#is it the lisi Harrison books all over again

[peppapigvevo]

did anyone make a thread about funniest moments in that new monster high book like did lagoona actually die why were they talking about Deuces dick

[blueflower-sprite]

Monster High - G1's Continuities Summary

Only for G1, even if again, this can be murky at the very best (G3 is my baby, too, and G2 may be deserving better).

There is many who thinks that Monster High is a straight line, think that the new YA content is a sequel... I want to clarify just for the continuities inside the G1. And judging by the growing of this Gen, I think we will receive other continuities to introduce all ages.

Also, I'm not a ultime fan or something - so take in consideration the date of this post - 20 / 08 / 2024.

Because Monster High can evolve, and I'm only a fan who attempt to show another part of the fandom and the brand's possible takes, basing myself on the official Wiki and my own experience.

I'm also a fanfic writer myself. So... Yeah. I'm reading fanfics and give them a chance. Even ''licensed one''... I can like it or pass, like everyone.

This post, even attempting to explain, is subjective. You can correct me.

TO START - CANON IS NOT CONTINUITY, CONTINUITY IS CANON.

Canon = What is approved by Mattel in term of products.

Continuity = The different ''universes'' of G1. Yes, that exist. And nobody should impose you his own canon, but his own is canon, because the content used is canon.

CARTOONVERSE / MOVIEVERSE

Particularities - The main G1 universe if you like visual medias, and if you base yourself on the movies and cartoons. Well... The Volume 1 is even a different continuity than the rest, but I digress. There is 6 volumes, and ''specials too'', that take place in different volumes, apparently.

The movie are also a kind of logical continuation, pairing with them. They are kinda the ''must'' of Monster High G1, but when the G1 was cancelled, the cross-over with EAH, her ''twin universe'', was cancelled too. And yes, for me, this is the main continuity too... Why ? Because you have EAH connections in the whole MH universe, even in G2 with the Legend of Shadow High Book. Gigi Grant also was helped by the Giles Grimm... A EAH's character. And Cupid is a former student of Monster High.... And the Boo York's movies cameo ?

Well, it's canon.

DIARYVERSE

Particularities - The main G1 universe, if you base yourself on the dolls, because MH being a Doll Brand and all. Diaries are a must for character lore, and are mostly considered a deep insight into each. The past of Draculaura, for example, is revealed there. But keep in mind that this is his own continuity - there is references to the movies, and as such, but it's only my opinion, I put them together naturally - but even, it's supposed to have a individual continuity by Wiki's word. G1-like lines were continued on the basis of G2, and as such, many were confused between them. So, just in case, I'm here to tell you that diaries follow until 2016, if I remember, then stop the diary G1 continuity.

BOOKVERSES (with a S, please).

Particularities - Some may be sad that books and comics impose a new thing - but hey, Monster High DON'T have a linear book / comic continuity - it's the more AU things you can't ever see in the whole canon. More a different playground. You can choose you're own elements based on you're reads, and every books series is virtually is own continuity inside Monster High. The main fun of Monster High is that everyone can say ''ho, fuck that book it's not part of MH story, but this one is the best canone ever I adopt him''. I'm like that since childhood. I adopted the two last if you want to know my take, Lisi Harrison is just a crack, but a funny one.

Lisi Harrison's Monster High Series (2010) - Yes, before Once Bitten Twice Dead screw you're G1, there was Lisi Harrison. And strangely, we were more receptive of a content that was also very different ? I don't remember being a fan of Lisi Harrison - I was just fascinated. It's actually do a more light co-habitation between monsters and human, introducing like the book AU elements like RAD. Also, it's give Gossip Girl vibes, and american series vibes, too. Not my type, but is kinda sharing the bucket with OBTD in terms of ''weird YA vibes''.

Ghoulfriends (2012) - You're fed up with the main squad ? Well, follow Robecca, Venus, and Rochelle in their own adventures ! Yes, Draculaura and the others are not whole MC, and this book is the canon proof that the ''Normie Bad'' plot is not a surprise, and a recurring thing.

Nessi Monstrata Diaries Series (2014 - 2015) - The closest to G1 lore in my personal opinion. Draculaura gain a new stepmother called Ramoanah, for example - knowing her backstory, I think this was cute and interesting. Also, Deydet, Cleo's mother, return, too. But read the Hexiciah diary, and you will see the beautiful thing of canon continuities...

For me, these two lasts are the G1 canon, but you are free to have you're own opinion.

I'm legitimate to like the G1 ? - Yes, even if you prefer childish content - it's not make you a ''unlegitimate adult'' or ''immature person''. But please, remember that G1 is by nature a whole multiverse by itself. Some hate that, but it's a doll brand, and so, a necessity. I think the true tragedy will be when they will want to impose a canon against all continuities that make people's own canon.

2022 and additional contents (yes, this seems separated from actual G1 for me - if you doubt this, I invite you to remember the first steps of G2 who were also not clear, and the Canon's definition of MH on the Wiki - many conflicts were also resolved in the main G1 continuity, and the authors just put them again).

General Particularities - Follow the webisodes, but seems more a very light reboot of G1 for YA, actually ? I don't know what is that, exactly. The Haunt Coutures Diaries were... fine, but off ? It can have potential, but G1 is technically finished for me.

Webisodes are the only other media included in the promotion, too. So... YA reboot ? YA new continuity or ''parallel dimension'' ? Or something.

Diaryverse - Nothing to say, for now. The Haunt Couture Diaries doesn't even seems canon to the novels and comics for now. Clawd is always with Draculaura, for example, and the themes are more MH-like. Too little content to judge yet, so for now, separated just in case.

IDW-verse

Particularities - The IDW-verse seems to be based on G1, but cherry-pick the lore. Despite the fact that this came very late, and shouldn't technically be G1 as the Gen was cancelled before G2, it's actually an AU or What If by judging the fact that this is not considered as a Sequel in advertisement, but just a canon book (Canon mean ''Mattel accepted and published'', but doesn't mean a linear canon, sequel, or following, of the main G1 continuity and contents). The comics are not finished, so I can't say more, for now - because obviously, it's not finished.

It's a Sequel of G1 ? - No already judging by the book, but it's canon to the MH multiverse and start his own continuity. I invite you to read Ghoulfriends and Hexiciah Steam's SDDC diary in parallel, to have a more clear visual of that ''continuity'' thing, and see why I'm saying that... These two elements are canon too, if you ask.

I'm legitimate to like the IDW-verse ? - Yes. Despite the fact that I'm hating the new YA novel (can't judge the comics for now), I'm not hating you and you're choices. Do what you want, accept other fan's opinons and let them know to respect you're also.

Upcoming YA Movieverse ?

Hypothetical particularities ? Universal and Mattel are producing a Monster High movie right now - not sure this is G1, but I doubt this will be the IDW au (technically, IDW is separated of other continuities). I'm hoping they put another storyline with better vibes personally - reflecting another side of Monster High. The YA novel didn't sound Monster High to me, but as a licencied fanfic (fanfic are not bad, but are not always serious on the lore, vibes, relationships, and all...).

END WORD

Be yourself, be unique.

Don't be scared.

G1 will be more vast for the future. But if you're a G1 of old, you know that continuity is part of Mattel's brand. One continuity never erase another - G1 fans are in their right to accept the new contents as part of their own canon (and canon, like I say, can be the same or a different continuity - it's a taste and fan's specificity), and other are in their right to reject it as part of their own continuities / canons.

But all of this is Canon in general for everyone, because otherwise, everyone would not have the right to have their own continuities and canons. Monster High is for diversity - remember ?

You just choose you're own Continuity - and you can even have different ones, different stories not connected at all, that you will cherish as part of you're favorite childhood and hyper-fixation.

We have the chance to have a doll brand for everyone, for every stories, and every generations or playground, remember ?

[taybatwo2]

Playing around with G3’s Clawdeen to try and get used to her new design and character. Personal opinions under the cut, but TLDR: I like a lot of her new details, I don’t mind her glasses, her new design/character reminds me A TON of Howleen (like those cute freckles), they should have kept her siblings, and I’m not enjoying the idea of Clawdeen being “half human” when she is a werewolf, and I don’t mind Clawdeen being the main character (she was my original favorite, followed by Ghoulia and Cleo, and only usurped by Abbey). :)

I have only seen parts of the leaked live-action movie, but it is giving me Descendants/Lisi Harrison’s MH book series vibes, and neither were up my alley. Although, the songs are very catchy and it looks like the cast was having fun. :) I will miss her Brooklyn accent, but I am also curious to see how her new voice actress takes her character. :D

Starting out with things I like about her design, I like all of her gold earrings (and the several necklaces in the animated picture). I like her wolf nose, more detailed ears, and (hopefully) more textured hair (yes please), although I would have liked more of her dark brown hair instead of all purple/pink. I assume they’re keeping her claws and I hope they’ll keep G2’s molded fur. I hope they keep her doing several sports (the skateboarding is an interesting addition, but it also feels like something Howleen would also LOVE), love of fashion design (taking some art classes), and her drive (taking some business classes and already posting/gaining clout on social media for her fashion illustrations).

When looking at her leaked prototype, it almost looks like she might have some human ears tucked under her hair….I REALLY hope I’m just imagining that though (although, they would help keep her glasses up, haha). 

When it comes to her glasses, I did think it was an odd choice at first, but then again, her older sister has them, and Howleen was released with a pair (in G2….?). My gripe with her glasses are that they are too plain and don’t scream Clawdeen; I feel they needed to be a different lens shape, or in an animal print or a metallic gold. I feel like she would have saved up her money to buy several pairs to go with different outfits and she is meticulous in picking out their designs. It would also be a fun detail if they curved upwards to hook behind her wolf ears to keep them in place. 

I think G2 over did it when it came to her thousand and one younger brother siblings (in the animation), but they overcorrected for G3 by getting rid of all her siblings (Clawd and Howleen especially).

I don’t really like a werewolf being half human. I like Monster High’s werewolves are always in between both forms, and that get more wolf-like on the full moon- like with Clawdeen’s extra speed, strength, and fur/hair growth.  Maybe they could have used this idea to make her (and all werewolves) pass for normies during the New Moon?? I think that would be an interesting conundrum as it feels like she doesn’t fully belong to the monster or human world?? Maybe she can go full wolf mode on the full moon (like how they kinda did in G2). I mean, this would give Mattel the chance to release two/three different versions of Clawdeen.

Also on the topic of Monster vs Human world, I think they should have most of the Monster and Human world act like parallel dimensions -like Paris/Scaris, Hollywood/Hauntlywood- with some parts of the world overlapping/merging- such as New Salem/Salem. These merging points would be perfect for a school -such as Monster High- because they can more easily include some monsters that are usually only found in the “human” world, and monsters that are considered “too human”/used to be human -Hyde’s family, witches, mummies, some zombies and ghosts- to live in the Monster World??? This would make Monster High a school that attracts a ton of different monsters from around the world (lots of different dolls for Mattel to make), conflict with the human world and monster world “purists,” and a reason for it be a more unique school compared to the other schools in the monster high universe. 

Her outfit (what I’ve seen of the animated version), doesn’t look bad, but also looks more like pieces Howleen would wear (like they were a hand-me down from Clawdeen, but personalized with patches and fashionable rips). Honestly a lot of her personality (from what little I have seen) seems a lot closer to Howleen’s too (being new to a school, not knowing where she fits in, finding herself). Maybe Monster High should have had G3 follow Howleen, Twyla, and an aged up Alivia, Lagoona’s sister, and Fangelica…?

I know that this version is not for late twenty something me, but it feels like they are trying to attract REALLY young children (5-10) with this style of animation. It is giving me some Disney Jr. stylization with very bright colors and rounded shapes, instead of being its own thing. I feel like G1 attracted more of a pre-teen/teenager audience (it hooked me and my friends when we were in high school and none of us had been doll collectors previously). 

I mean I liked G1, but all of the different cannons were a mess (I actually prefer Ever After High’s animated series/movie/books a lot more than Monster High’s for this reason), the animation for the animated series and movies was meh, nothing ground breaking (honestly, the only great animation was used in the doll tv ads). However, it was stylized that you knew it was Monster High. It looked like it had its own style, not like it was trying hard to blend in with what was popular. 

G1 seemed to take clothing from the era and “monster-fy” it and heavily personalize it to that character (who all seemed to have their own color pallets and taste in fashion). So far G3 seems to have done a bit of this (Clawdeen’s moons/gold/animal print/fur/purple), but have not “monsterfied” it yet. It looks…too clean…or polished….or bright without any dark colors to offset it….I dunno it’s hard to explain the word for it…like they are all shopping on the same clothing rack at the same store…? Sort of too monogamous…?

I’m not against reboots/retooling, as it can greatly improve things (2017’s Ducktails), and explore different avenues for characters (like TMNT 2012/ROTTMNT, or any of the Batman series - Batman the Animated series/Batman the Brave and the Bold/Lego Batman). 

However, as long as their dolls are articulated, have killer shoes, have plenty of monster details on their bodies (I’m hoping that that Deuce has a few scale details on his body like his cousin Viperine), and their clothes (which I hope are a step up from what Mattel has been giving their current lines of dolls), I think I’ll be alright and will definitely get the core dolls.

Also, Mattel should canonize Clawdeen being a lesbian. She could date a few mansters, but not feel that spark, and find it with a lovely ghoul; bring in that representation!!

Sorry that was a bit ramble-y but I have no one else to talk to about this. Ha!

[richfieldbranch]

Mike’s Picks

Hello to all our Richfield Library Patrons. Enjoy our new Adult Services newsletter with some more suggestions to keep you busy while you're stuck at home. The books are all available at akronlibrary.org under the digital media section. All titles are in both the E-book and E-audio formats. The movies below have been released on one of the major streaming services. If you don't have access to Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime, be sure to check out the free movies you can access through the library, with our Hoopla or Kanopy apps.

Adult Services Librarian Mike Daly, mdaly@akronlibrary.org

Books:

Non-Fiction

The Library Book by Susan Orlean

This book, by Shaker Heights native and the author of the Orchid Thief, tells the story of the huge fire at the Los Angeles Public Library. Because it took place during the same week as the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, not many people outside California know the story. The author reopens the unsolved mystery of the most catastrophic library fire in American history. The fire was disastrous: it reached 2000 degrees and burned for more than seven hours. By the time it was extinguished, it had consumed four hundred thousand books and damaged seven hundred thousand more. Investigators descended on the scene, but more than thirty years later, the mystery remains: Did someone purposefully set fire to the library--and, if so, who? Part mystery, part love letter to American libraries, Orlean tells a fascinating story.

Say nothing: a true story of murder and memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe

This book which appeared on all the major top ten lists for 2019 is a great true crime story that reads like a novel. In December 1972, Jean McConville, a thirty-eight-year-old mother of ten, was dragged from her Belfast home by masked intruders, her children clinging to her legs. They never saw her again. Her abduction was one of the most notorious episodes of the vicious conflict known as The Troubles. Everyone in the neighborhood knew the I.R.A. was responsible. But in a climate of fear and paranoia, no one would speak of it. In 2003, five years after an accord brought an uneasy peace to Northern Ireland, a set of human bones was discovered on a beach. McConville's children knew it was their mother when they were told a blue safety pin was attached to the dress.

Fiction

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

I found this book to be one the best surprises of the last year. Eleanor Oliphant struggles with appropriate social skills and tends to say exactly what she’s thinking. Nothing is missing in her carefully timetabled life of avoiding social interactions, where weekends are punctuated by frozen pizza, vodka, and phone chats with Mummy. But everything changes when Eleanor meets Raymond, the bumbling and deeply unhygienic IT guy from her office. When she and Raymond together save Sammy, an elderly gentleman who has fallen on the sidewalk, the three become the kinds of friends who rescue one another from the lives of isolation they have each been living. And it is Raymond’s big heart that will ultimately help Eleanor find the way to repair her own profoundly damaged one.

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

Based on one of America’s most notorious real-life scandals—in which Georgia Tann, director of a Memphis-based adoption organization, kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families all over the country this fictionalized account was one of my favorite books I read last year. At once both heartbreaking and heart warming, it tells a story you will remember long after turning the last page.

Movies:

This weekend we had a Humphrey Bogart marathon. Watched To Have and Have Not, The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca, and The African Queen. Besides killing a Sunday afternoon it was so much fun hearing all the classic lines and enjoying the wonderful supporting performances.

And finally.................

Monday March 30th is

National Doctor's Day

“Each patient carries his own doctor inside him.” Norman Cousins

“Doctors always think anybody doing something they aren't is a quack; also they think all patients are idiots.” Flannery O'Connor

“Doctors?" said Ron, looking startled. "Those Muggle nutters that cut people up?” J. K. Rowling

Tuesday April 1st is

National Clam Day

“She ate so many clams that her stomach rose and fell with the tide.” Louis Kronenberger

“Do the Clam, do the Clam, grab your barefoot baby by the hand.” Elvis Presley

“Happy as a clam, is what my mother says for happy. I am happy as a clam: hard-shelled, firmly closed.” Margaret Atwood

Wednesday April 1st is

April Fool's Day

“Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.” Alexander Pope

“The greatest lesson in life is to know that even fools are right sometimes.” Winston Churchill

“When we are born, we cry that we are come to this great stage of fools.” William Shakespeare

Thursday April 2nd is

National Burrito Day

“A burrito is a delicious food item that breaks down all social barriers and leads to temporary

spiritual enlightenment.” Lisi Harrison

“A burrito is a sleeping bag for ground beef.” Mitch Hedberg

“Ever had a flying burrito hit you? Well, it's a deadly projectile, right up there with cannonballs and grenades.” Rick Riordan

Friday April 3rd is

American Circus Day

“Keep the circus going inside you, keep it going, don't take anything too seriously, it'll all work out in the end.” David Niven

“Life is a circus ring, with some moments more spectacular than others.” Janusz Korczak

“The circus is the only fun you can buy that is good for you.” Ernest Hemingway

Saturday April 4th is

International Carrot Day

“The day is coming when a single carrot, freshly observed, will set off a revolution.” Paul Cezanne

“You ask me what life is. That's like asking what a carrot is. A carrot is a carrot, and there's nothing more to know.” Anton Chekhov

“I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.” Mae West

More to come next week!

[char27martin]

Switching Genres: How One Author Transitioned from a Young Adult Audience to Adult

When I heard an author say that it took years to complete their latest book, I assumed they were lazy. I mean, I wrote thirty-one YA novels in ten years. During that time I also got a puppy, moved across the country, had two kids, went for (and failed) my California Driver’s license, went for it again (cheated) and passed, leased cars, bought a house, decorated said house, and did all the other things adult humans do to thrive and stay out of prison.

Then, in 2011, I had an idea for a novel. An adult novel inspired by my own dirty book club. I would call it, of course, The Dirty Book Club. Thanks to my track record, an intriguing title, and some Cuervo-flavored confidence, I was able to sell it over the phone from a villa in Mexico. As for the characters, the plot, the setting, the tone, the point? They would come. They always did.

“Writing for adults is different than writing for adolescents,” my agent warned.

“Puh-lease,” I said, with the audible eye-roll of a Clique fan, “How hard can it be?”

Cut to 2016. The novel was four years late, and I knew the answer to my question. It was hard. Brutally hard. Like, write-the-first-100-pages-ten-different-ways kind of hard.

But why?

I blamed the full moon, burn out, my troubled marriage, the fact that it was sunny every single day in Laguna Beach and perfect weather does not evoke drama. Then, I dug deeper and exhumed the following four reasons for my struggle with the transition from YA to Adult:

Lisi Harrison worked at MTV Networks in New York City for twelve years. She left her position as senior director of development in 2003 to THE CLIQUE series, which has sold over eight million copies and has been on the New York Times bestseller list for more than two hundred weeks, with ten titles hitting #1 and foreign rights sold in thirty-three countries. Now, her adult novel, THE DIRTY BOOK CLUB (Gallery Books; on sale October 10th), will please previous and new readers alike.

1. Adult novels are so incredibly … adult.

Burps aren’t funny in women’s fiction. Self-worth isn’t measured by popularity, and no one is afraid of getting grounded. Puns, acronyms, snarky comebacks, aspirational settings, bone-melting first kisses, and annoying parents don’t fly. The metrics for drama and humor are completely different. I had to endure a lot of red-penned notes from my editor reminding me of this before it sank in.

2. I wrote Middle Grade and Young Adult novels because I wanted young people to know that they’re not alone.

The way they feel is the way we all feel. I also wanted to deconstruct the “mean girl” and show the tragic and ridiculous things we do to fit in. But what could I teach women that they didn’t already know? It’s the 21st century. How could I make the story of secret club that reads dirty books meaningful to the modern 25-45 year old? Sex is no longer taboo, so why would my characters hide? What was I trying to say? I thought about my own Dirty Book Club. We were hardly sex-starved or repressed. Been there, done that, posted it. So what kept us hooked month after month? After a lot of soul searching, I realized that my dirty book club wasn’t about sex after all. It was about the intimate conversations these novels inspired. It was about truth, laughter, honesty, support, and trust. It was about the power of female friendship. And it turns out I have a lot to say about that.

The biggest literary agent database anywhere is the Guide to Literary Agents. Pick up the most recent updated edition online at a discount.

3. During this time, Fifty Shades of Grey had exploded (Pun? You decide) onto the scene.

I’ve never been one to jump on a trend, but flies unzipped at the mention of my title and I felt pressured to give the people more of what they wanted. I downloaded several books on how to write erotica, rationalized that my parents would be conveniently old and blind by publication, and reluctantly began. What followed was awkward, unnatural, and cringe-y. Still, I sallied forth. Then, I typed the word, nipple and was instantly overcome with what can only be described as flu-like symptoms. Delete. Delete. Delete. I couldn’t do it. I’ve never done “intentionally sexy” well. I am, however, a master at walk-out-of-the-bathroom-with toilet-paper-stuck-to-my-wedge-bootie. So why wasn’t I owning that? In other words, I wasted a lot of time trying to be someone I’m not. Funny, that’s what my YA characters did, and I’d always been dead against it—theoretically.

4. Those damn voices in my head wouldn’t shut up!

Lisi, you’re a YA writer, stick to what you know. You’re not ready to eat at the big kid’s table. You’ve never read the classics. You can’t possibly live up to the promise of that title. Your friends are going to read this. Your kids’ teachers are going to read this. Critics are going to read this. Your parents will for sure. So will the neighbors. And what about those opinionated book club members? If they’re not finding flaws, they’re not earning their wine. But wait, what if no one reads it? Then what are you going to do? The voices were relentless and paralyzing. They bullied me into spending days on a single paragraph and scrutinizing every sentence until the words stopped sounding like English. I tried meditation, hypnotherapy, and Pinot Noir. But the voices couldn’t be silenced. Then Prince passed away. Prince! Small as he was, that man was larger than life, and yet, he was no match for death. And that got me thinking: We’re all going to die. No one is going to remember this, so mute those damn voices and have some fun. One for the textbooks? Nope, but it worked.

Fact: When we stretch ourselves we experience growing pains. We fail a lot before we succeed and we wonder why we ever bothered. We hear those damn voices. Then, when we’ve accomplished the seemingly impossibly, we know exactly why we bothered and we leap and stretch and grow again. Our willingness to endure this maddening process is why humans walk upright and have electricity and art and antibiotics and Amazon. It’s why we have stories to tell, and why all of them are about the journey, not the destination. And so I’ve learned to embrace the journey. Without it, we wouldn’t have anything to read about.

If you’re an agent looking to update your information or an author interested in contributing to the GLA blog or the next edition of the book, contact Writer’s Digest Books Managing Editor Cris Freese at cris.freese@fwmedia.com.

        The post Switching Genres: How One Author Transitioned from a Young Adult Audience to Adult appeared first on WritersDigest.com.

from Writing Editor Blogs – WritersDigest.com http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/guest-columns/switching-genres-young-adult-adult