#i choose to live in a delusion and not admit that my boy jason is not alive anymore ok

[nereidaa]

jason has spent his life in camp jupiter, but in camp half-blood he was treated like a person. maybe not all the time, but the first time in his life he was treated like a person not a leader

percy spent a lot of time in camp half-blood, but new rome showed him that he can have a normal life. that he can go to college and have children someday. he wouldn't be able to do that in camp half-blood. all the demigods die young there. but in new rome you can live your life, safe and sound

they both found what they needed

[justanotherdumpingground]

Chapter Reviews: April 9-13, 2019 + More Thoughts on WT and NB

High School Story Class Act Chapter 9:

By this point, I feel like I don’t enjoy Class Act as much as I wanted to. The presidential election drama is starting to drag me out, and Skye is sidelined because she didn’t get tangled up in this mess.

Anyway, it was really nice to see my old MC and his dad, the little poem for Skye was sweet, and seeing my MC and Skye watching Aiden’s concert while cuddling was adorable.

Even after Lorenzo gained a popularity boost for rescuing a kitten from a shocked Buttercup and Amber recording the entire thing, I’m still not fazed. Mainly because he’s still behind Rory, who has four stars compared to the three he and the twin have for each. Let’s see how it goes in future chapters.

Across the Void Chapter 17:

Wow! So Holmes is the one that gets injured. Well, that does it. I’m so glad I chose to remain neutral because the Jura general just sucks. I may not like Holmes, but he doesn’t deserve to get injured, though Kepler saying that he would never hurt anyone just made me shook my head.

If I can kick both Eos and Pax out of my ship, that would be great, though having them shut up and start acting maturely is good enough.

This chapter feels like a blink and it’s over. I installed the cryo atmos to bring the Atlas back to good condition, and I didn’t plan a party for Holmes, which would’ve improved crew morale. At least morale is still good. The only thing that keeps me interested is the possibility of who might be the Jura mole among the passengers. My best bet would be Rana because of her pro-Jura views. Other possibilities would be Adara and Leona, though they’re less likely to be the culprits.

Desire & Decorum Chapter 16:

On one hand, I like that Duke Richards gets a proper comeuppance (stripped from his title and holdings and locked away) unlike a certain villain. On the other hand, I’m rather disappointed that the evidence cabinet’s ultimate function is to determine the fates of Richards’s co-conspirators. Nevertheless, it was awesome to watch Luke Harper elevated to Knight Commander for stopping Richards. I think that’s a good way to allow players romancing him to marry him instead of being in a secret relationship with him. I also like that my MC gets to become Championess, yet another title for her to rub at Henrietta’s face alongside Countess of Edgewater.

Hamid’s proposal was the real cherry on the top of the cake, and I want him and MC to get married already. As for Dominique, I feel like I need some time before I can really forgive her. She may seem sincere, and she tried to redeem herself, but I still need to calm down about her. Maybe I’ll forgive her when I replay this book.

Great, another sequel hook. Just when I thought I could have my MC enjoy her wedding with Hamid, some stranger shows up unannounced. Apparently, this stranger is someone connected to Henrietta, who believed that person is dead. My guess is that the stranger is the MC’s half-brother Harry or Henrietta’s first husband (and Edmund’s father).

Overall, the second book is weaker than the first one while still okay. I love the formation of the inner circle and that the love interests, Briar, and the MC really look out for one another. Unfortunately, the love interests slowly lose their uniqueness while the getting out of the engagement with Duke Richards drags on for too long. I blame it on the writers resorting to clichés.

America’s Most Eligible Chapter 13:

A premium outerwear clothing looks good on paper, but it’s still a lure to spend diamonds just to see dialogue variations. Anyway, pass.

For the partner part, I still picked Adam because of how I roleplay my MC as. I may not like Adam completely, but I still have my MC pursue him because it fits his character.

So Wrenn is secretly leaking info to Piper, who thought Jen isn’t doing well. I’m conflicted on this. I know that this choice might affect Wrenn’s stance on me, but I also think they should be honest with Jen. In the end, I kept Wrenn’s secret while still considering the option to tell the truth to Jen in case I replay this book.

Dang, Carson has gone the deep end, hasn’t he? Just by looking at him spiraling into depression despite his best efforts to makes things fresh makes feel bad. Still pissed that it’s a premium option to console him, but it’s something I might do to bring him out of his shell.

Passport to Romance Chapter 5:

The Notre Dame trip is nice, though the recycled image from Rules of Engagement made me cringe. At least it was calming to see Ahmed lighting a candle as a reminder of how important the sense of community.

Hearing more about Marisa’s “boyfriend” Tristao just makes me want to punch him in the face and watch Marisa break up with him. It’s no secret she deserves better.

So far, I like the trip around the Catacombs in Paris, especially with Marisa expressing her fear of the dead. It was jarring to see Elliot chastising Ahmed and Sumire for making jokes about Marisa’s fear, and his premium scene implies that he lost someone or many people very dear to him. It didn’t endear him to me because he came across as a hypocrite for making a snide remark on Marisa during the dinner with Yvette. However, I think that as useless as Elliot is, he deserves to have his story told.

Not surprised that Yvette would extend the contract and keep the love interests together with the MC. After all, it would be a waste to get rid of the ones we have. Sure not everyone likes them, but it would be daft of PB to not develop them further.

I admit that I restarted the whole book to buy most premium scenes involving Sumire and not join Elliot in bouncing at Marie Antoinette’s bed. Interestingly, I managed to reach Level 2 for my blog and unlock a bonus scene, where I can talk about who viewers like, asking what they want to see, or thanking them for inspiring the blog. I picked what they want to see, and apparently, they want ambiance footage of Berlin, more Elliot and Ahmed, MC kissing those boys, and personal stuff. Well, my blog’s name is Sexcapades, so that might happen.

Open Heart Chapter 9:

That patient with Bryce Sterling's model is a total nightmare. His constant rudeness and belching gets on my nerves all the time. It's a good thing Ethan showed up to put him in his place.

The group dinner was nice, and I want Rafael included every now and then. Bonus points if he gives his perspective as a paramedic. I'll make him fit right into the inner circle in spite of his insecurities of not attending a prestigious university.

One thing I noticed is that Bryce mentioned attending a college as far away from home as possible. That sounds interesting, considering that he is consistently portayed as keeping a positive face. My best guess is that he had a rough childhood that strained his parents so much that he cut off ties with them once he's capable of taking care of himself. I'd like to know more about him, even if the story puts too much emphasis on Ethan.

Kyra as a love interest left me rather uneasy. I mean, I like her personality despite her cancer, but I don't think it's ethical for a doctor and a patient to date. Not sure how PB will handle this, so let's see how it goes.

MC is finally number one, which makes them a target of massive jealousy? I have a bad feeling about this. Aurora's sarcastic comment gives me the chills, which makes me think some of MC's roommates will contribute to unnecessary drama. I hope that's not the case.

Ride or Die Chapter 13:

Because I ended the previous chapter with my MC in the surveillance room with Jason and Foley, she ended up distracting them and saved the Mercy Park Crew. Talking about giving her badass moment, compared to the situation where she was locked in the vault with the Brotherhood.

Teppei choosing to sacrifice himself to let the Mercy Park Crew escape left me speechless, in part because he's a better written character than the other members of the MPC except Colt. I'm definitely mad at him for dragging the crew to his life, but seeing your own parent's death is always sad. In Colt's case, his father wanted him to live a normal, crime-free life, and it would be a waste for Colt to not honor his father's wish.

One quote that stands out to me the most is Mona asking the MC whether she wanted "freedom, fast cars, the bad boy", and that life, then said it's ultimately not for the MC. It sounds like Mona is saying that all these are mere delusions masking the dangers of being around criminals. Makes me think of the terrible first chapters. I still think the story's not that good despite improvements along the way.

Regarding Jason Shaw, I get that it's tempting for me to defend him because he goes after criminals, but I don't see that as a reason to praise him. I could say my feelings are complicated. As much as I understand that he has some sort of moral compass for going after criminals, I think he's addicted to freedom and power that he has lost sight of what his job ultimately means. Not to mention that it would've been better to hand those criminals to justice instead, and him threatening the MC comes across as hypocritical.

On another note, does anyone think Toby is rather suspicious? He seemed to be at the right place at the right time (telling the MC of Colt's operation, outside of the MPC garage when it burned down), and there were moments when he raised red flags that foreshadow something sinister (fixing MC's car, talking to someone during the party at a junk yard). I stumbled upon this theory on Instagram, and I wanted to know if anyone seems sold on it. If it's true Toby's up to no good, what if he was playing the Mercy Park Crew and Brotherhood all along?

The Elementalists Chapter 5:

I'm enjoying Book 2 so far, and this chapter on the nature of elemental sources was just fascinating. Learning about Alma the Blood source on the MC and Atlas's parents being elemental sources like her and Kane was fascinating. I think that's what makes the twins special in a way. And not to mention that I'm becoming more intrigued on Kane and Gemma as well as how the sources tie into the plot. What if we encounter the other sources? And how do the different races like wood nymphs and djinns factor into all this?

Man, I need to give Atlas a hug, considering the fact that they, unlike their twin sibling, wasn't raised in a loving environment when their parents died. It makes me wonder more of the events Atlas had to go through before meeting with their long-lost sibling.

I couldn't pass on the opportunity to learn the fire chariot spell from Griffin, especially if it might come in handy later on. Pity it's not included in the spell book, but at least it allowed my MC to score an easy win. Can't wait to use it on Kane and any other threat that gets in my way.

Thoughts on Wishful Thinking and Nightbound:

Honestly, I’m more excited for Nightbound than Wishful Thinking, mainly because I generally prefer fantasy and supernatural over romantic comedy. In Wishful Thinking’s case, I feel like it should’ve involved a crime-fighting element that makes it similar to Hero. After all, both stories are set in Northbridge. Thinking of it reminds me of Shazam, which I thoroughly enjoyed for its comedic style and serious moments that work well in the story. As for Nightbound, I may be more excited for it, but I’m still fairly wary that it will focus too much on a single male love interest that the entire story revolves around him. This has been going on for a lot of stories, so if the romance aspect is kept to a minimum like The Heist: Monaco, that would be a preferable while highly doubtful scenario.