#cramzydays

[dreamstar-moonlight]

RISE OF THE GUARDIANS - 10TH ANIVERSARY CELEBRATION

I’ve been badgering Giulia Toneatto ever since they posted this incredible piece of animation to their Instagram six days ago - asking them whether they’ll upload this masterpiece of a tribute anywhere else - and THEY FINALLY DID!!!

It’s unfortunate they don’t have a Tumblr, so posting the direct link here is the least I can do to make my Tumblr fam see it!

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@eastoniablogs, @seekingxanadu, @cramzydays, @frosted-night, @lauchkvm, @galactica-leopard

[ruby-dream]

@cramzydays that's so cute you like 2. It has a really sweet fall aesthetic. What is it that draws you to 2?

[maddie-grove]

Get to Know the Romance Reader tag

Tagged by @cramzydays!

1. What is your romance origin story? (How you came to read your first romance novel)

Back in 2008/2009 (my senior year of high school...), I was reading TV Tropes and learned about the site Smart Bitches, Trashy Books. Their reviews were so funny and they made the genre sound interesting. @erotiamat had already given me a copy of Jane Feather’s Vice for my seventeenth birthday, so I read that first. It was not great, but I tried Johanna Lindsay’s Gentle Rogue that summer (ugh) and Julia London’s A Courtesan’s Scandal that fall (yay!). 

2. If you could be the heroine in a romance novel, who would be the author and what’s one trope you’d insist be in the story?

I’d pick Sabrina Jeffries--her romances are so fun and her heroines tend to have a good time! I want a fake engagement and, if possible, a masked ball. Plus some random historical references. 

3. What is a romance you’ve read this year, that you want more people to read?

An Unconditional Freedom by Alyssa Cole. Her entire Loyal League trilogy (about Union spies during the Civil War) is amazing, both as romance and as historical fiction.

5. Who is one of your auto-buy romance authors?

Mary Balogh. Her Dark Angel was what really solidified my love for romance, and I’ve read like fifty of her books over the past ten years.

6. How do you typically find romance recommendations? (Goodreads, Youtube, Podcasts, Instagram..)

I look at a few romance blogs, plus I’ve picked up some suggestions from Tumblr (especially for queer romance).

7. What is an upcoming romance release you’re excited for?

I have such a big backlog of romances to read that I had to search a bit to answer this one and, in the process, I found out about Alyssa Cole’s To Catch a Queen. The Njaza part of A Prince on Paper was fascinating, so I’m looking forward to a romance about its king and queen.

8. What is one misconception about romance you would like to lay to rest?

Maybe this is cheating, but I’d like people to realize that it’s a genre like any other--it can be well-written or poorly written, progressive or regressive, an intelligent examination of serious issues or pure fluff (not that there’s anything wrong with that). It has many different sub-genres, and it’s changed dramatically over time. There’s nothing wrong with criticizing an individual book or noting troubling trends, but I’m irritated by blanket statements (i.e., ”romance novels are sexist” or “romance novel heroes aren’t developed characters”) that most people wouldn’t make about sci-fi or fantasy or YA or literary fiction or fanfiction. 

(At least, people don’t usually make these statements 100% in earnest--I see posts about all fantasy being full of sexual violence, or YA being all about love triangles in the time of dystopia, or literary fiction being all about professors having extramarital affairs, but I think on some level people get that these are exaggerations made for laughs or to illustrate a point.)

9. Who is the most recent romance reading content creator you came across that you’d like to shoutout?

I’m honestly kind of out of the loop on this one! 

10. If someone had never read a romance before and asked you to recommend the first 3 romances that come to mind as places to start, what would those recommendations be?

An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole (terrific historical/spy/war novel as well as an awesome romance).

Trade Me by Courtney Milan (it’s funny, it’s heartfelt, and--a big hurdle I face with contemporary romance--it doesn’t feel like the protagonists are a generation older than they’re supposed to be).

For My Lady’s Heart by Laura Kinsale (this may seem counter-intuitive, given the use of Middle English and the daring-for-1993-but-hardly-woke-for-2019 politics, but if you’re a fan of historical fiction or politics-heavy fantasy, I think it’s a good fit).

My brain is too fired for me to tag people right now, but if this looks interesting to you please do it!

[eastonia-blog]

Video Game Asks - 1, 10, 11, 26, 27, 30

Questions from this post!

1: Handheld, console or PC? PC! It really is the platform which unlocks all other platforms. Because - emulators.

10: Do you tend to stick with one genre, or do you play a range of different game styles? I do have a range of genres I enjoy, but I keep coming back to one - RPGs (in all their glory. I like the strategy ones, the hack and slash ones, the true RPGs etc).

11: Do you prefer to play alone or with others? Oooh. I tend to play alone, but that’s usually because my favourite video games are single player experiences. However! Minecraft and Tabletops - those are definitely experiences that are funner with more people.

26: Most disappointing video game you’ve played?I don’t care that it’s technically a mobile game. I will throw ALL the shade at Hogwarts Mystery ‘game’.

27: Most surprisingly good/enjoyable video game you’ve played?This is going to sound weird, but The Sims Medieval (the Sims 3 Spinoff series). It was basically the Sims, but with an RPG twist and quests I could get behind and enjoy. There was a surprising amount of strategy involved it claiming all the achievements and yeah… I love the Sims Medieval.

30: What aspect of a video game is most important to you - eg graphics, storyline, soundtrack, controls? STORY. I am a SUCKER for a good story. I mean, I want to beat a game properly and on normal mode at the very least. But then I run into roadblocks like a boss I just can’t get past or a confusing bit of the map where I’m just flailing about not knowing where to go next. If the story has not caught me by that point, I might just rage quit.

But if that story has drawn me in enough, I’ll swallow my pride, drop the difficulty and carry on so I can see what happens next. This goes double for storylines which got affected by my choices.

[angelacolsin]

4, 8, 12, 18, 28, 56, 95

Sorry I’m so late about answering this, it’s been a hectic week.  My birthday was Sunday and my friend was flying to Florida and everything else just sort of fell by the wayside.  Anyway!  Here goes ... :D

(4) Last Song You Listened To.

You know what?  I actually don’t know.  I haven’t listened to much music lately!

(8) Did You Wake Up Cranky?

Not today, thankfully!

(12) Take A Vitamin Daily?

Nope, but I should ... :\

(18) Do You Collect Anything?

No, actually LoL Now I feel like all I’m saying is no, no, no XD

(28) What Makes You Happy?

A lot of stuff?  Uh ... writing, graphic design, Tim Tams ... you know, just basic things LoL :D

(56) What Are You Craving Right Now?

Tim Tams.  LOL!  Actually, I’m just craving food in general, I haven’t eaten yet today =|

(95) Name Something That Relaxes You.

Ugh, this is a hard question for someone with an anxiety disorder...It just depends on the reason I’m upset and so on but generally speaking, rainy dreary days and storms soothe me a lot of times!  :D

[pen-for-sword]

What's your current fixation (for a lack of a better word! xD)/active interest at the moment? :3

Right now? Probably Good Omens, LOL. I binged watched that show a couple days ago and now I can’t stop thinking about it. David Tennant and Michael Sheen did an amazing job... and of course there was some excellent storytelling on Neil Gaiman’s part too. 10/10 would watch again.

[starjeweled-alpenglow]

For @cramzydays <3

Reading romance novels makes me feel like I’m not the only person who just wants something romantic and sweet and cute!!!

I of course, love being able to meet and fall in love with the characters, and live their sweet sweet romance, but I think the most important thing is knowing that people, real people, want that. They want that sweet romance. It’s a wonderful feeling~

I like fantasy, and light novels (I hope they count?) so of course, there’s parts that wouldn’t be possible to have in reality, but that’s why reading is important, right? Because then you Can live those things.

And in any case, the romance part (which is the important part ;p) is something that, I can attest, can very much be lived in person <3

[syd-beads4evac]

cramzydays replied to your photo “Kris for day 18 - look below to see the pencil art[[MOR]”

So gorgeous, Syd!!!

aww thank you, Amaya //v//<3!!!!

[pollyssecretlibrary]

cramzydays replied to your post: cramzydays replied to your photoset: ...

I definitely agree the anime is incomplete!! My twin bought the DVD volumes that came with the manga (hot spring, haha!) and the music from the anime is amazing! /fans self Ahh, you’re welcome (⋈◍＞◡＜◍)。✧♡

They're publishing it here now... book 5 was out last week... I can't wait to read what happens after the anime!

Yona and Hak OTP!

[hiduprakyat]

Just passing through the notes for the Malaysian and Nyonya food reblog, I love your header of Mr Knightley 🥰

Awww thanks! Nyonya traditions are gradually being forgotten and I really need to give my culture a little bit of exposure. ((Psst Mr Knightley is my absolute favourite. But Johnny Flynn just didn't capture the spirit. Johnny Lee Miller however, was a whole ass mood))

[riley1cannon]

For the year-end book asks, 1, 2, 12, 24, 25 and a number of your choice 💗💖

Whee!

1. How many books did you read this year?

Way too many. Finished #99 last night, and am currently embarked on #s100 & 101. That’s only a few more than I’ve been avergaing lately, so it wasn’t entirely due to COVID. I’m regretting it now as there isn’t a lot left in my TBR pile, and it’s going to be awhile before that can be replenished. Which actually leads to--

2. Did you reread anything? What?

Yes, more than I have in a long time. A trend likely to continue well into 2021. It’s not a bad thing, though. It’s fun to go back and see how old favorites hold up. There haven’t been too many disappointments. I reread several Archie Goodwin-Nero Wolfe mysteries (hey, Archie does 99% of the work, so I figure he should have top billing 😉), and those have held up nicely. Only a few eye-rolling, time period accurate sexist moments. And it’s been long enough since my last time through that I don’t figure out whodunnit right off the bat. I revisted Stephanie Plum as well, just One For the Money & Two For the Dough, and enjoyed them enough to want to continue with the reread for awhile. Just ploughed through the first five Richard Jury myteries, and will likely carry on with that reread as well and try and catch up with the series. Star Struck Dead by Sheila York was just as much fun the...third, fourth?...time around, and went nicely with two Philip Marlowe’s--The Big Sleep & Farewell, My Lovely. They Came to Baghdad was the only Agatha Christie this year. And I started to reread the Amelia Peabody series, but only made it through Crocodile on the Sandbank. Something to pursue in the new year.

12. Any books that disappointed you?

Oh yes. The Witch of Willow Hall was a huge letdown. It had so much potential, all the trappings of a Gothic novel, but for me at least it failed to deliver. It just played like every other YA novel about a girl who’s not like other girls. The only character I liked was the ghost of the great-grandmother who was hanged for witchcraft. Would have loved to read a book about her.

Sometimes it’s not the book that is at fault, but the reader’s expectation, and that’s why I have to put Howl’s Moving Castle here. I went in expecting it to be like the movie, and could never get past that. Knowing that, I may try it again some day, to see if that helps. (I had the same problem with Neil Gaiman’s Stardust.) 

The only one that hurt, though, was Airs Above Ground by Mary Stewart. Now, there have been a couple of her romantic suspense novels that haven’t quite worked for me, but this is this the first that I actively disliked. The usual formula is there but it just doesn’t work this time. I expected better of you, Mary Stewart. 

24. Did you DNF anything? Why?

A few times. More often it was a matter of reading something, not clicking with it, and putting it aside for another time. One I couldn’t stand to read one more page of was Nora Robert’s Jewels of the Sun. The male lead was just too obnoxious to endure another moment. 

25. What reading goals do you have for next year?

I’d like to slow down and read a little less, for one thing. I’ve always been annoyed with those people who post about how they read fifty books in one month, and have never wanted to turn into one of them.

Otherwise...? I’ve been trying to revive my love of science fiction, so far with little success, so that’s something to work on. I need to get back to reading some non-fiction too. It’s been too long since I’ve done anything that way beyond dipping into something for some research. Nothing too grand, no particular agenda. 

Number of my choice: 17. Did any books surprise you with how good they were?

Yes! And I love when that happens. An historical mystery called The Vanished Bride by Bella Ellis, with the Bronte sisters as amateur sleuths, took me by surprise. I was so sure it would be awful, too far-fetched or too dry and careful, to be interesting. It is an homage to the sisters, but not so respectful that it feels you’re on a museum tour. The mystery was a really good one, too, with a most satisfying finish.

Burn for Me by Illona Andrews was another surprise. Paranormal romance and I have not often mixed well, so my expectations were low. Especially when the romantic lead is named “Mad” Rogan, and given a backstory that is beyond problematic. So what do I do but fall hard for Rogan and Nevada, and actively root for them to find a happy ending! Knock wood, I have the second book, so that will be on my reading agenda next year.

Heiress for Hire by Madeline Hunter sounded tempting--romance and mystery, post-Regency (but not quite Victorian). I had my doubts, but darned if it didn’t win me over right off the bat, with Minerva whomping Chase over the head and restraining him when he breaks into her home. One of the things I especially loved was that they communicated. If one heard something shady about the other, for instance, they brought it up and discussed it. And the sexy stuff was...yeah, it was good. Best I’ve read since last year’s The Widow of Rose House by Diane Biller. In both those books, consent is a huge deal, and never ever ruined the mood. I didn’t even mind that the actual mystery wasn’t solved by the end, but was to be carried over to the other books in the series. 

After the disaster that was The Duke & I, I was leery of ever trying Julia Quinn again. I decided to take a chance on What Happens in London, however, and was thoroughly delighted by the result. So much that I may even venture back to the Bridgerton’s one of these days.

And Red, White & Royal Blue was, on the face of it, exactly the kind of book I’d give a wide berth. A book about a romance between the son of the U.S. president and the heir to the British throne? Politics and royalty, two things I can’t stand, and that are not remotely sexy? Boy was I taken by surprise with this one! Mind, I wouldn’t have objected to the occasional break from Alex to get Henry’s POV on things, but other than that it was just about perfect. 

Thanks for the asks!

[msfehrwight]

End of the year Asks: 11, 12, 20, 22, 23 💕

11. Something you want to do again next year?

I want to go back to London and Hyde Park. It made me so happy, just wandering around, even though I wrecked my foot completely doing so. But it was lovely. 

12. Talk about a new friend you made this year

I’m taking this opportunity to talk about the cute boy. Friend was so right, we met and got on like a house on fire. He is VERY smart, and well-spoken, and polite, and unaffected, and easily approachable. You all know I crushed massively – I’m working on deconstructing that so that we can be friends, because I think we’d make really good friends. We’re having lunch tomorrow and I look forward to it a lot, I’ve got some stuff I want to hear his opinion on. He’s so entertaining when he has an Opinion. It’s such a delight. Just, a really cool guy.(I’m also going to mention two ladies I met at a conference, one Spanish and one Greek – we sort of gravitated together and I found myself opening up to the Greek lady who is SO KICKASS. I love them both and they are such incredible people. I miss them. And I only spent one day with them.)

22. Favorite place you visited this year?

Answered this previously

23. If you could send a message to yourself back on the first day of the year, what would it be?

Stick it out. I know the turn of the year is tough on you, but look at the cool things you got to do. Conferment is going to be the best thing you ever do. You’re going to be so proud of your GBS presentation, and it’s going to bring you good things. You met aforementioned cute boy, which brought you some sadness but also confidence and joy. The good things come unexpectedly. So you see how staying alive was a good thing.

[overwhelmsion]

They flagged my Keanu gif reblog!!!

[harmon-jane-black]

MERRY CHRISTMAS 🎄

I hope everyone had a very good day. tagging some mutuals 🤗💕

@austennerdita2533 @joycbyers @zoe1234 @causeitswhatjesuswouldfreakingdo @nangeled @electric-skillet @consulting--defective @alwayslovementalist @dawningblueheaven @fiftyredroses @bingewashingtv @lonely-zombiiiiieeeee @daffodilsonnet @cramzydays @wonderbatforever @sherlockaddicted @paper-frogs-and-tea-cups @rosie-tyler @caroldamn-vers @meekfollower @marwanckenzari @make-a-memory-drink-it-up @someofusarequeer @freddiemercurycalledmeataco

[angelacolsin]

@cramzydays Just wanted to letcha know I got your ask, and sorry I haven’t answered yet, but I’m so zoned out right now I’d probably answer all “ble bla blo bli blu” and think it made sense XD

So yeah, I’ll get to it soon!  <3

[eastoniablogs]

I tried to cook food my heritage says I should be able to.

@cramzydays​ did I do okay???