#forgot to add that tag to recent stuff oops!

[creamecream]

Proper introductions be damned, have the full art of the rest of my sin band.

Naaz, she/her, smol, demon of pride, in service of Lucifer, circus and ringmaster theme, Rory <3

Kauri, she/her, tol, demon of greed, in service of Mammon, traditional clown theme, sleeping with Mammon is just part of her job.

Raivo, he/him, massive, demon of wrath, in service of Satan, classic devil theme, Pepper ❤️

Anasuya, she/her, tol, demon of envy, in service of Leviathan, based on terror demons from Dragon Age and the classic ghost girl.

[nailamoonsi]

OC fun facts tag~! feat. Blue Horizon.

I rambled at points! Read if curious.

Thank you @anyablackwood for the tag!!! Somehow while I was writing up half these fun facts a few days ago, I got inspired to write more of book 2! I wound up figuring out a lot of long-term plot points, so that was fun.

Rules: "Make a list of fun facts about your OCs. Like a headcanon list, if you will! Except it's actually canon!"

Added the rules late. I wound up doing 15 facts too...but there is some paragraphs in mine, whoops.

As noted prior, as far as I've counted thus far, there are 15 sets of Blue Horizon twin and triplet characters! But from what I remember, there are only 2 sets of triplet characters.

Here's the main triplet babes:

2. There are alien animal people who are very humanoid, including their skin (so like...nekomimi people). Their key capability is transforming into the animal they're linked to! Particularly of focus are the cat people, who can transform into both felis catus and big cats! There are 7 main characters who are either wholly or partially so. 1 is a lion form, 2 are leopard forms, 1 is "bird form," 1 is a jaguar form, 1 is a wolf form, and 1 is a surprise!

(There are two female animal people I stopped focusing on years ago due to changing Blue Horizon a lot... I want to revise so I can bring them back since about 6 are male now.)

3. Noticeably, Blue Horizon's verse has a multi-colored eye system, with 6 that are relevant to the characters--Bright Days, Sad Days comic 4 will reveal further, but each eye color is tied to a psychic power! Unfortunately there are caste-like issues from this--Antonio, who is red-eyed and has the magic of empaths, is in the supposed 'lowest caste' in their modern day, while his identical twin Fernando with golden eyes that can see into the past is in the 'highest.'

4. Mario Herrera, Antonio Chandrani-Rivera's cousin, was originally based on my idea of Mercutio from Romeo and Juliet. He's gone through some interesting changes! I created him around 2005 to 2010 (unsure when exactly but pretty early, as I was interested in snarky "rogue" characters back then and considered him one). Since around 2012 he became one of the first trans main characters (he's a trans boy). He had a boyfriend who was originally based on Tybalt, and for a long time Tybalt!BF was just kind of...dry, instead of a troublesome guy, but at some point that boyfriend became too toxic/bitter for my taste, so I wholly revised the boyfriend. Now his boyfriend is uber-cuddly, but I plan to more-carefully add some wilder character arc stuff for them.

5. While I've noticeably shown off the Focal Gen achillean and sapphic love/relationship charts, I recently wrote in further representation--a man named Kamal is demisexual representation, his friend Hamza is aro representation, and a character unrelated to either of them named Eryk is aro-ace representation.

6. While there are technically 3 generations of OCs in Blue Horizon, the "first generation" is from thousands of years ago and a majority of those characters are reborn within the [edit] second and third generation.

7. Nasir, Antonio Chandrani-Rivera's past life, is fantasy-counterpart Blasian.

8. Not quite 'fun,' (I forgot it was supposed to be 'fun' while writing this oops), but my characters are meant to be super flawed. Antonio + Layla + Alejandro have a bucket load of issues, at one point Antonio finds it hilarious Alejandro hasn't managed to land a date, at another point Rayan calls Layla 'sexless,' and many characters fret or obsess over 'propriety' and even call things 'queer' in that old-school (if usually passé) way, though it's majorly over how one of their magic systems (akin to Iron Widow's but different) functions, NOT due to homosexuality or gender themselves.

This is despite my being pretty firmly a nonbinary demisexual lesbian.

It's hugely due to wanting to reflect some of 2000's zeitgeist. Interestingly, their past lives don't reflect certain flawed/messy habits due to their society functioning differently.

9. The ancient generation was once able to travel through space! Their planet was once connected to the rest of the galaxy and part of a large multi-planetary system.

10. I didn't drop the image of it here, but comic 4 will show off how their system once had a Dyson Sphere.

(Below is an in-progress panel. The Antonio is copy-pasted from his character chart so that I can draw a similar pouty expression.)

11. The main characters of Blue Horizon are 100,000 years in the future, but their society is obsessed with the ancient Earth, AKA our era. They tend to make up their own ideas of how they think Earth was like, so they'll note things like dial-up internet tone terrifying them, and assume that Europeans are "Roman" no matter the era.

12. Certain OCs now canonically have browner tone to their sclera. It's because this is common for a lot of dark-skinned to brown-skinned people, but due to media being pretty European-idealism-centric, people ignore that it's normal for some amount of people. So just representing that! I don't even notice this in Picrews, so thought to bring it up again.

13. I disliked saying it out loud prior, but Antonio being covered in blood tends to represent his self-sacrificial tendencies around loved ones. There's more to it, but the "fun" is already dying with this.

14. Red-eyed Spectral people heighten the color of their red eyes to fuchsia to understand people and/or the situation around them better. Other Spectrals also heighten their main eye color to something brighter to better understand with their powers.

15. While there is bi representation and WLM-type couples and close pairs, I hyperfocus a lot on MLM and WLW, and since I created Blue Horizon in the 2000's to 2010's, at some point I realized that for me it'd be the bee's knees to do '80's to '90's love triangle media with huge focus on MLM and WLW pairs. So that's what Blue Horizon has a lot of.

HOWEVER... As far as I understand, it doesn't count as a straight-up romantasy. I see it as an epic science fantasy with a ton of romances or implied romances.

I’ll tag @darthnell @scorpiothesaint @frostedlemonwriter @alnaperera @motthepaladin +

@ellisnyeland @magscrane @halfbit @angelofthemornings !

[palestickyprinces]

on my hands and knees begging for a family tree (or multiple ones!!) for your original hotd/asoiaf characters...

anon your hand in marriage immediately. how did you know about my one true passion. reveal yourself in my dms within three days else you'll start to cough

some of these are way more in depth because i. well. i only just made some (cough the tullys and martells cough) while others i worked for a day or two on. the targaryen ones look weird bc this site doesnt like incest (or even when two siblings marry another set of siblings). i will put it under a read more lest it take 5 days to scroll past

me looking at anon

we're just gonna go in order of how i have them saved el oh el. also i was gonna link the trees but then realized anyone can edit them and i dont trust people not to fuck up my hard work so now you have to suffer my shitty screenshots. sorry

Maryce Redwyne

(ignore the fact it links to aemond, its just how the site works) now this one is a little weird bc i never fully committed to when it takes place in her canon so some people are dead who shouldnt be some people arent dead who should be etc... also daeron doesn't exist here cuz uhhh. well. i just never put him in.

this verse is also the ones my ocs vaerra targaryen and alyssa targaryen (of pentos), but i ended up removing them since its really maryce's story and i didnt want to include them for like two appearances worth of time

you may notice she has a child who's formerly gone entirely unmentioned...

Lorea Baratheon

this one is straightforward its just the canon family tree plus lorea. i have various other ocs and possible cousins in mind for her story but i dont think any are included in this. however i did go insane adding practically the entire lannister and baratheon/targaryen family trees theres like 60+ people in this one

House Errol

never mentioned these guys (because i forgot they existed) but theyre fairly important players in lorea's story, she runs into the kingswood after (spoiler!) her mom tries to 🗡 her and ends up at haystack hall. sebastion ends up agreeing to let her stay, then as the war continues is the one to push her to claim the throne. totally not because he wants to be her hand and marry his son to her. who would ever do that.

House Mallister

theres a couple more piper cousins/siblings in law on the other side lyman but thats fine. lyman has a wife named lynette swann and i never decided if his name would remain lyman. also i forgot to ever name one of elinor's brothers in law oops

after the hashtag scandal of elinor having a bastard baby her mom gets her brother lucas to marry his son to elinor and elinor is shipped off to pinkmaiden forever. sad!

Ellyn Hightower + Daemion & Alyssa

considering daemion didnt even have his own tag until like yesterday i dont think i ever shared that he's criston's son so. spoiler! theres nothing like giving your affair baby nearly the same name as your husband ❤️ also daeron is again not here. sorry. would be funny to include him just for the sake of the recent headcanons about criston being his daddy tho. when ur cousin is also ur brother and its not even from the incest side of the family

(im not actually doing that. daeron will probably just not be included. unless i really like him when s3 comes out in a decade)

all the stuff to the side is just canon targ bullshit i added

House Tully

these crop weird on tumblr oops. click on em to see it better. i made alys larys's sister bc i just thought being tortured by ur sister in law is funnier than aunt etc. i considered naming zoe and elmo's dad ernie

House Martell

alia and aelyx are twins <3 i did not add all of daeron's various descendants or ancestors because frankly theres kind of a lot of them and again this site hates incest and it starts looking funny real quick. given more time i mightve added them and the great bastards and all but this is what you get for now

maron said their first kid could have a targy name since they'd be a martell either way so daenerys insisted he give the second one a dornish name and then with the twins they just followed their previous pattern of girl gets dornish boy gets targy. these guys are arguably the happiest family of ocs i got

maron had a paramour before wedding daenerys and he sent her away before the marriage because he knew daenerys would take offense to it, and he didn't want to risk the still fairly new targ-martell alliance, or risk angering daeron, which could theoretically pose a risk to maron's own sister. the family's one real conflict is that the paramour has a son who later shows up claiming he's maron's REAL oldest child and that aeron is actually a blackfyre. thankfully the dornish are not stupid and basically just go ????? before kicking the kid out. well actually a lot more happens than just that but yk how it is. that plotline is also only barely existant. i havent even read a knight of the seven kingdoms yet

if you actually read all this then YAYYYYY come be my friend pls. or just send me more asks about my ocs. i love answering questions and talking for way too long i NEED more asks

[sapphicspren]

hi! i’m currently reading the stormlight archive for the first time (i’m on the way of kings) and i was wondering if you have any blog recommendations? i don’t mind spoilers at all i just wanna see cute art and fun memes/posts 🥺 you totally don’t have to respond though! have a good day/afternoon/evening 🌼

oop, I completely forgot you sent this ask, sorry about that... anyway YES, here are some blogs I follow that maybe you should too!

*disclaimers* if you haven't read other books in the cosmere, some of these blogs are general cosmere blogs and might be confusing and/or spoilery. also some of these blogs are cosmere/Stormlight specific and some have that mixed in with other content.

https://lamaery.tumblr.com/ is an absolute gift to the fandom and produces a bonkers amount of fantastic art. definitely check her stuff out if you haven't!

https://cosmerememes.tumblr.com/ as the url suggests, it's memes. uses RoW spoiler tags, so that's cool

https://jasnah-kholin.tumblr.com/ reblogs a lot of good art

https://dragontrill.tumblr.com/ just recently started doing lots of Stormlight art and it's amazing, she is a blessing

https://lilaeleaf.tumblr.com/ ADORABLE stormlight art and a lot of other good art as well

https://cosmere-cosmeme.tumblr.com/ incorrect quotes and memes and all that good stuff

https://jazzy-kandra.tumblr.com/ some amazing original art

https://aieika.tumblr.com/ reblogs excellent art (also a great fic writer if you're into that)

https://viridializard.tumblr.com/ is one of my favorite cosmere artists, you might need to scroll but it is so worth it

https://isdalinarhot.tumblr.com/ good stuff

https://felcandy.tumblr.com/ awesome cosmere artist!!

https://adolinsfavoritejacket.tumblr.com/ the vibes of this blog are just excellent

https://stivya.tumblr.com/ adorable art

https://cosmereplay.tumblr.com/ mostly reblogs art

I'm typing this up very late at night and definitely missed some blogs, might add on later but I hope this helps. welcome to the fandom!!!

[edenian-princess]

Tagged by @chochote-sijali @fightmechairmanhan @juminhandfs

I straight up forgot about this until I saw you guys show up on my dash, oops XD thank you, though 🌻

—

Nicknames: Drea, Unnie Bunnie ( @miri-nyae 👀 ), Tia, principessa, Ahnj (my brother calls me this, so it’s near and dear to me), Dr. Dre, and others, there are a lot 🙌🏽👏🏽

Gender: Female

Zodiac: Sagittarius

Height: 4’11 okay so technically I’m 4’10 but imma add the extra inch dammit

Time: 11:05

Favorite bands: Mm... been getting into EXO recently, thanks to a friend... I can’t tell you any favorite songs or anything, but I like their style.

Favorite solo artists: Michael 👏🏽 Bublé 👏🏽 baby!! And Luis Miguel. And Tony DeSare. And Jamie Cullum. And Renee Olstead.

Song stuck in my head: La Bikina - Luis Miguel

Last movie I saw: Avengers - Infinity War *soft sob*

Last show I saw: Family Guy

When I created my blog: 2013, I’m fairly sure.

What I post: My blog is made up of reblogs honestly XD But I reblog a lot of things I find relatable, and MM stuff cuz I’m still kinda obsessed with that game!

Last thing I googled: War ships.

Other blogs: Yes. But I’ll never tell!!

Do I get asks: I would like to receive some XD

Why I chose my URL: Favorite fighting game: Mortal Kombat

Favorite character: Kitana

Kitana: Princess of Edenia

edenian-princess

Followers: 👀 um... uh... UM... I believe 780-something?

Average amount of sleep: Trying to hit at least 6-7 hours, but still landing in the 4-5 hour range.

Lucky numbers: 3, 7, 11, 19, 33

Instruments I play: Ukulele, guitar, clarinet, violin, piano

What I’m wearing: Ninja Love shirt, pants

Dream job: Linguist. Or historian.

Dream trip: J a p a n

Favorite food: Rice

Nationality: ‘Merican

Favorite songs: La Bikina (Luis Miguel)

Butter Sugar Cream (Tomggg)

KÒNSEY (J. Perry)

Boo’d Up (Ella Mai)

Last book I’ve read: Ah, some book about law. I need to start reading just for the pleasure of it, I miss it.

Top 3 fictional universes I wanna visit:

Mystic Messenger (I know MM takes place in South Korea so it isn’t fictional in that sense, but MM people are fictional, so in whatever dimension of South Korea they’re in, I wanna be there)

Kingdom Hearts (that way I’ll be able to visit several universes within one big universe)

Is it weird that I would love to visit the Mortal Kombat universe? Cuz I do. I really do.

Tagging: @masamunbae @ariaahh @l0veyasomuch

And ya know, if ya wanna, feel free ☺️

[gold-from-straw]

Writing Process tag game

Tagged by @gothyringwald! Thank you ^_^

1. What are your favourite genres and/or styles to write in?

I recently discovered I actually LOVE magical realism. I really like world building like that. But most of all I like writing about people and relationships, so within that, anything really

2. What was the last writing project you finished and felt successful with?

I get a total buzz from finishing anything, often because I’m super excited about starting on the next thing! I think Wicked Boys, though - it’s just the first draft that’s finished, but I’m really pleased with how it turned out. The Forest Hotel, as well, I finished that quite a while ago but I still feel really positive about it, which is unheard of for me lol! My friend has finished the front cover art, so hopefully I’ll be able to publish it soon! But the most surprising success was Nature of Trust, because it’s STILL gathering hits and kudos like crazy, it didn’t slow down after I finished uploading, and I can’t even quite figure out why?! I feel like I hit on some magic formula there and I’m fascinated lol!

3. If you have a WiP how do you feel it’s going? What stage are you in?

Oh dear, hold on people. So I’ve got 2 original novels that are about 1/3 the way through. One of them I recently got enthusiastic about again, but I nearly cried when I re-read the first few chapters. They were shit. I’ve convinced myself to move past that - that’s a problem for second draft Lyndsay - and just write the damn thing. 

I’ve got a couple of first drafts that need transcribing so I can upload them - Wicked Boys, which is my current baby, Golden Prince, and Living the Dream (shit, I need to be writing that like now, so I can upload tomorrow...)

I’ve got a Drarry novel which might ACTUALLY turn into an epic re-write of the entire HP series, oops. I’m only on book 1 as well, so... it’s getting there?

There’s a short story I promised my daughter, too, I should really prioritise that...

Oh, yeah, I forgot about Zero Degrees! I have a few extra chapters to add, and a bunch of edits, but I’m hoping to publish that next year

I have too many WIPs!

4. What are your favourite places to write?

I write my first drafts in notebooks (literally because I like buying pretty notebooks...) so I actually end up writing in some lovely places, like a hill where I walk my dog! My dedicated writing place is in a golf club cafe I go to after my karate lesson (random, know), they make the best BLT baguettes, and the old dudes there tease me and ask me when I’m going to write a book about them

5. Do you prefer to write with long hand or type? Or some other method?

If it’s something long I usually write in a notebook, because I kinda like having physical evidence of the VOLUME of shit I write! Also I really like pretty notebooks. Also also, it forces me to finish a first draft - I can’t edit as easily as I can on a laptop. And then when I type it up it forces me to second draft it, I spot things that don’t flow better than if I was just reading through

6. Do you remember your first character? If so can we meet them?

Yes! I used to write stories and pass them around my school, and the first one I wrote was about a girl who lived as a stowaway in a container ship like some pre-teen phantom of the opera on the fucking ocean! I actually don’t know if I ever finished the story, but she was trippy. First story I know for sure that I finished was about a bus crash where one girl nearly dies and her body is taken over by an angel so she can heal. It’s mostly from the POV of the boy who had a crush on her and who goes slightly crazy noticing the similarities and differences between this girl’s character before and after. I mean that was trippy AF too, I’m not even sure what was going on there... I was clearly a little edgelord already...

7. Where do you get your inspiration?

I really don’t know, half the time. Daydreaming. Something will set me off and I’ll take tangent after tangent until BAM, I’m re-writing the story of how my great-grandfather walked half way across Kenya with a donkey and a wooden leg, only now he’s gay and he and his Masai friend rescue a kid from an abusive household.

8. Do you outline a story before writing it, or does it all live in your head until the first draft gets put down?

So much outline. The reason being, I have so many random ideas that if I started all of them I’d go crazy. So instead I have a book full of tangled mind-maps (my header photo is an example), and once they’re outlined there, they can hibernate for years before I get started, but they don’t go away. If I just let them live in my head I’d lose them! I also have a book dedicated to doing character notes, like backstories and random bits of info that will probably never make it into the story but which give me a good idea of who the person is before I try to write them - otherwise they tend to be a bit two dimensional. @salamanderink gave me that idea by asking me loads of questions about some of my Zero Degrees characters!

9. Where do you go/ What do you do when you’re feeling stuck?

I just leave it alone, write something else or absolutely nothing. I don’t try to push it any more. I think I used to, because I was scared of losing momentum, but now I’ve got this backlog of ideas, I know that if I ever run out of inspiration at least I’ve got starting points for loads of new ones! I don’t know if that’ll change in the future, but it seems to be OK for right now. I sometimes change and do a bit of drawing for a while instead, that usually loosens me up

10. What got you started writing/doing Art? (Because I always love origin stories)

I’ve kept a diary since I was 6 or so, on and off, but consistently since I was 11. That just sort of turned into me writing stories, somehow. I remember writing in my diary ‘nothing interesting ever happens so I’m going to write down my daydreams until I get a boyfriend or something’. Then IDK, some of the kids a couple of years below me in high school found some of my stories, and asked if they could share them around, and I started sewing them up to hand out - I’ve still got all of them! Some of them were fucking dark... 

We had a talk by an author one day, and he asked if anyone wanted to be a professional writer. I put my hand up (and got teased by the assholes in my class afterwards, because apparently the boys in my class were actual baby boomers and didn’t think writing was a real job - like mate, you’re 15, what do you care?!) but this dude looked at me with a super intense expression and said��‘never stop writing’. So I didn’t. And I self-pub my original stuff, and get my regular dose of validation on AO3, and writing is my most effective coping mechanism. Tadaa!

Tagging @slytherinvalues, @turned-her-brain, @salamanderink, @elizabethhollowswriting and @soz or whoever else wants to do this and needs to procrastinate as much as I do ;)

[goldenscript]

Ohhh and I absolutely noticed the chanyeol content you have been reblogging recently hehe :) and about yixing: there's this video where he gives his manager (?) his jacket even tho she denies taking it and it's the sweetest thing ever ahsjaksh and yea I don't even know why I bias jae... its just like that now.  but about hanbin!!!! It's not only his looks but his personality! !! how determined he is! His passion for music! The fact that he goes hiking in his off time to relieve stress!!! /1 🍓🍰

and eh driving is okeyyyy - not so bad :) still gotta take my exams (theoretical and practical) and I'm pretty nervous :/// (about the crush thing: it's isn't that bad lmfao.... it wasn't a major crush at all I just found him cute, still awkward when we sat next to each other agshskahsh) For the road trip question: that took me quite some time to decide :) Realistically speaking (as this is actually the music me and my friends listen to in the car) /2 🍓🍰

there would be a lot of white stripes, red hot chili peppers, arctic monkeys (the old stuff : )!) and probably some songs everybody can sing along like abba songs or what ever other song comes to our mind right at that moment (most importantly  oops I did it again, toxic, that one backstreet boys song, some spice girls songs, half of the dirty dancing soundtrack? and generally 80s and 90s hits! And mambo Nr 5!!!!!!!!)  /3 -🍓🍰

but if I'm driving with my friend who likes kpop we listen to triple h's whole discography, love scenario! !!! Pentagon's shine, monster, overdose (can't miss that one), some red velvet songs, gold by offonoff and dean (great song), ahhh and teentop's miss right, oasis by crush (we listen to that a lot these days), some zion t songs, CHANGE ! by hyuna!!!!! (Very important) /4 - 🍓🍰 

Forgot to add last time: of course I saw the tag about surfer jaehyun ;) sounds lovely!!!!! - 🍓 🍰

yeahhhhhhh. it’s gotten so bad LOL. i’m still totally and completely in love with him, so i don’t think that’s changing any time soon. i mean i don’t mind, but i wonder if it annoys anyone at the amount of chanyeol content i’ve reblogged. anyway, yixing is such a sweetie omg! i hope the universe is treating him right and that he’s smiling because he deserves happiness >:( pls, i get it. sometimes you just bias someone and there’s no answer to it! as for hanbin, i gotta get to know him more then! it sounds so superficial of me to say i’m interested in him by his looks, but that’s just me not getting into block b. YET. soon! not sure when, but i’ll make it happen whenever i’m in the mood. 

oof, driving’s gotten better now that i’m used to it. i’m glad i’m used to it. i never would’ve imagined i’d get better, but that was my own anxiety being doubtful. aahhh, good luck on your exams! i hope you ace all of them. and if not, then i know that you did your best so don’t beat yourself up if you don’t. sometimes test taking is just too damn hard. and, ahhhhh. gotchu, gotchu. well, if you ever see him again, maybe an interaction can occur! whatever happens, of course, i hope it’ll be good. 

omg you have two kinds of friends too? sometimes i lowkey worry about putting kpop on my playlist or what kind of playlist to make just because my taste varies -- i can go from r&b to hip hop to some pop to kpop to kr&b to punk rock / pop punk! alsooooo, i love your english song playlist. those are plenty of bops, especially the oldies! when you can sing along to a song on the radio, i think that’s really fun when you and your friends can do it together (: and i really like your kpop playlist too! 

p.s. surfer!jaehyun is... yeah, he’s a great concept. sun kissed and always showcasing that dimpled smile of his. OOF.

[elurin]

Valentine’s Day

Okay so. I am way too lazy to try to make a banner (also busy and un-artistic)(also I’m gonna be honest and confess that I completely forgot it was Valentine’s Day before some people tagged me in their Valentine’s Day stuff)(so haha take my last minute stuff)

Here’s a message for each of my lovely mutuals:

@iamminniemcgonagall--I’ve never really talked to you, but you’re my mutual and also my very first follower apparently, so pls keep being kind and generous and leaving comments that make me laugh on all your posts.

@sol-luna-stellae--Hi hi hi! I haven’t talked to you much either, but I always love seeing you on my dash (ur side blog too but sorry you only get one message) I also I remember a while back you made a tag post or whatever you call those where you reblogged it with 5 things that made you happy and tat made me feel warm inside and still does. Keep being wonderful!!!

@thatshyfangirl--I haven’t really talked to you much either ahhh I’m like the void but I do love seeing you on my dash! Also your wold of text thingy is v cool and I like your mobile theme rn

@driacomalfoy--Another on the “mutual I haven’t talked to really” list oops. But your blog is really pretty and you seem v v v kind! Have a wonderful Valentine’s Day!

@aurorarsinistra--Hi! I also haven’t talked al that much to you, but you’re so so so so so so talented and kind and absolutely adore seeing you on my dash. For your advent aesthetic thing you took one of my requests and it was so lovely tbh I’m still In Love tysm. You’re a fantastic + talented person I hope you’re doing great

@glorfy-the-bright-haired-ellon--We haven’t talked in a while, so I hope you’re doing great! (Even if we mostly chatted about country differences haha) You’re a genuinely sweet person and I still like reading ur short little comments in the tags when I have time for tumblr. They make me smile

@owvlery--YENNA!! HI HI!!!! First order of business is tysm for ur message “saltmate” why are u so nice (shh okay u can by salty and bitter and nice I believe in u) Okay so ur my friend now (sucks if u don’t wanna be u are now) and  tbh idek how I deserve u bc you are just fantastic and you’re so kind. You are literlly the only blog ‘ve looked at recently tbh?? Like I don’t really have time for tumblr atm (and yet here I am I kno I kno) but I always look at yours bc yenna (I hope u realize how much it burns my soul having friends for whom I have no nickname bc I just can’t quite do it for online friends (u)(idk why) bc I haven’t called an irl friend or sibling by their name for an enire day in years (it’s actually a bit of a problem)(also I tried to be like formal and coherent and stuff for the people who are my older mutuals bc I was going in order and now u get the full extent of my ramble bc it’s been building up.)Okay but everything u post makes my smile bc u are the v v v best (like no one ever was)(sry) But anyway you’re a shining  light in my life and the salt crystals just make it glitter more okay okay you’re fantastic and u deserve everything

@chovchang--okay but I’m not sure I’ve forgiven u for lowkey convincing me to watch yur!!! on ice bc I’m still rdg fanfic on the bus (only time I have time) but also like...ty. I know I haven’t talked to you really since the secret santa ended but I still love seeing u on my dash and I think you are a wonderful person and a joy to talk to

@hermionegrangcr--(I’m...99.99% sure you are only following me bc I won a category of your tumblr awards)(but tysm for that btw) anyway you are just fantastically talented and so far beyond nice.

@bluellaby--Hello former-secret-santa mine! We haven’t talked much since but you’re an incredibly nice person and your blog adds lots of variety to my dash it’s great

@pctter--I haven’t talked to you much but your blog is Lovely and full of wonderful content and ur sparkling personality (sry that was really cliche)(also you agree the Howl from Howl’s Moving Castle has pretty hair so ur automagically 10/10)

@doradelacour--Hi!! ty for mentioning me in yours; I got warm fuzzies. You’re so sweet and kind and supportive and u deserve to get all of that back from everyone and everything around u so I hope you are doing so so so well. You make me smile and u deserve literally all of the good things okay all of them (tho like...share them once u have them pls)(also gonna be honest I’m lowkey still laughing at ur boyriend screwing up with the trains like a month ago) I hope everything is going and continues to go as well as possible for you

Honorable mention to @fandomsmakeheartsbreak who talks to me even tho I’m a jerk who didn’t follow back (sorry)(you post a lot not in my fandom)(ily tho)(also I’ll get to the tag game...soon-ish) + all my other wonderful followers (and any mutuals on my sideblog tho they’ll prob nvr see this bc I’m out of time and then some)

[mister-lady]

honey: what is one thing you like about yourself? mushroom: what is a quote you find comfort in? tea: how do you take your tea? cow; what is one tumblr blog you really appreciate? Tree: what is one thing in the future your looking forwards to? thread: what is a recent creative project that you are proud of? cat: are there some pets you really want? peach: what is a color that makes you smile? sheep: what is a comfort item that you own?

uh, this is a lot... oops. I was gonna make the list smaller but uh, I rlly wanna know the answers to these questions lol. you don't have to answer them all!

Shush, I love answering questions and I will gladly answer all of these ily /nm/lh/gen

Honey: what is one thing you love about yourself? I uhm,, ,well.. I like my hair a lot!!! Very floofy and it's fun to mess with or do hair ruffles or do different styles with :D!!!!

Mushroom: what is a quote you find comfort in? A lot of quotes from the incomplete/puzzle song ckfkdk. Specifically "you're lost, its okay." And "no one wants to be a joke- but a life free of jokes is incomplete!"

Tea: how do you take your tea? Ooo!!! I've been experimenting with tea!! I forgot you could add sugar and stuff to it so I thought I didn't like it but!! I mostly like it with sugar and not as much, but a little bit of creamer/milk! (I mostly use milk for tea and creamer for coffee but that's just personal preference)

Cow: what is one tumblr blog you really appreciate? Oh like I could name one!!! I like a lot of tumblr blogs but if I had to name one theres this really rad one that reblogs a lot of stuff from their special interest and sometimes little other stuff!!! An it's very pog and the person running it is super duper rad. Oh and the blog title is @remusmainblog uwo (sorry not sorry for actually tagging you here)

Tree: what is one thing in the future you're looking forward too? Well as of close future, getting these smelly tests done with. I know I keep saying that but I mean it! And as of far off future, getting a car and being gay with it so I can meet the people I'm gay and sorta gay but not gay-gay for (I dont know how to explain queer platonic)

Thread: what is a recent creative project that you're proud of? Hmm.. I don't know if I got any projects that I'm proud of, but I'm messing around with a a slightly new art style to hopefully look more realistic if that counts ^w^!!

Cat: are there some pets you really want? Uhmm,, currently nothing too crazy, but maybe a hamster or gerbil of some sort! Or hermit crabs!! Or a more simple one like a fish :D!! Or maybe a rat or mous!

Peach: what is a color that makes you smile? Hmm... a lot of colors do!! Though mostly pastel colors, or maybe yellow!! Yellow was the first color that came to my mind :D

Sheep: what is a comfort item that you own? Well normally merch products, like necklaces or shirts cuase it's easier to carry around and have on me an such! Tho I have this realllyy soft unicorn plushie that I really like and is verie nice! Also my weighted blanket is verie good!!

[lexxikitty-blog1]

Kiss the Girl by Melissa Brayden Series: Soho Loft: #1 Read: February 2016 Rating: 4.75 Stars

There are something like a million and one (or 14 to 78) brilliant reviews on GoodReads.  I'm not going to be adding much new to the discussion at this point.

This book is the first book I've read by this author.  I was 'pushed' into reading this book because of a group I am in that is currently running a 'pick it' group challenge.

I had been putting off this book because everyone and their pet donkey just absolutely loves this book.  And I didn't want to go in, after everyone else, pick at it and go . . . you know what?  I don't really like this here.  Yes, I felt self conscious.

The book involves Brooklyn Campbell, Hunter something or other, Samantha, and Mallory who jointly run an advertising agency in New York City.  They meet in college and they are roughly around the age of 28 (though I believe the prologue indicated some were older than Brooklyn).  Brooklyn is the main point of view for this set of friends.  Brooklyn was put up for adoption when she was a baby and went in and out of various foster homes until, at some point, she ended her 'tour' in a group home and aged out of the system at 18.

The second group of people this book involves is Jessica Lennox and . . . um, she's friends with her assistant Brent.  And is friendly her teenage neighbor Ashton.  Lennox is a hard charging head of an advertising agency that she started long ago.  It is also located in New York City.  Lennox is described as being a bitchy, ball busting, 'get my way or I'll cut you' type of person.  Oh, and she might be married to a billionaire who helps her find business.  Most of this is based on rumors and nothing but rumors.  Lennox, though, likes how the rumors help her in business, so does nothing to 'set people right' and 'fix' her image.  I'm using Lennox on purpose, instead of Jessica (or Jess).  Because I'm mostly referring to her business persona. Jessica/Jess, though, is nothing like what others see her as being.  Oh, and Jessica is really really old...er than Brooklyn.  10 years older.  38. Or, in other words, younger than me.

Before I move on - I rather like both Jessica and Brooklyn.

Okay then.  Brooklyn is having a rotten day - pulled over and ticketed for speeding, her car is towed, her heel on her favorite shoes break, and, to top it off, her birth mother has offered contact information through an organization that does stuff like that (Brooklyn had signed up with them when she was 18, i.e., 10 years ago).  Gazing around in despair, she contemplates what to do with herself.  Spots a neat looking place across the street from a print shop (there's a reason why she is there; oh - and the print shop line was super long - to add to her woes).

Brooklyn enters this lovely looking place.  Walks right up to the bar and . . . realizes her purse is in her car (which just got towed away, remember).  She kind of whimpers.

Jessica has had a tough day.  She decides to do two things she rarely ever does - step out earlish from work, and go home.  No the go home isn't the second thing.  The second thing is to step into this neat little bar that is near her home.  As she sits there looking around kind of happy she decided to step in, she spots a rather attractive woman step in.  And overhears her exchange with the bartender (um, I forgot to mention that, Brooklyn's 'realization' about her purse took place out loud).   Jessica offers to pay for Brooklyn's drink.

Brooklyn is reluctant but eventually agrees.  Jessica introduces herself as Jessica . . . Jess.  But without a last name, and makes a game of not saying what her job is (well, one of them do, I forget which one started the game of Brooklyn guessing Jess' job).  Both have a fabulous time.  It ends with Jessica acquiring Brooklyn's number, and giving a brief kiss.  Which expands into a really passionate kiss.  The kind that makes your toes curl and your hair stand up straight (or whatever it is that happens).  They part.

Jessica and Brooklyn meet again, as someone who read the beginning of this review might suspect, when both turn up for an advertising job.  Jessica Lennox is quite well known to Brooklyn's ad agency, but Brooklyn doesn't normally go on calls (and therefore doesn't know what Jessica Lennox, professional ball crusher, looks like).  Plus, Jess never gave her last name.  Jessica leaves a conference room.  Brooklyn spots her. They gaze at each other.  Brooklyn is now flustered and somewhat messes up her first ever attempt to talk to clients in a client meeting.  

Jess texts Brooklyn.  They kind of flirt by text.

The 'Cinderalla kiss' is mentioned by Brooklyn to her coworkers (well, it was mentioned, I forget the sequence now).  The idea of having any kind of relationship, friend/romantic or otherwise, with someone like Jessica Lennox is roundly booed by everyone of Brooklyn's friends.  Brooklyn kind of agrees with them.

Time passes.  The Foster account is fought over by both Brooklyn and Lennox's ad agencies.

Eventually Brooklyn uses that contact number she got for her birth mother.  Eventually her relationship with Jess advances . . . somewhat.  Meanwhile Ashton, the teenage next door neighbor of Jessica's, is having a rotten time with her alcoholic mother - Jessica tries to help.

There's a really intense scene in a stuck elevator between Jessica and Brooklyn (which occurred, I believe, actually before Brooklyn attempts to contact her mother; it's not related, I'm just fixing the chronology I messed up in my review).

At some point, while reading this book, I was seriously contemplating making a brand new shelf.  I would call this shelf something like '6 star books'.  Then put this book on said shelf.  Because this was, in fact, a really really good book.  Until it wasn't.

The 'it wasn't' part occurred when a specific incident occurred.  And I could immediately foretell what would then happen next.  And everything unfolded almost exactly as I thought it would.  About 99.9% exactly like I thought it would.  To be fair, everything that happened?  Did not seem like a contrived little thing to add to the book to add tension/drama/and conflict.  It did, in fact, seem like a natural extension of the book (which is also why I knew immediately what would happen after the fact, and was 99% correct - because everything flowed naturally).  Well damn. I was going to pinpoint the 'incident' at the beginning. Ah well.  It was when Brooklyn visited Jessica.  At her office.  A bag may or may not be involved.  I'm trying to be vague for those who haven't read the book, while giving enough for those who have to know what I'm referring to.  *inserts spoiler tags* <spoiler> (for fuck sake, you have a 'break the tension' group meeting with your friends; it is mentioned that 'business stuff' need to remain secret and . . . . you immediately visit your love interest at their office?  Okay, livable but . . . for no fucking reason I can think of, you give your fucking . . . right *tags inserted*  You leave your bag outside.  With an advertising executive.  For a rival agency.  You are currently in competition with. And you know she isn't the fucking receptionist.  And . . AND . . Jessica's fucking assistant is right there as a potential other person to give the bag too (don't); if you going to do this completely weird ass fucking thing - like bring your fucking back with you into Jessica's place of work (instead of say, leaving it locked tightly and hidden in car), don't fucking leave it outside; why? Why the fuck did she do that? No, I'm serious.  Do people do that? Do they leave their fucking bags with rivals (remember, she fucking knows that's not the receptionist?  Yes?  Well fuck me.  Learn something new every day.  She's visiting a fucking head of a company; what, did she think Jessica worked in a broom closet and therefore there wouldn't be any room for her bag and coat?  No?  Maybe it's some kind of 'oops, I brought my bag with me, I trust this non-receptionist rival advertising person with my bag instead of having it near me while I'm in the room with Jessica' thought process. Why the fuck does she even fucking have her fucking bag up in the receptionist area? SHE FUCKING DRIVES EVERYWHERE.)  Okay, I've moved from 'this is a natural progression' to 'what the fuck did I just read?'</spoiler>

The book was filled with a ton of tension/drama/etc. based on intergroup dynamics involving the Campbell friend group and their reaction to Brooklyn-Jessica link up; the ad agency competition; the drama over the birth family; and, most specifically of importance for a romance - relationship tension (both because of that issue of Brooklyn's friends not liking Jessica; being rivals; Brooklyn having commitment and trust issues; having to take things slow; etc.).  So, tacking on an extra layer, even if a natural development for the book, seemed like a layer too many.

Oh, and, you know (those who have read my reviews before), how I recently made a comment on another book recently read about how it contained that cliche of 'I'm a powerful woman.  I'm giving up control and submitting to another woman.  I think I like it'?  That cliche, once again, turned up in this book.  And yes, it once again pulled me from the story. Though I just kind of laughed and dove back in. See, this was when I still thought of this as a six star book, and that specific scene neither increased nor decreased the overall score given to this book.  (Though, I also admit (did I admit anything previously, dang it, I don't want ot reread my own review), Brayden handled that scene brilliantly).

So, for these and other reasons, I cannot break open a brand new 6 star shelf and shove this book onto it.  Nor, in good conscious can I add this to my super duper and special 5.5 star shelf.  I have currently placed it on no specific star shelf.  Though I've currently rated it 4 stars.  I am contemplating which shelf to add this book to.   3.5? Probably not.  4? Maybe.  4.5? Perhaps.  And, surprising, I know, I still have a strong desire to put this on my five star shelf 

Review Written: February 3 2016