#i wanna type up a visual description in advance so i’ll have to get around to that first

[verdemoth]

Woah hey hey. Yeah it’s me, Tala, it’s been a while, huh? Like legitimately a year whoops. Hey mutuals sorry about that, i’m totally still kicking and you guys are super cool and i hope we can still vibe 👉👈 there’s a lot of very awesome people i’ve missed interacting with

To cut a long story short: i had really bad art block for almost a full year and fell out of practice further, and that put me in a bad place generally because without my main creative outlet it’s hard for me to regulate and deal with other problems. And hard for me to be creative in other ways when i was still stuck on all the ideas i wanted to do but couldn’t. For the past 5-6 months it’s been better though! Not at the same output i used to have but i think i’ll just have to be content with that; at the very least, drawing is usually fun again :)! Speaking of other problems though, my health’s been a struggle, not in a scary life threatening way but VERY fatiguing. And i think that’s just something i have to be content with too. Took me this long to get around to updating my tumblr account in part because of this fatigue and in part because it had been so long i got anxious

But i want to get back to posting! i do have artwork i’ve done in this time that i’ll start uploading soon :] and being able to draw again means i can be more creative in general, and some of my ocs have seen more development 👀 i hope to talk about them more later!

[nahimjustfeelingit-writes]

Imagine:

Reader avoiding Erik because he got rough with her after play fighting/having intense rough sex.

The reader is experienced but she ain’t used to this type of fucking.

Warnings: HARDCORE SMUT. 

She left around 6:00 am, he was snoring like a damn bear. Y/N called that Uber real quick. She couldn’t handle his wild ass. Too many marks on her skin, legs like spaghetti, pussy sore and quivering. Back sore like she had osteoarthritis, braids a damn mess. This was the last time she fucked him. Y/N could be woman enough and admit it.

In her ride home, she could not stop thinking about that night though. He put a hurting on her. She covers her face, the visuals too explicit and vivid. He was gonna be so damn mad she left and she would take that blame. She had to chicken out on him.

Like clockwork, he was blowing her phone UP. She just watched it ring on silent, thinking about blocking his ass but that was too extreme. He’d probably hunt her down:

8 hrs ago: Erik’s New Bachelor Pad

Currently, Erik has Y/N thrown over his shoulder, making her laugh and giggle. She had finally given in to coming over and seeing him. Erik didn’t like to beg but he hounded Y/N to come over to his new spot. They had been seeing each other for a few months after meeting on Tinder. His profile picture on Tinder showed nothing but his mouth lined with a gold grill, description simple yet inviting.

My name is Erik, but you can call me Kill if you like.

She tried her luck, shooting her shot and now here they were, Erik’s tipsy ass in full-on play mode, lifting Y/N up and twirling her around like she weighed nothing. She was 200 pounds with a whole lot of ass, titties, and some stomach. Each time he stopped twirling her, he would grab her ass with both hands, Y/N’s body freezing up. Did he want to have sex? Was this his way of initiating it because she was so damn goofy? If so, she was nervous. Y/N wasn’t so confident with herself physically. She’s a beautiful full-figured black woman and Erik wanted her to know that he didn’t care, he liked them heavy and soft.

“Okay, I’m getting dizzy now,” Y/N swings her legs, “let me down, Kill.”

“Nah,” His voice was all raspy and dangerous, “I wanna play.”

She felt herself growing warm.

“Play how?” She tugged at his crinkled dreads since he had them braided before.

“I like the way you sound when you giggle and tell me to stop,” He twirls her again, a streak escaping her mouth. She was just so...soft.

“Stop it, Kill,” Erik mocks her with a fake girly voice.

“Forreal, I’m gonna throw up!!!” She smacks the back of his head, “let me down, nigga!!!”

“You wanna play fight?” He pulls her from his shoulder, wrapping her legs around his waist, “you hitting people you must want me to hit you back.”

“Fuck outta here,” The high pitched way she said that from Erik tickling her sides had him thrusting his hips forward. He wanted this plump sexy bitch. He just knew her pussy was so fucking good. She wasn’t gonna fuck this up for him tonight, he wanted his dick wet. On top of all of that, she was a straight-up tease, talked a lot of shit over the phone but in person, she wanted to play shy and hide, Nah, she should have told him no about coming over.

“What?” He had a glint in his eyes, “you think I won’t?”

Erik slaps her thigh really hard, so hard Y/N had to do a double-take and look at this nigga like he lost his marbles. That shit legit hurt but Erik was heavy-handed so it was expected.

“Ouch,” she glared at him, “That was harder than how I hit you!!!”

She mushed him, Erik taking her hand in his tight grip and biting it. She screeched, drawing her hand back from his mouth. That nigga bit like he had fangs.

“FUCK!!! Okay, you ain’t about to bite me with the teeth I will bite your ass back. You play too much now.”

Erik just laughed at her, biting his lip before palming her ass, “you should have stayed home then, you knew I was gonna trap you.”

Y/N blinked down at him, a nervous feeling crowding her. So he was gonna call her out about teasing him? Bet. He should have known she was shy with that shit in person.

“Let me down now.”

“Not until you tell me what you want me to do to you. Remember how I told you bitches would go running when they fuck with me? I’ll have your ass limping out of this house.”

Y/N pushed at Erik’s chest, his grip around her waist so damn tight he was cutting into her skin with his biceps. She pointed a stern finger at him, Erik laughing at the cute chubby finger and the long red nails she had.

“You taking this playing shit too far, I don’t wanna play no more.”

Her resolve was slipping, he just had to go and say that to her. Now she felt shredded of whatever confidence she had tonight. The soft playing was easier not this sexual shit. Erik snapped her out of her inner turmoil by putting her back over his shoulder again, walking her to his bedroom. She swung her legs, Erik tickling her feet. She couldn’t help but laugh. He had a hold on her again.

“Oh my God!! You literally have no chill.”

Erik opens his door, Darkness ahead. She couldn’t really make out anything except for the faint smell of maple and cedarwood. Out of nowhere, Erik tosses her on the bed, her body bouncing and shirt riding up to reveal her stomach. She tried to pull it down but Erik was over her now, grabbing her hands to stop her. The plush skin around her abdomen from this angle was mouth-watering. Y/N was the type of girl to make a nigga cum four times in the pussy. She had all the right amount of softness that drove Erik crazy. She really didn’t know how wild and rough Erik could be, but she was going to find out tonight. She smelled good, hair was done in these cute feed-in braids with baby hairs, tight jeans on, mmmm.

“What color underwear you got on?” Erik took his fingers, pulling at the button on her jeans, “you wearing lace? I bet that shit look good stretched over all that ass.”

“I-Don’t worry about it.” She wiggles beneath him, giving up and breathing heavily. The way her large chest moved, he was losing his sanity.

“Kill, get up!” Y/N brought her knees to her chest, pushing at his body with them, “Stop playing!”

“Stop playing,” He mocked her again. She kissed her teeth and rolled those big brown eyes. She was so damn fine shit was otherworldly.

“I’m being for real, Kill!” She starts whining, “oh my God.”

“Girl shut that shit up!!!” He says through clenched teeth. Y/N flenched as her eyes bore into his. He wasn’t going to stop, he was gonna keep ongoing. Y/N wasn’t used to this at all with a man. What was he going to do to her? She felt so weak beneath him. When Kill wanted something he was gonna get it and the way he fucking looked at her...

“You doing too much!”

“Stop acting like you don’t like it.”

He had his face buried in her neck now while he held her hands above her head. She felt like she had shackles around her wrists with how hard he was holding them. She could feel her hands shaking like she was losing circulation. His facial hair tickled and it was too overwhelming for her. Y/N began to wiggle again, kicking at his thighs, whimpering. He liked her helpless with nowhere to run, so she was only making it better for him. Y/N looked down at the exposed skin of his shoulder, taking her teeth to bite hard. Erik hisses, the sound coming out so smooth and sexy. He lifts, giving Y/N access to move. She pushed from beneath him, grabbing a pillow as a shield.

“AHT AHT!!! That’s it, no more, Kill.”

She really thought a pillow would stop him.

“Girl,” he kisses his teeth with a smirk, getting on his knees at the end of the bed before moving towards her, “you really think that pillow gonna stop me? I’ll rip that shit in half. You fucking with a beast, girl.”

Her face hides behind the pillow and the moment she did that, Erik pulls on it, Y/N holding on for dear life to keep a barrier between them. He was too damn much. No wonder bitches ran away.

“Eeeek!” She started laughing, her eyes watering from how hard she laughed. Y/N gave her all but Erik was practically lifting her from the bed with how hard he pulled on that pillow.

“Just let go,” He didn’t even break out a sweat, “let go before I beat your fucking ass.”

“Back away demon,” she could officially say she can’t handle Erik. If he was this insatiable with playing he was sure to knock her lights out when they fuck.

“Get the fuck off the pillow Y/N,” he speaks with a warning. She could see his biceps and pecs bulging from how hard he pulled. Her fingers were slipping and she was sweaty. Erik straddles her thighs, holding her in place so she wouldn’t move. He scrunches his face, dimples deeper than a 7ft pool. Without breaking a sweat, Erik successfully grabs the pillow before hitting Y/N with it hard upside her head nonstop. She tried reaching for the other pillow but the blows he was giving to her head had her falling back each time.

“SHIT!! OKAY!!!! Truce,” she looked between her fingers at him, watching as his chest moved up and down rapidly, mouth parted and that pillow up above his head. She admired his body from this angle, her eyes were unable to deny the fact that he was one sexy motherfucker. Erik tossed the pillow to the floor, reaching for her once again. He takes his hand, wrapping her braids around it and pulling. It was definitely meant to hurt her for sure. He looked pissed off...Nah, maybe sexually frustrated.

“Why you got my hair like that,” Y/N asks with a small voice.

“Why you keep blocking my advances? I want some pussy, Y/N.”

“Erik,” she kept her knees drawn to her chest, “I’m scared.”

“Why?” He pulls her hands from her face, settling between her legs, “You hit me up, remember? All that shit you was talking.”

He had his face against her neck again, French kissing her there, Y/N’s mouth going wide. She really liked that. He was so damn persuasive.

“Remember you told me how that pussy stay wet? You remember that?”

She could not fight the growing nerves inside of her.

“Didn’t I just ask you a fucking question, Y/N?”

“YES,” she gave him attitude.

“The fuck you talking to?”

Erik grabs her neck, making her look up at him. The sharp breath she took in had his dick jumping and rubbing against her plush thighs. Fuck, she was ruining his ass.

“Nobody!” She tries to move her head away.

“Nah, keep that same fucking energy.”

Erik lifts to a kneeling position over her body.

“Take all this off. Now.”

“No.”

“Ared then ima fucking do it.”

Y/N fiddled with her fingers, legs moving from side to side. He squinted his eyes and tilted his head.

“You wanna play again, baby girl?”

What was he doing to her? He was so manipulative.

“What now?” She sounded defeated.

“Its a little game called how many licks.”

She froze beneath him, Erik’s hands on her knees, spreading her clothed thighs.

“You let me lick that pussy, and if I make you cum with this mouth, which I know I will, you gotta let me do whatever the fuck I wanna do to that pussy.”

“...That’s not a fair game...”

It’s just eating pussy. To be honest, the shit never wowed her. The few times a nigga had the pleasure of grazing her clit with their tongue or slurping her slit with their lips it was mediocre, half the time she couldn’t feel anything but hard forced licks in one area. He was fine as hell, talked real good and nasty but was he really about it? He did say girls ran away. It could be that he wasn’t who he claimed to be.

A killer of pussy.

“You like eating pussy it seems,” Y/N could remember all the times he would casually bring up at the most random times how he was craving some pussy in his mouth or how obsessed with that shit he was.

“You say that like it’s a fucking problem. Forreal, you talking a lot of shit. Watch your mouth and let me show you.”

It was all or nothing. She was curious no matter how nervous.

“Fine.”

Erik went to work, undoing her tight jeans, slipping them past her legs. He made these deep-chested sounds, mumbling something with a shake of his head. Jeans off, he stares at what he wanted to see earlier. She had on a red thong with a black heart over the crotch. She had to be prepared.

“Oh look at this shit right here,” Erik slaps her pussy, Y/N trying to close her thighs but Erik was so damn swift. He had her legs all the way spread open like the peace sign. This made her pussy lips spread, the phat skin spilling out the sides of the thong. She could feel her wetness cooling against the open air. Her thighs shook nervously.

“Fuck playing that game.”

She tried pulling her legs but Erik’s hard grip on her lower legs kept her still. He was practically digging his nails into her skin.

“Ima eat the pussy, and ima make you cum, and then ima fuck the pussy and make you cum some more,” he smiles, humored by her sweaty face.

“Fuck you,” she starts to shiver. He was too much.

“Oh, it’s gonna happen. I sware to God,” He pounds his fist into his hand, “I’m gonna beat -that-pussy-up, you here me? Beat-that-shit-up.” Each time he said he was gonna beat it up he would punch his open palm to emphasize beating, his muscles flexed each time.

“Oh my God,” she panicked.

“You’ll be saying that too, say whatever you want I don’t care.”

Erik takes his hand, fisting her thong and ripping it off. It hurt, shit felt like rug burn on her hips and ass. Then, he lifts her up, pulling her shirt and bra off at the same damn time. Her titties popped out, her hands automatically coming up to cover them but Erik slaps her hands away, the large fleshy mounds bouncing free again. He reaches forward, pinching her nipples. She thrust her chest forward, hissing in pain. He starts pulling her nipples, twirling then flicking them.

“Big ass nipples, I bet these bitches hurt your back. It’s cool, I’ll hold em up for you,” he shakes them, “Ima put my dick between these and cum on your face and chin. Then ima make you lick it up and show me...”

Erik slaps her titties, mesmerized by how they bounced. She scrunched her face, looking down at the reddening skin.

“Kill, stop it, it hurts.”

“For now.”

She swallows spit. He focused his attention on her pussy again, pushing her down to the bed. He pinched her hips, the feeling from him ripping her panties still there.

“Ouch,” she whines timidly. She could feel the sides of her hips whelp up.

“So damn sexy, Y/N.” He finally looks down between her legs, “Girl, you got me in here drooling.”

She couldn’t look at him at all. He didn’t like that, grabbing her chin to make her look at him. Her cheeks were pinched all cute, lips wet and plump.

“You better look at me while I eat this pussy.”

“Ugh, okay.” She gives in. Just because she gave in that doesn’t mean she wasn’t nervous and ready to run away. Erik got down on his stomach, the view he provided hypnotizing her. She could see down the valley of his back, all the way to that plump ass of his with his jeans and boxers pushing lower on his hips from his position. He was making those same grunting noises and it had Y/N’s eyes fluttering away. This was too much and he didn’t even taste her juicy pussy yet.

“Ugh, fuck, you got the pinkest, wettest pussy I’ve had the pleasure of staring at.”

“Stop...” she was losing her resolve.

“Stop,” he mocks her.

Y/N’s lower lip trembles.

His tongue made her jolt. This was different from what she was used to for sure. It made her shudder from her skin to her nerve endings. It was just one...fucking...swipe. The way her eyes rolled reminded her of the exorcist but to Erik, it was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen. He did it again and again, using his lips from time to time to suck on her phat pussy...the juicy box tasting like a whole cake. She let her head fall back, stomach jiggling from how hard she moved.

“Yeah...what was all that talk?”

She was quiet. He started eating her again, hitting all the spots she liked to hit on herself.

“Kill!!!!” She tried keeping her cries to herself but the overflow of her orgasm made her wail. Erik laughs, Y/N’s thighs damn near squeezing his head. He parts her thighs, her hips sore from staying opened. Erik went at it again, his eyes on her and Y/N looking away each time their eyes connected. She was curious to see how he made her cum for the first time with that tongue but at the same time his eyes...they were too intense.

“You keep looking away...what I tell you about that?”

Erik yanks her legs towards the end of the bed. She pulled at his sheets, bringing that with her too.

“What are you doing?!!!”

“Teaching you a fucking lesson since you wanna be a fucking brat. If I tell you to look at me, you do that shit,” His eyes were ablaze. Face all glossy, Erik flips her over, arching her back. She tried to strain her neck to look at him, but he held her head down with his hand, her face suffocating in the sheets. He was so damn rough with it. Was she even gonna have legs left to run away.

“Kill, please!!!”

“Shut your fucking mouth, bitch.”

“Wha-FFFFFUCKKKKKK.”

He was tonguing her again from the back. She felt him slap her ass over and over, the pain making her curl up. She could feel tears prickle her eyes.

“Ouch, Kill,” she was crying into his blanket. He didn’t listen, his palm and nail prints in her ass. Her cheeks felt so hot and sore. She hoped she would still have skin left.

“I’m beating that phat juicy ass?” His hands rubbed soothingly, “big ass butt. You got too much ass on you.”

His face was buried in her pussy again. Y/N reaches back, trying to push his head away.

“Oh, oh my God, Kill, Kill, Killlllllllllllllllll.”

She was cumming again, hand waving in the air before slamming down onto the bed. She fell onto the bed, Erik giving her another round of thunderous slaps. She was about to faint. It hurt but at the same time, it felt...so good.

“Kill, nooooooooo,”

“YES.”

He stops, rubbing her again before kissing her all over her ass. She melted, teeth biting down on the blanket. He gave her a few seconds, undressing fully.

“I want you to see what I'm about to pound that pussy with. Turn the fuck around.”

She weakly looked at him, her eyes puffy. The minute she looked at his dick, she let her mouth drop open wide. HOLY FUCK. Mercy...he was...

“You don’t think it’s gonna fit?” He smirks.

“You are too fucking much,” she could feel her pussy twitching though.

“Ima make this dick fit,” He walked towards her.

She started shaking again. Erik grabs her hips, putting her into position.

“Nah, let me do it, you gotta arch like this...yeah...like that...that’s the best way to arch your fucking back, baby girl. That’s how you give that pussy up.”

Her thigh muscles disagreed with her. She waited, her fingers grabbing fist fulls of the blanket.

“Aye, look back at it. I want you to count each stroke I give this pussy.”

“Another game?!!!”

His hand came up to slap her ass again, Y/N reaching out with panic to stop him.

“OKAY!!! Oh my God, kill, okay.”

She sighs with defeat, keeping her eyes on him. Erik takes his dick, slapping her pussy with it. The creamy sounds her pussy made embarrassed her.

“You ready?”

She closed her eyes.

“No response? Okay...”

He placed himself at her quivering whole, his silence eerie.

“Kill-“

He cut her off abruptly, thrusting fully inside. She held her breath, eyes on him like he just took something from her. That look had him pulling all the way out, then thrusting back in, his balls hitting her clit.

“Like that?” Damn, he was all the way in her.

“I don’t hear you counting.”

“Two.”

“Good girl.”

Her lip trembles, the dick so deep in her pussy. Erik pulls out slow again, thrusting forward sharp.

“Three.” She watched him no matter how difficult.

“You can’t take it, can you? Too much? Count...”

“Ffffuck, four...”

“You can’t handle it can you?”

“Nooooo,” she whines.

“I believe it, too fucking bad though I want this good pussy.”

“FIVE!!!!” She almost fell flat but Erik has her shoulders. He picked up the pace. She kept her eye on him, tears falling and all. He just stares at her like the beating he was putting on her pussy wasn’t nothing. He was killing her pussy.

“I can’t take it! It’s so big and so deep!”

She was cumming, their staring contest ended, her eyes rolling up into her cranium almost. He didn’t even stop fucking her. She was overly sensitive, body sore, probably marked up too.

“You better lay there like a good bitch and take this dick!!!!”

“Aaahhhhhh!!!!”

“Got me back here all in this pussy!!!! You gonna let me cum in this pussy?! I wanna cum all over you, girl.”

He pulls out, looking at his rock hard dick covered in cream.

“All this cream.”

She looked at it, her chest growing tight.

“Come slurp up the mess you made.”

She knew better than to tell him no. She lifts up, crawling to him. Grabbing his dick, she puts her lips around him. Her taste on his equally tasty dick had her moaning.

“See, I told you. You taste like sugar, baby girl.”

She enjoyed this. Twirling her tongue and getting him all nice and wet with spit.

“I like the way those fat cheeks look when you suck my dick.”

Erik pulls out, smacking her on the cheeks with it.

“Spread your legs and hold that puss open.”

She fell back, fingers reaching down to keep her soaking wet pussy open. She allowed him to crawl over her, grabbing her legs to put over his shoulder. Erik slaps her clit with his dick before sinking back into her tight slit. She gasped at him, his lips on her nipples, biting them. The pain mixed with pleasure overwhelmed her. He snapped his hips into hers, the movement pushing her along the bed. She had one hand on his chest trying to slow him up but he was not stopping.

“Don’t push at me, this pussy feels too good to leave.”

“It’s too...m-muchhhhhh.”

“You like it though...look at the way I fuck you, LOOK!”

She looked, the vision like a heatwave.

“You see the way I do this,” he rolls his hips in her like he was slow grinding, “like how I do that don’t you?” He tilted his head down at her.

“It’s hella deep.” She moans.

He was dragging over her spot.

“Yeah...and this pussy hella tight. You know what I do to right pussy?”

He increased the tempo. She was looking at him with weak eyes. The way he had her folded...

“Ooooooo, Kill!!!! Oh my God. No fucking way you can fuck me like this!!!”

“This what I do to tight pussy...”

“Uh-Huh,” she froze, squirting on him now.

He was drilling, up in her like he was doing push-ups. She had full-on tears streaming down her face. After about two more strokes, Erik was swelling up, the snug fit really bussing her pussy wide open.

“Damn, your shit is really wide for all this dick. Sexy thick bitch.”

He was cumming, he grunted, his eyes hard and piercing. She held his gaze like she was paralyzed.

“Mhmm, mhmm, I’m gonna cum all over and cum in you. Shit, you so damn tight around me!!”

He spilled inside of her.

“Y/N. I’m telling you now. You better not leave. I am fucking you all night. Good fucking pussy on you.”

He gave her a sloppy kiss before lifting from her to get a warm wet rag. She let his words sink in while she tried to figure out how to get up. All night? What the hell...

“Let me see.”

Erik got on his knees, spreading her pussy. He smiles, loving his cum everywhere and hers. She was swollen and so damn wet and creamy. Gushing on the fucking bed.

“If I fuck this pretty pussy all night you gonna let me fill you up again? I like the sight of my cum all over this pussy like this.”

“Kill, I need a break.” Or maybe a leave of absence.

He kisses his teeth, “you’ll get one. But then I’m getting in this shit again.”

@tgigoldie​ @soufcakmistress​ @chefjessypooh​ @chaneajoyyy​ @pananegra​ @theblulife​ @becincere​ @blaqwidow91​ @fish-outta-watah​ @moonlight-night-sky​ @eyeknowmywrites​  @crowngold​ @njadakillthiscookie​ @blktinkerbell​ @luvanxi​ @sheisexcellent1​ @chocolatedippedinhoney​  @brandithecrystalgem​ @dababydababydababydababy​ @soulfulbeauty19​ @btitannaaa​ @sunkissedebony97​ @youngblackndgifted​ @harleycativy​ @rbhp​ @thee-germanpeach​ @thadelightfulone​ @bugngiz​

[rontra]

hi! i really want to get into Umineko, but i was just wondering about some of the content warnings? like, specifically, what the level of gore and body horror is. thank you in advance!!

Hmmm! I’m gonna put this post under a cut just in case, but if anyone messages me off anon about content stuff I’ll reply to u privately (or u can DM me here or on @aceyasu​ or on twitter).

I wasn’t able to truly answer this question in full detail (IMO) because I wasn’t sure what medium you’re interested in and how much you’re comfortable hearing about from this one ask, so please feel free to message me again for elaborations!

I would set the gore as pretty High thanks to specific scenes but it depends what you’re sensitive to! I think like, for gore-by-volume (GBV by the institute of rontra), it’s not like Constant Back To Back, but when it does go in it can get pretty gory for sure!!

If you’re reading the VN it’s only text descriptions, which I know lessens it for a lot of people (obviously the manga has to draw it), but it can still be a lot for sure xD It really depends on if you’re more sensitive to “visual” gore or “conceptual” gore, i guess….that’s different for everyone.

It’s a murder game with Way Much murder in it and a lot of the violence is on like…a fantastical scale, so the resulting gore sometimes peaks into fantastical as well…

Generally speaking in the visual novel it uses one of three like, “generic Blood Splash Background” images that are just like, a wash of drawn blood, but the described violence can get very vivid and detailed, so if you’re squeamish about reading descriptions of gore you should take care!

The manga definitely gets pretty detailed in its drawn gore.

Also, if you’re playing the VN with the PS3 graphics patch applied, there are CGs for certain scenes that include blood; they’re usually discretion shots that don’t really show you the main injury, but you do see blood on and around the characters in most of them.

(The old anime TV rips were mosaic censored for broadcast, so it depends what version rips you’re watching, lol)

It’s kind of difficult for me to ascribe an accurate scale of gore without like, actually describing things that might gross you out? You see my dilemma here where I don’t wanna spring things on you like that but simultaneously have to give an answer xD

I don’t really know where you personally have to tap out, so I don’t know how detailed to go. You know? Feel free to get back to me though!

It definitely runs its gradient up and down seemingly at random (OR IS IT?) with regard to how violent the gore is, so it’s not ALL top shelf, but it does dip its toes into some really icky territory for me personally sometimes LOL

I guess my last ditch effort will be clinical keywords…!!! This is the end of the post, so if you think you’re good, you can stop reading it now.

this isn’t gonna be like a detailed list of every death in umineko i’m just trying to think of the most notable elements that spring to mind :p

Let’s see, um…(counting on fingers)

knife type injuriesgun type injuriesshotgun blast type injurieshigh fall type injuriescrushingburninggrievous trauma to the head and skullfacial disfiguration of a corpsegeneral misconductdisembowelment(magical violence ascends into places unattainable by humans but that stuff doesn’t really get to me because it’s not like, “realistic”? still, YMMV, and if a witch can disintegrate your body with her awesome magic it probably counts as a type of gore :thinking: )being torn apart/eaten alive (by demons, no less) various combinations of the above (and various degrees)

one grievance rarely comes alone, huh…Ah…

i might be forgetting something, but if i did it likely didn’t reach the level of “disembowelment” in squick (for me personally), so in the interest of keeping this post short we’ll nail my hat there and call that a gradient xD

[boricuareads]

[Image description: graphic titled “Adriana Reviews...” followed by four books with their titles, authors, and release date (discussed below), superimposed over a gradient mosaic of pinks and purples]

Hi, everyone! I’ve been busy moving and with personal family business, but in between I’ve been reading, so this post is intended as a review-dump of all the books I read during that time. That’s right, I’m not talking about just one book reviewed, I’m talking about FOUR books being reviewed. In ONE post! Hold on to your reading devices, ‘cause it’s about to go down… (Spoilers and Long Post Ahead!!!)

I’ll start with the one I read during my finals week (I know, procrastination got the best of me):

Future Leaders of Nowhere by Emily O’Beirne (March 14th, 2017)

Set in Australia, we follow along as Finn and Willa end up at a camp for “Future Leaders” thanks to their performance in their respective schools. Pitted against each other as captains of their respective teams, these teenage girls must find common ground in order to survive the wrath of an entitled straight white boy who’s drunk with power (or a semblance of power).

I really liked the plot and characters of this book! At first I was apprehensive about the thematic and was sort of confused about what the camp entailed, as well as the fact that a month-long camp where they basically mixed a roleplay “Settlers of Catan” with scavenger hunts didn’t seem like something I would be interested in. However, it was the characters which drew me in. I loved Finn and Willa, both separately and together. Finn was a silent-but-deadly kind of leader that left me doing chinhands because DAMN I love girls who don’t take any shit. The same went for Willa, since I kept repeating “I wanna be like you when I grow up” as I saw her take charge of her Amazonian group of girls. Their relationship was organic; gotta love that friends-to-lovers trope. I adored their tenderness, how genuine their respect for each other was, and how realistic these aspects were because these were teen girls! Willa and Finn were insecure, they had family and identity issues, and yet they still managed to be there for each other. Of course, they had issues, but that’s a part of teenage angst and author-made drama.

The author was also able to include so much representation that made me so giddy! On the page, Finn was bisexual (I loved her explanation in Ch. 63: “Listen, I’m perfectly happy to help you out with difficult concepts. Like that time that I explained anaerobic respiration to you, but I do not have the time or the energy to explain really basic stuff. Especially when the meaning is in the actual word. Bisexuality. Hear that? Bi.” Even though that definition is very binary, it was important to see that word written out), Willa was gay and of mixed Indian descent, and there was a whole cast of side-characters with varied identities.

With all that said, I also had issues with some parts of the book. The characterization of Willa was at times inconsistent, and there was an islamophobic act depicted (a character tried to take off a Muslim girl’s hijab) that wasn’t really dealt with beyond the anger of some characters and it ended up seemingly brushed aside by the MC. The shifting POV worked most of the time, but there were times where the POV of that character didn’t feel all that necessary.

All in all, the book reminded me of the styles of E. Lockhart and Becky Albertalli. It was a fun, breezy read if you’re a fan of teenage hijinks at a sleepaway camp. Thanks to the publisher for allowing me access to review this book through NetGalley.

Rating: 3/5 Stars

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After reading that last book, I read Joyride during the flight home, which made it easy for me to delve into its world…

Joyride Vol. 1 by Jackson Lanzing and Colin Kelly (September 21st, 2016)

Joyride was a fascinating read for me. I don’t usually read graphic novels (probably because I’m incredibly picky about them and devour them so fast), but Joyride was just fun to devour. The writing kept me engaged and I genuinely was interested in the development of the characters and their adventures in space. I’m a fan of science-fiction and space adventures, especially when the team is comprised of found-families in the face of adversity.

Though they kept me engaged for the duration of my flight, I felt they were forgettable characters for some reason. I loved them, but I felt like they weren’t developed enough. Perhaps in Vol. 2 there was more character development, but in this installment it was difficult to discern between characterizations and that got in the way of the storytelling. In the future, I would like to see the relationships between the female characters explored some more as well as the dynamics with the brothers. The book left me with so many questions, mostly centered around the plot and its characters: what type of government were they under at the base? Was the alien sidekick necessary to the plot besides to make snide and unhelpful comments? Was Catrin gay? Is there going to be a love triangle around Uma? If so, I would read the next installment.

In terms of the art, I felt like the colors were vibrant and it appeared neat. I’m not that knowledgeable of art and drawing, I find myself lacking in that department, but I really liked them because they kept drawing me in; it was the type of aesthetic I like in my science fiction media. I did find the depictions of the characters inconsistent at times as well, but I didn’t really mind that.

In any case, on a scale from 0 to 5, where 0 is Jupiter Ascending-ridiculous and 5 is Star Wars: The Force Awakens- glorious, Joyride falls in a solid 3 level sff (so, maybe like a Star Trek Beyond). Thanks to BOOM! Studios for allowing me to read this through NetGalley.

Rating: 3/5 Stars

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After reading this graphic novel, I knew I wanted to delve into a more light-hearted, highly anticipated read…

Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han (Release date: May 2nd, 2017)

I want to start by giving thanks to our lord and savior Jenny Han for being so generous as to give us meek readers a third and final look into Lara Jean Song-Covey’s life. Her writing is always full of life and colors. I have to say that when I read, I become a very mentally-visual person, so when I tell you that a book and its words remind me of certain colors, it’s good. Always and Forever reminded me of a muted blue, the blue of melancholy, of looking back through old pictures, of taking the last step out of your high school. It is a blue that looks at the future and says it’s okay to not have your shit together as long as you have people around you supporting you and cheering you on to your next great adventure.

Always and Forever was the best goodbye to Lara Jean I could’ve hoped for. It was full of twists and drama and it was so realistic I had to check if the story wasn’t actually about me. I could relate to Lara Jean’s anxiety around college and the process of getting accepted or denied to the universities you love. When I was going through that process, my dream schools were University of Wisconsin-Madison and Penn State, and though I got accepted, I had to go through the heartbreak of declining their offers because it was too much money. I felt Lara Jean’s disappointment as if I had declined those offers right then and not four years ago.

I also felt Lara Jean’s uncertainty around the relationships you keep or give up on after high school. There are some that are forever, like your family. Her family, as always, showed up for her time and time again, and their love for her shone through in this book. I loved Kitty so much, especially with her feelings towards her second older sister leaving their house. On the other hand, Lara Jean felt conflicted over her relationship with her boyfriend, Peter. Though I graduated without a significant other (much like Lara’s mother advised them to do), I found myself a tad angry at Peter and even Lara. I don’t know why I kept finding it selfish for them to want to go to the same university and just keep doing what they’re doing because it works instead of challenging themselves. Maybe it was the cynic in me talking over the idealistic voice that permeates Young Adult Contemporary Romance, but by the end of the book I was glad to squish that so-called voice of reason; who needs that when you could be salivating over Lara Jean’s wardrobe/cooking/everything. I had one question, which I may have missed over the course of the series, but I needed to know what was Lara Jean’s major, as that may have been key to her characterization.

In the end, I was glad for Jenny Han’s basically coming full-circle with this book. This novel was the best tight, pretty bow this series needed.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

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Last but not least, a monster of a book that took me an entire week to get through while tending to my dad at the hospital…

Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust (Release date: September 5th, 2017)

First off, I want to declare that I was dubious about this book. I first heard of it through a friend, who sent me an article that dubbed it as “a feminist retelling of Snow White”. I’m always cringing when someone calls a book a feminist-anything, but I was willing to give it a try. When i saw that NetGalley had it in advance, I requested it, not really thinking I’d get approved. To my surprise, my inbox was telling me that Flatiron Books had approved my request and I was really excited (thanks Flatiron Books!). I delved into Bashardoust’s world without much background besides the fact that it was supposed to be feminist and a retelling of Snow White (which I may or may not have forgotten when I started reading it because I was tired).

I think it was essential for me to dive into this one without reading what it was about, because it led to me wanting to process everything written at face value. Girls Made of Snow and Glass was a magical tale of putting oneself first, as the opposite would allow for men’s greed and ignorance to burrow itself into women’s lives.

In this tale, the patriarchal notions of duty to a man in a position of authority and notions of how a woman should exist in public and private spheres are challenged by the main characters: Mina and Lynet. Lynet was a normal fifteen-year old girl in a fictional royal family; she wishes to be more than what she was born into, wanted to run away from her circumstances and, above all, be herself. This sounds pretty cliché, except for the fact that it’s GAY! Yes, you read right, G A Y. I won’t go into details, but it’s a very nuanced and mellow pairing that felt like ocean waves on a stroll by the beach. On the other hand, Mina was set up to be the wicked stepmother, except the narrative framed her more as a woman who’d been forced to assimilate into a patriarchal monarchy that didn’t appreciate her prowess as a tactician and desire to help those in need. Mina’s circumstances were constricted by her father’s ambition and her own intellect, which in itself is deemed as valuable by the author but not by people surrounding her, much as is the case with many powerful and influential women.

I really liked the characterization work the author put into the story, each character was fleshed out and I wanted to know more about each of them. I did think the author maintained the races of the characters vague, which was a problem for me, since it’s being marketed as a feminist fantasy book and there’s not a lot of visible racial representation. The plot I felt was slightly predictable, but I was delighted by the way the author threaded these characters reacting to each other. I felt the reveals came too early, that the reader was just given the characters’ secrets readily, rather than it being a slow reveal. I liked the author’s writing, I think it was really nice and had a beautiful poetic flow.

Girls Made of Snow and Glass was a wonderful read about the influence women have and, in summary, to never underestimate the power that their words and actions hold. At its center, it’s a story about two women coming together from two very different points in their lives and learning from and loving one another. Bashardoust’s story was intricate and a bit of what we needed in the realm of fantasy. 

Rating: 4/5 stars

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