reach Me - Rebecca Stead. 2009. Rave reviews from friends; mystery aspect sounded intriguing.

How I heard of it: Goodreads

Counting By 7s - Holly Goldberg Sloan. 2013. Picked up cheap at a fundraiser garage sale I wanted to support; seemed easily readable.

Summerlost - Ally Condie. 2016. Young!Ned/Chuck AU?? (spoiler alert: maybe if it wasn't so boring)

How I heard of it: Googling

Where The Heart Is - Jo Knowles. 2019. "Country girl taking care of the animals at a hobby farm across the road" = the childhood dream and also I wanted to ignore the summary and hope I could still get a Young!Ned/Chuck AU. How I heard of it: Library

The Wizards of Once - Cressida Cowell. 2017. Twice Magic - Cressida Cowell. 2018. First one: David Tennant reads the audiobook, and literally no other reasons.

Second one: Ah heck turns out I kind of loved how David Tennant read that audiobook and want more.

How I heard of it: Library catalog

My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece - Annabel Pitcher. 2011. David Tennant reads the audiobook, and literally no other reasons.

How I heard of it: Library catalog

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NONFICTION

Seinology: The Sociology of Seinfeld - Tim Delaney. 2006. It's sociology, it's Seinfeld, what's not to love?

How I heard of it: Goodreads

Survivor: The Ultimate Game - Mark Burnett. 2000. At the beginning of the year I was obsessed w/ this show like never before, so a detailed recap of one of its seasons seemed like the ticket to complement that.

How I heard of it: Googling

Jungle: A Harrowing True Story of Survival - Yossi Ghinsberg. 1985. Loved the movie, wanted to relive it in text form.

How I heard of it: special features on the DVD

Lost Masterworks of Young Adult Literature - ed. Connie Zitlow. 2002. There was an essay about Send No Blessings in here. If that's the kind of book this book is about, I wanna hear all about it.

How I heard of it: Library catalog

Animals in Young Adult Fiction - Walter Hogan. 2009. From the same publishing line as the above, which I loved, I figured this was even MORE my specialized reading niche.

How I heard of it: Goodreads

Phantoms of the Hudson Valley - Monica Randall. 1996. When I have I ever NOT wanted to read about grand mansions of yesteryear -- especially if some are abandoned ruins?

How I heard of it: Goodreads

Seven Cats and the Art of Living - Jo Coudert. 1996. Picked up cheap at a library sale because cats (and the cute author-illustrated cover painting).

Psychic Pets and Spirit Animals: True Stories From The Files of Fate Magazine. 1996. Random reread of a childhood favorite.

How I heard of it: B. Dalton's (THAT’S how long I’ve had this book, y’all).

Extreme Couponing - Joni Meyer-Crothers with Beth Adelman. 2013. Who doesn't love saving money? But I am not very coupon-savvy and wanted to learn.

How I heard of it: Library

Cabin Lessons: A Tale of 2x4s, Blisters and Love - Spike Carlsen. 2015. Having the money/skill to build my own cabin on MN's north shore is a fun daydream.

How I heard of it: Library

The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap: A Memoir of Friendship, Community, and the Uncommon Pleasure of a Good Book - Wendy Welch. 2012. Opening a used bookstore is my impractical dream too.

How I heard of it: Library

Belonging: A German Reckons With History and Home - Nora Krug. 2018. Illustrated memoirs are always awesome.

How I heard of it: Library

The Astor Orphan: A Memoir - Alexandra Aldrich. 2013.

Rokeby was one of the estates that fascinated me in Phantoms of the Hudson Valley, and the content of this one took place around the same era that book was written.

How I heard of it: Goodreads

I'll Be There For You: The One About Friends - Kelsey Miller. 2018. Am I going to turn down "a retrospective" about one of my favorite shows?? I am not.

How I heard of it: Goodreads

Season Finale: The Unexpected Rise and Fall of the WB & UPN. 2007. Recommended after the above because I love hearing how network TV stations are built in terms of programming decisions.

How I heard of it: Goodreads

Paperback Crush: The Totally Radical History of 80s and 90s Teen Fiction - Gabrielle Moss. 2018. Take how I reacted to Lost Masterworks of Young Adult Literature, and multiply it by "fully illustrated with brightly colored pages." These are the kind of books I’m familiar with and always down to talk/hear about, but hardly anyone else is.

How I heard of it: Goodreads

#why i read #queued

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booksaroundtheworld · 5 years ago

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Again, but Better by Christine Riccio

4 STARS

I started watching Christine Riccio's youtube channel when I was in high school. She was the first "booktuber" I ever watched and the only one I wanted to watch for the longest time. My life during the last couple years of high school consisted of reading, watching her videos, and repeating. I stopped watching her videos when I got to college, when I had less time for books and when her quirky awkwardness started to become too much for me to tolerate, and I probably only watched two or three of her videos in those four years. That being said, I knew I wanted to read her book when I heard it was coming out. I thought that if anyone knew what the YA demographic would like, it would be her because I would definitely say that her and her fellow booktubers helped in part to make YA what it is today. I gave this book 4 stars and I want to be clear - I'm not giving this book 4 stars because I thought it was objectively good. I'm giving it 4 stars because, simply put, I liked it. Again, but Better follows Shane Primaveri who is, in essence, Christine. Shane actually made me realize how much I know about Christine—her favorite TV shows, books, music, the way she names her electronic devices, how she studied abroad, her family dynamic, I could go on. I don't like that she wrote a character exactly like herself. It reads like that that y/n fanfiction that used to be so popular except worse because this is actually published. I read a couple reviews saying Again, but Better is over the top wish fulfillment and I have to agree. Having yourself fall in love with a hot guy in London and then becoming a super successful writer? It's pretty much the dream of every single person watching her YouTube videos. My biggest issues: Shane's awkwardness and all the pop-culture references. As I said, Shane is Christine. As I also said, I outgrew Christine. This isn't a good combination. Shane is so over-the-top with everything. It's one thing to over-think situations (I'm heavily guilty of that as well) but the way she goes about it and seems to oscillate between having 0 social cues or skills to being calm, cool and collected when she needs to be, just seems fake. The "older Shane" is much more tolerable, but I couldn't get past the manic energy that Shane just exudes. As for all the damn pop-culture references... oh boy. It didn't do a single thing to help the "this reads like fanfiction" issue. Do I need to hear about "T-Swizzle" and Lost and The Mortal Instruments every other page?? Absolutely not. Did I? Unfortunately so. Also, why in the HELL did I hear so much about Angry Birds?? I GET THAT IT'S 2011 - I DON'T NEED TO BE REMINDED OF IT EVERY OTHER PAGE. To quickly end the negatives, I have to add that Christine's writing was juvenile, her descriptions were lacking, and her pacing was off. She added "diverse" characters to mask the fact that her two main characters were as white and straight as could be. But with all that being said... I am a little ashamed to say I got caught up in Again, but Better, rooting for the characters along the way and laughing along with Shane. Her romance with Pilot Penn was cute, and their relationship, particularly towards the end, was one that I really enjoyed reading about. The real issue here is that I'm a sucker for cute guys being romantic and tend not to care about anything else but that's a problem for another day. I also resonated with the idea of going abroad and really growing as a person. I stupidly didn't study abroad in college, but I did just spend a month in Europe and aside from it being one of the best experiences of my life, I feel like I learned a lot about myself in the process. I can understand why Christine thought that this experience was so valuable that she had to write a book about it. And I could really see Shane change from a scared and awkward individual to someone more self-confident and self-assured. In my opinion, Christine did a good job showing her transition. I'm a firm believer in the fact that a book doesn't have to be good for someone to like it. Some of my favorite romantic comedies are objectively really bad. I don't think Again, but Better is a great book nor would I recommend it to someone who has no idea who Christine Riccio is, but I enjoyed reading it and don't regret that I did.

#again but better #christine riccio #polandbananasbooks #book review

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eliamatrell · 6 years ago

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jaga! your taste is frequently and consistently sublime! would you happen to have any media recommendations to share? could be literature, films, poems, tv shows, etc. 💞💗💕

oh mita, thank you! 💕this is such a lovely message to find in my inbox during this hellish heatwave. this list is quite incoherent - it’s so hard to find right words when your brain is melting and for that reason my english might be quite terrible at times - but! these are a few of my favourite things:

and then there were none, alias grace and the terror are great examples of acclaimed novels turned into equally good tv shows. imo the miniseries format is a superior option when it comes to adapting literature - there’s enough time to cover every important point, yet it doesn’t slog. also - there’s some terrific acting.

i love horror, but only good horror - the kind that serves as a social commentary and doesn’t rely on gore, jumpscares and violence. there’s also my unfortunate catholic upbringing that makes me scared of anything with religious undertones (like the exorcist. or rosemary’s baby). despite being a bit of a snob who’s wary of mainstream writers, i adore stephen king’s works and his enormous impact on western cultural landscape. he shaped and influenced so many great creators and goodness - i can’t help but admire his imagination. i lovelovelove castle rock - it’s uncanny, connected to most of king’s novels and utterly engrossing. i’m hooked.

speaking of mister king - the shining (1980) is a masterpiece and it (2017) is one of my favourite movies ever. i was talking about this to my friend the other day, but i can’t bring myself to care about anything if it’s absolutely grim and hopeless. i need some light and hope, even if it’s just a spark. there is this great quote by sir terry pratchett (here’s the full essay): ‘The morality of fantasy and horror is, by and large, the strict morality of the fairy tale. The vampire is slain, the alien is blown out of the airlock, the evil Dark Lord is vanquished and, perhaps at some loss, the Good triumph – not because they are better armed, but because Providence is on their side. Let there be goblin hordes, let there be terrible environmental threats, let there be giant mutated slugs if you really must, but let there also be Hope. It may be a grim, thin hope, an Arthurian sword at sunset, but let us know that we do not live in vain.’ - that’s what i love about dark stories. there are always characters that are simply good, characters we can trust, characters that guide us and reveal all those monsters and terrible things, all while holding our hand and protecting us. stephen king, just like all great writers, is well aware of that, and it-the-movie (i hate this title! it’s so vague that i always have to specify what i’m talking about) is a great example of this trope.

i have this personal quest of watching every movie directed by alfred hitchcock. psycho (1960) was the first entry on my list and oh goodness. how i loved it.

i love anglophone poets, but at the end of the day, i keep coming back to polish poetry. it’s sad. it’s mostly sad. we were conquered, invaded, wiped off the map, controlled by foreign empires, and it’s all reflected in our literature. still, there is this ever-present stubbornness - we’re still here. we’ll always be here. tadeusz różewicz was one of our greatest writers. his poems are about surviving and re-learning how to live after. they make me cry every single time. here are three of my favourite ones (i am twenty-four / led to slaughter / i survived). also, zbigniew herbert. report from the besieged city was written about poland (after the failed uprising of august 1944, hitler personally ordered that the entire city of warsaw be razed to the ground) but god. it’s very universal. now when i read it i tend to think of aleppo, of damascus, of mosul. warsaw rose from the ashes - i can only hope so will these cities.

and wisława szymborska, always wisława szymborska. photograph from september 11 is one of my favourite pieces written by her - the last lines are phenomenal. also - cassandra, lot’s wife, on death, without exaggeration.

speaking of ‘on death, without exaggeration’ - the good place is one of the best pieces of media about afterlife ever created. it’s bittersweet, so smart, and heartwarming. its portrayal of what’s beyond the veil is very familiar, very human. god, i love it. i can’t recommend it enough. also - moral philosophy has never been so cool.

c.s. lewis is mostly known for the narnia series, but his true magnum opus is ‘till we have faces’ - a retelling of the classical myth of eros and psyche. gosh, what a beautiful and melancholic book. it’s about possessive love, about bonds between the mortals and their gods, about families, about lovers, about the sacred and the profane. this goodreads review captures my feelings perfectly.

my fondness for joan baez is well-documented and baptism: a journey through our time is my favourite album of hers. it’s mostly works of various poets - spoken and sung by baez. i especially adore ‘the magic wood’ (written by henry treece). it’s so haunting! also, it reminds me of this one short story by stephen king (yes, i know!) - the man in the black suit.

recently i’ve finished reading the collection of fairytales composed by angela carter. it was very diverse and simply Great. i’m also taking ‘the bloody chamber’ on holiday with me. i’ve already started it and oh goodness. ooooh goodness. (“The girl burst out laughing; she knew she was nobody’s meat.” - i mean!!!)

when it comes to fairytales written by contemporary authors - emily carroll’s graphic novel ‘through the woods’ is one of the best examples of this genre. i’m not a fan of Edgy Fairytales, but these are definitely not edgy - they’re refined, bloody and gothic. also: ’It came from the woods. Most strange things do.’ is one of my favourite quotes.

in this household we stan and support everything inspired by eastern european folklore. please, do read uprooted. and also spinning silver. i might be a little bit biased, but still - it’s just very well-written and imaginative.

‘east of the sun, west of the moon’ illustrated by p.j. lynch will always be my favourite version. here are some samples: one, two, three, four.

i’m not too fond of ya as a genre, but. but. the cruel prince was incredibly good - much better than its title (although there was a prince. and he was indeed cruel!) and description would suggest. it’s a perfect summer read and it features faerie, a lot of bickering, some slashed throats and also good ol’ schemes and court machinations.

i love musicals. a lot of them - the good, the bad, the mediocre. i just really like people singing, you know. however, ‘natasha, pierre & the great comet of 1812′ is… god, it’s a lot. it’s about love, about war, about depression and loneliness, about honour, about healing - but first and foremost about humanity. please, do watch this performance (and then listen to the whole cast recording). goodness, what a wonderful show.

to be quite honest, this is only a fraction of my recs, but i didn’t want for this post to be too overwhelming. once again - thank you so much for asking! 💝

#💛💛💛#jaga's recs #replies #roseirani

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kayinnasaki · 7 years ago

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This was a weird year in gaming for me. I played all of one game released in 2017. The bulk of the year was covered by weird hacks and modded minecraft, as well as the usual slurry of bad games. I don't want to frame this as 'best of list' because while I like... most of these games, it's honestly more 'games I remember playing that I have some thoughts about. Anyways

Stardew Valley

What a lovely game. Due to a lot of Zachtronics stuff and modded Minecraft I got a little bit of a taste for a slower experiences again. The farming was alright, but the characters were super lovely. The game had very simple but effective writing that had me change my choice for Farmer Naomi's wife multiple times. Even the characters on the bottom of my list were great. The only issue I had was... and honestly I didn't notice it much because I wasn't going for that content... that the guys were lame. Shane had a great arc that got me to befriend him, but the rest? eh. Also that super simple fishing game was so fun.

Biggest issue with the game was the lack of an end game. I feel like randomized goals in the style of the carepackages would have been lovely. But on well, you can't play every game forever.

Momodora: Reverie Under The Moonlight

I played this on my flight to Japan since I was going to meat Rdein and the game was on my list for awhile. The level design of it had this lovely Demon's Souls meets Knytt Story feel to it. The map they made for the game was lovely and the world felt tangible and sensible. It had a very Japanese-esque style without being generic anime. It had lovely but simple combat. Just one of those games that's just... simply solid and good? Just a game with a lot of soul.

Getting Over it with Bennett Foddy

Foddy is a cool guy I've gotten to hang with a few times. Just... smart and funny and of course he makes real assholish games. But I found Getting Over It to be the least frustrating. It, more so than QWOP or GIRP became zen like to me. I just let go of any stress immediately. Progress didn't mean anything until the job was done. I didn't get mad or frustrated once. It was all zen. And Foddy talking philosophically about the nature of art and hard games was wonderful and a lot of it really resonated with me. A pleasant experience for a masochist.

Also this is the only game I played this year that game out in 2017. Yikes!

Metroid Rogue Dawn

What a flawed but lovely game. This is a game I wish I could get a physical copy of (it's just a little too expensive). This romhack has a lot of rough edges but truly creates an alien planet. It also looks unlike any NES game. It's gorgeous and just feels.... uncannily out of place, graphics from another time... Because, well, they are. I played this at the beginning of the year so a lot of details are lost on me but it was rad!

Super Metroid Rotated 90 Degrees

It's what it says on the tin. Some parts of the game are tweaked to make it reasonable but for the most part it's for crazy bomb jumping and walljumping nuts like me. It's great to have something familiar yet different, where you can use your knowledge to help you, but it doesn't ever quite help enough. Which also plays into...

A Link to the Past Randomizer

I played a Super Metroid Randomizer and some DS Vania randomizers bu the ATTP randomizer takes the cake. These are addictive. In Super Metroid, finding a stash of items meant either, depending on difficulty settings, finding a stack of nothing or find a ton of great stuff, ATTP has enough diversity in its chest drops to make every chest feel like the pull of a slot machine. Every little trick gets you a little bit further and nets you a few more pull of the slots.

I even did entrance randomizer once because I hate myself. It was... something to be making diagrams in photoshop to figure out what goes where.

Sylvan Tale

A weird Game Gear Secret of Mana/Zelda clone thing? Certainly the only Game Gear game I have ever beat. Never released in America and oddly charming and good. If this was a GBC game released by Nintendo, it'd be one of those games people say is overrated. It hasn't aged excellently but in its time it was surely wonderful. The game has a neat, curious world with a strange cosmology that, while nothing shocking, is just... nicely thoughtful. It has simple but memorable plot moments. It just plays -nicely-. Not excellently, but definitely nicely. Also you change forms and shit and its kinda annoying but it's one of those weird gems that Sega fanboys would likely clutch close to their heart if it got a US release. But sadly, despite being a SEGA game, it did not.

I replayed Circle of the Moon and Harmony of Despair thinking Circle was the "okay one" and Boy was I wrong!

I didn't remember either of these games being great. In fact, I remembered Harmony of Despair being downright awful and ugly and Circle of the Moon being... odd but playable...

Oh my god Circle of the Moon sucks. I know there was some article claiming it was secretly The Best Portable Castlevania, but it is just... awful. Bland in looks, bland in level design, tedious to transverse. The DSS system is garbage, saved only by the fact that you can use a glitch to use any card combination. Finding them in the wild? Fuck that. You move weird. You jump weird. You're like a slug who can somehow jump 100 feet in the air. There are no items to pick up besides Health and MP ups so there is no real discovery -- just tedious cleanup work to maximize your stats. The only things that don't suck about this game: The monster choices are odd and there are a lot of them. A lot of classic enemies are replaced by oddbalsl like... archer wolves? Sure, okay, that's better than just another skeleton. And some of the bosses are okay? Sometimes? Maybe? Even if Dracula sucks horridly.

Harmony of Despair by contrast was much better than I remember. And by much better it was "Okay". I won't be itching to replay it any time soon and it was a number of steps below Aria of Sorrow but it was.. fine? A little bloated and with a few advancement triggers that defy reasonable design but... it's fine and... looked much better than I remember? Likely because GBA emulators are better about colors/backlight compensation so the game looked much less overblown than I remember. Hell at its best, it looks better than Aria, though Aria is just more consistent. Also it has a weirdass soundtrack. At first I hated it, but over time it oddly grew on me. The sample choices are weird but I guess kinda match the "Dissonance"? But the important is the soundtrack leverages these grainy, awful sounds in awesome ways. It reminds me of the horrible Demon's Souls trumpets. They're so bad. But so good. God I love them. Anyways here have my favorite HoD track.

youtube

Devil's Crash

There is something captivating about this stupid pinball game. Naxat has a skill for making games just... feel nice. And they never got to stretch that muscle much but this pinball game from the guys who made Rekka is awesome. It just feels cool, has a lot of energy, lots of little subboards to find. It's impossible to really explain. Just try it. I don't know if, as a kid, I'd be down with paying full price for a single board pinball game but hey it somehow works.

Also known as Dragon's Fury in the US, where it is on the Genesis rather than the PC Engine. Both versions are good. I feel like I slightly prefer the PCE version, but the Genesis version looks and arguably sounds better (which goes against my usual Anti-FM Synth bias). Also the main song is awesome.

youtube

Golden Axe Warrior

I can't believe there is a Golden Axe game that is a flat up clone of Zelda 1. Like almost nothing tried to clone Zelda 1. It's like a weird look into an alternative history. It's not particularly -good- but it's educational. Never beat it because my save corrupted but w/e.

This Fucking Thing

My uncle got me this weird crappy handheld thing for Christmas loaded with old NES games that is various minor tweaks of Super Mario Bros, Adventure Island and Contra, a few other random old shitty games and a TON of AWFUL chinese games made in the 2000s. They're awful and awesome. I just load it up sometimes and pick a random game and groan at how bad it is... but a good groan. An oddly... exciting groan.

Modded Minecraft

I played a ton of modded minecraft this year. Too much, really. But the engineering you can do in modded minecraft is just wonderful. It's weird because no other modded game I can think of regularly assembles mods under 'mod packs' (without it being a huge community drama thing). So you get these weird custom play experiences made up of multiple peoples work. The integration a lot of time doesn't make sense but all things considered it works really well. Modded minecraft, with all its pipes and machines isn't even the same game. It feels like a sandbox Zachtronics game or something.

https://www.youtube.com/user/kayinnasaki/videos I've been uploading base tours and stuff so if you wanna get an idea of what I like doing, that'd work. But yeah, it's oddly infection. Sometimes I worry it's slowed down BEP but then when I cut myself off I just refresh reddit for 4 hours, which honestly is a huge downgrade. JUST GOTTA WORK ON MOTIVATION, SEE YA ALL NEXT YEAR.

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ramentic · 7 years ago

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I get there are bigger things happening so don't feel you have to answer. Lately I've felt like a failure for not having an agent yet/writing fast enough. I know publishing isn't a race but my brain keeps telling me otherwise.I feel that if I do accomplish my goals they won't mean anything because "everyone else" will already have done so. Again a lie, but I can't get the thoughts out of my head. It feels like it's killing my work. I'm sabotaging everything so intensely& I don't know how to stop

I have no clue how I missed this, but. First of all, all the hugs if wanted and substitute that out with chocolate/warm drinks/treats and satisfaction of your preference if not. Second, we must be brain twins. My brain only has two states: OMG YOU ARE SO BAD AT THIS DO SOMETHING and OMG YOU ARE SO BAD AT THIS SO WHY DO ANYTHING. Brains can be cruel. Brains can take one bad day where no words happened and wave it in front of your nose like a red flag for weeks. Brains take your joy for your friend’s book deal/movie deal/world domination scheme and remind you that you are definitely not as cool/beautiful/excellent at scheming how to take over the world as said friend so you are definitely bad at everything.Just putting that out there, first of all. Also, brains lie. Brains lie very effectively. Brains look at all you’ve done after days of not being able to do anything because depression and anxiety and don’t say what needs to be said: “Go you! You did that! You got that done! Give yourself a pat on the back, my fine friend!” It just goes, “Um. Okay. But you still suck.”True facts to counter your mean, mean brain: I do not have an agent yet myself. I write like a snail. The only things I can control in both these situations is working hard to ensure that even if I am writing slow, I am writing things I love and I am using that slow speed to write effectively and in ways I can be proud of instead of being a speedy hand at throwing spaghetti at the wall and watching it slide off. And if I am writing things I love and writing them effectively, I can feel more confident about querying and getting an awesome agent to rep me because I’m not just throwing undercooked spaghetti at them, I’m throwing something that I spent hours on, plated to their preference and garnished with freshly grown oregano watered with my tears because I COULD.This may be controversial, but I also think that in spite of being an industry that can run...really slow, we need to get a little slower for our own sakes. If you’re rushing because you feel like you’re running out of time and everyone else is getting their work out before you, you’re not spending time connecting with that story and realizing where you need to grow and achieving self-improvement by taking classes and listening to advice from other authors who have been through it already and keeping an ear to the ground for the right agent and not just the agent that several of your favorite authors are repped by (which may be a GREAT agent but not the agent that actually reps what you write). One of the best pieces of advice I’ve gotten is from Justina Ireland who always says to SLOW THE F*K DOWN. Take time and appreciate your process, or figure out your process, or listen more closely to your characters. It is going to feel like a RACE but it is really not, particularly when you take into account that this is professional and serious business (even though you should be writing what you ENJOY and want to write, not to trends, mind you) and you want to look back and know that you gave it your all.Also, on the “everybody else” thing...I almost didn’t tweet a thing during the original We Need Diverse Books campaign. I was the youngest member of the group at the time, I had no books to my name and a blog that hardly got views or attention. My (not big sister in blood but in heart) baji Aisha Saeed was beautiful, outspoken, an actual adult and a Muslim author with an actual book deal. When I looked at her and the smart things she was saying, I felt like YA publishing had their cool intelligent Muslim author and maybe I was just saying the same things she and other cool Muslim authors were already saying.If I had listened to that voice inside, and felt like I was redundant, I would have stopped right there. But I chose to listen to all the women of color I knew who pointed out that our stories and experiences and heritage is not monolithic. Everyone has something to bring to the table, some truth they need to speak. I started speaking mine. And it turned out people had time to listen to me, and listen to Aisha baji (who, by the way, you should listen to more because she’s incredible and I’m just a dork who gets angry and writes long Twitter threads when she’s not working and writes like a snail).Stories choose their authors for a reason and they do not make mistakes. Your stories are here, with you. Your words are here, with you. It is not a mistake and your goals are not anyone else’s goals. (Heck, if that were really true, the shelves at your local bookstore or library would be empty because every author out there would stop themselves at the gate upon seeing that one dystopian title, or that one vampire YA!)I hope this helps, as awkward and rambly as it is. I believe in you, I’m here with you - I’ve literally been fighting a LOT of self-sabotage and hatred stemming from depression for the past year and a half, so I know what it is like to have a good day and spiral downward from one piece of good news you wish you were a better person and could just be happy over instead of sad and anxious, or realizing that it’s been a week of no words and no progress.We are more than our bad days. We do not have to write and keep up with certain talented friends. Their processes are not our processes, and believe me, they have their bad days too. Focus on what you can control: the quality of what you are writing and what you enjoy about what you are writing. The rest will fall into place, and it doesn’t have to happen by a certain age or a certain date that everyone else seems to be reaching before you. You got this. I promise you that you do.

#ask and you shall be answered #writing #long #Anonymous

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