#newest addition to my otp list :)

[jade-green-butterfly]

Today...is a very special and important day for me, folks~💝😊Three years ago, a certain special troll became the highlight of my 2020 during rough times and immediately won my heart from the moment I knew he would have his own destiny and journey to find others like him...and his family. Since the first Trolls movie, I have always admired dearly him from afar and the moment I saw him during the Trolls World Tour trailer, my heart literally poured out him and I have truly loved him for just being his wonderful, lovable self ever since~💘🥹 And that certain special troll, is none other than Cooper~💗🌈✨

I have always been a big fan of him and he’s always been my favourite troll to begin with but every time I see him and hear him, my heart always beats so much for him, making it aflutter and words cannot describe how special he is to me...how he means the whole world to me~💞🌈💗🌈💞I mean...can you blame me? >//w//`< How could I resist and say no to such an adorable face to go with such a darling like him??💖😍💖😍💖Cooper is more than just the goofball that we all know and love...he’s my goofball and so much more...the most amazing troll with such talent, a unique voice and a dazzling yet loving royal family to go with him...Cooper is also the prince of my heart, who deserves all the love and happiness in the world...and I feel so blessed to be the one to give it all to him, along with my heart~🥰💝💝🥰 April 24th 2020 was the day I drew Cooper for the very first time, and when I started shipping myself with him. And together, him and I have remained strong and inseparable ever since!🫶💕We’ve had such happy memories together - becoming part of his world and family, sharing one another’s lives and music, even officially marrying and creating our own dear little life together~✨💜💗💚 And I wish to keep on loving Cooper forevermore~💓😊 Which is why I dedicate this very special piece above (with a textless version too) to us, inspired by a cute Trolls book called ‘Sweet Dance Party’, a lovely heartfelt scene from the movie, Sing 2 and their version of our newest song addition to Coossy’s OTP song list (and one of my classic faves) - ‘I Say A Little Prayer For You’. And I also took part with my piece in my dear @x-elyssa-x’s colour challenge, who I deeply and gratefully thank for helping bring my beloved OTP to life, along with KaitlinEXE, @gloryraiin, @dagdasgoddess, @groovinyeen, @asa-de-ouro, @queenabstract, @zoey-nillesen​, @angoraram and many more for all the beautiful commissions, gift art and loving support you have given me over the past three years, and for putting all your fantastic work and effort, and heart and soul into every single one which I absolutely love to this very day~💞🌟💙💜💚 I can’t thank you all and the rest of the Trolls Fandom enough for how amazing and welcoming you’ve all been to me when I first jumped onto the bandwagon, and I am so happy I did too! 💖🤗Thank-you all so much for everything, including all the dear friends I’ve made and all the loving supporters I have gained - bless you all and don’t stop being awesome~!✌✨💕 And finally, thank-you ever so much for everything, Cooper...my cupcake king and sweet jellybean~💘👑🫂For always being there for me, making me feel such love and happiness I never could imagine~💝🥰🌈 I am truly blessed and the luckiest lass alive to such a wonderful darling like you in my life and by my side~💗��� U///w///U

🎊💜♓💗♎💚🎉~Happy 3rd Anniversary, Cooper...my beloved prince, my one & only...I love you so much with all my heart, more than life itself...and I will keep on loving you so, forevermore and beyond~🎉💜♓💗♎💚🎊

*~Reblogs are also deeply appreciated as well, so please do reblog as well as like! Thank-you kindly!~*

Cooper (c) DreamWorks Trolls/DreamWorks Animation

Trollsona Jussy/Justina Butterfly (c) @jade-green-butterfly​ (Me~!)

[hiorintruther]

New sideblog for bllk coz I have *emotions*!!!

I guess this serves as an intro post? Hi there :) I’m bachirabuzzings hiorintruther >.< My main is @princesserii but I don’t really use that for anything these days besides the occasional reblog.

I’m a simple girl. I see our Lord and savour Hiori Yo and I cry, scream, throw up etc… I’m caught up on the manga so will be posting manga spoilers.

This’ll probably end up being an all-purpose bllk blog in terms of reblogs but I intend to use it for posting the odd infodump about headcanons, AU ideas, (maybe) fics and, of course, hiorin. If I can ever be bothered, there might be a smidge of fanart sprinkled in as well, mostly from my Twitter.

My top 5 faves are:

Hiori 🩵🩵🩵

Rin

Karasu

Chigiri

Bachira

Idk how important this is but I’ll add it anyway. I’m pretty lax on shipping and multiship most of the popular pairs to some degree, however my OTPs (aka the only ones I’ll ever really reblog and make content for) are:

Hiorin — MY OTP!!! I CAN AND WILL GIVE YOU A 50 SLIDE POWERPOINT PRESENTATION ON WHY I’M NOT REACHING

Tabiori — the newest addition to the list!! Hiori’s light novel is something else. They’re basically canon atp

Bachisagi — recently dethroned from being my number 1 otp (Hiorin took its place lmao)

Kunigiri — I live in denial okay!!! They were meant to be!!!

Reonagi — sometimes watching dysfunctional relationships crash and burn is fun (and/or funny)

Ryusae — they’re assholes, they’re antagonists and they’re in love, your honour

Kaisagi — a newer addition but oh my god did the brainrot take hold

I know I know, pretty vanilla in terms of bllk shipping. As I say, I’m a simple girl.

Anyways, I hope this says enough about me and the blog! I look forward to descending into the pits of madness every time a new episode drops. Saturdays are one of the few things bringing me serotonin rn 🥲

[airasora]

I've jumped down into the hole of my newest OTP Thraxette, so I'm looking for an excuse to talk more about them! Does anyone know of any good OTP-related ask prompts? I used to do them a lot a few years ago, and I miss answering asks about my OTPs 😭

Of course, if you can think of anything you want to talk about with Thraxette yourself, I'd absolutely LOVE an ask from you as well 👀

EDIT: I'm writing down OTP-related prompt asks now too as well, so if you have any ideas for OTP-related asks you think would be a good addition to the list, do share 🤗

[phantommermaidqueen]

Macriley is the newest addition to my ever-growing list of OTPs

[aifastic]

Aifas’ 2021 Masterfic Post

Hello again, everyone! I’m glad to see this year come to an end. I’m sure things won’t be instantaneously easier, but it’s always good to take a deep breath and say, “Here we go again.”

I’m not going to describe how this year was for obvious reasons. But I found in it, nonetheless, the opportunity to write, and to work, and to grow, so I’ll drink to that, at least. I hope you have, too; otherwise, I hope next year treats you better, and I want you to know that you’re super valid.

Well, then, off to the list! This year was the most productive of my fic writing uhhh career? XD With 21 works (started, continued, finished or unfinished) and interesting stats, I feel glad to be able to call this year a close. Let’s hope next year brings more inspiration! (And health to be able to bring it to fruition).

Team Fortress 2

Sketch My Smile: For Shadowenza! Pyro finds something in Scout's room that gives him an idea. An idea that will start a new, artistic routine for them. Flashfire, multichaptered (7/7)

Broken: Dell, struggling with what the years have turned him into, builds a family. This one was... therapeutic to write. But I wanted to share it, nonetheless. It deals with the struggles of someone dealing with their demons, and tripping and making the same mistakes they had to pay the price for. Tw: suicidal thoughts, depression, dysfunctional families. Engineer, One-shot.

Penthouse Bloke: Mick "Sniper" Mundy is the doorman of the Fortress building. And despite his love for the job, there's something--someone--that makes his blood boil: Spy, the penthouse resident. Sniperspy, many ships with Spy ahead. Multichaptered, Ongoing. (3/?) Future R-18.

Finding Home [JJBA Crossover]: Meet Robert E. O. Speedwagon, the newest addition to the RED Team. Spy is trying to figure him out. Robert E. O. Speedwagon, RED Team. Crossover. Multichaptered, Ongoing (5/?)

Bound: Medic loves seeing Heavy undone. R-18. Heavymedic, One-Shot.

Reaching Out: He lost his memory. Everyone knows more than they clearly want to let show; especially the doctor. And he gets the feeling he's key to understand what's going on. Sniper, bush medicine. Multichaptered, Ongoing (4/?)

Together With You: Dell and Jane's relationship through time, space and beyond. (Ficlets for the 31 Days OTP Challenge 2020). Helmet party. One-Shots collection. Ongoing (9/31)

Tea and Reassurances: For Eggsy! Spy is late. He never is. A short, fluffy fic. Medic, Spy. One-shot.

Tradition: For Brut! Spy tries to incorporate Sniper into his tea drinking routine. Sniperspy, One-shot.

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure

Light My Way: Speedwagon, grief-stricken, goes to Tibet. Robert E. O. Speedwagon, Jonawagon. One-Shot.

Ocean-Swept: Robert E. O. Speedwagon, survivor of the R.M.S Titanic sinking, has a story to tell. And a mask to find. Titanic!AU. Robert E. O. Speedwagon. Multichaptered, Ongoing (1/?)

Half-Life VR But The AI Is Self-Aware

As Real As We Want To Be: A walk at the park becomes a little adventure. Dr. Coomer, Bubby. One-Shot. Part 2 of (SY)OTOS Series.

Sudden Realizations: Gordon deals with a sudden realization. Frenrey, One-Shot. Part 3 of (SY)OTOS Series.

Second Chances: Gordon has a shitty day. And a very powerful friend. Frenrey, One-Shot.

At The Edge Of The World: Tommy learns about his true nature, and decides to do something with it. Tommy Coolatta. One Shot. Part 1 of (SY)OTOS Series.

Reflections: Dr. Bubby and Dr. Coomer. A look into their new life and the past they left behind, but never forgot. HLVRAI boomer. Multichaptered, Ongoing (1/?). Part 4 of (SY)OTOS Series.

You Held Me Tight (Don't Let Me Go): The day started like any other. How was Gordon supposed to know? Frenrey, One-Shot. Part 5 of (SY)OTOS Series.

Leaning On You: For Smokeygg! He wonders if it’s odd to want to be so close. He wonders if Benrey feels the same. Frenrey, One-Shot.

Realizations: Moments of clarity don't always come at the best of times. Frenrey, One-Shot.

(Feel) Like a Circle in a Square Hole: Benrey doesn't know why or how he ended up a few steps away from Gordon's apartment. Benrey, Gordon. One-Shot.

Status Quo: Gordon struggles with breaking the status quo he created himself. Frenrey. Benrey, Gordon Freeman, Joshua Freeman, Tommy Coolata... Pretty much everyone. One-shot.

Aaaand this is it! I hope the new year find us with our strengths renewed; I wish you all the best of luck for this 2021. You can do it!! \o/

See y’all later!

Ai 

[barriss]

Seven comfort movies/shows

Tagged by @textsfromumbridge​

A bit late, but I’m finally doing it, because my Pookie tagged me <3

1. Star Wars I - VI

I’ve been a Star Wars fan for over 15 years now. I’ve delved deep into the lore and have spent many a lonely nights reading about lightsaber dueling forms (Jar’Kai FTW) and designing my own light freighter a la Millennium Falcon (yes, tech specs et all).

Then Disney decided to fuck everything up and I am now too disillusioned with the franchise to go beyond my current knowledge, though I still read up on ‘Legends’ trivia every now and then. But the real original Star Wars films will always mean a great deal to me. 

2. Sherlock (BBC)

Listen. LISTEN! A curly dark haired Benedict Cumberbatch acting his ass off and looking damn fine doing it is my SHIT! Also, fucking Sherlolly killing me with OTP delights! It really is a great show, and damn fun. 

3. Les Miserables (2012)

For those who know me, need I explain myself? And even if I tried, I don’t think there are words to describe my love for Les Mis. (Also, Enjonine) And yes, 8 years later and I am still a hardcore fan. 

4.  Princess Bride

This movie just makes me happy. Y’all know why, don’t pretend like you don’t know what I’m talking about. 

5. Pride and Prejudice (1995)

The BEST P&P version out there. It’s perfection. Fight me on this! Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy tickles my loins like nothing else, I tell you. 

6.  How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)

Yes, I know this is a Christmas movie, but I watch it every year on Christmas Eve. No exceptions. Also, I cry at the end every. damn. year! 

7. Emma (2020)

Newest addition to my comfort movie list. I LOVED this movie! It was so much fun and colorful and just a complete DELIGHT! If you haven’t seen it yet, please do so. It’s amazing. 

I probably have a lot more shows and films that give me comfort, but tbh, these are the ones that came to mind. Though I prefer reading nowadays, it’s still nice to re-watch some of these every now and then. 

Thank you @textsfromumbridge for tagging me, I love you! 

I’m not gonna tag anyone, because I haven’t been very active on tumblr for a while and everyone has changed their usernames and I am very confused. But please pick this up even if you are not tagged, who knows, one of your recs might become someone else’s comfort, and that’s something we need right now. 

[sugarcomatosed]

I posted 3,377 times in 2021

203 posts created (6%)

3174 posts reblogged (94%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 15.6 posts.

I added 1,123 tags in 2021

#13 sentinels: aegis rim - 290 posts

#pokemon - 197 posts

#sugar speaks - 138 posts

#sailor moon - 88 posts

#promare - 87 posts

#sugar writes - 84 posts

#short videos - 80 posts

#otp - 60 posts

#fullmetal alchemist - 51 posts

#precure - 48 posts

Longest Tag: 138 characters

#i have...two other sentinels playlist besides the sekifuyu one i’ve posted before but neither of those are filled enough to share anywhere

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

See the full post

38 notes • Posted 2021-06-13 01:12:05 GMT

#4

“I’ll be on Sumire Bridge. Find me, and tell me everything.”

Commission I got from my beloved friend @harblkun of one of my favorite scenes in the game. Spoiler rambling under the cut.

There’s something bone chilling about the whole scene where young Tetsuya Ida drops out of the Sentinel onto Sumire bridge and introduces himself and asks “You’re Chihiro Morimura, aren’t you?” as a f8ful struggle plays. The way they hurtle off into the sunset and how that one scene puts into motion so much of the game as we know it…. they’re young and innocent and about to go through so much…it hurts! Maybe sometime I’ll get Iori and Shu in a similar style.

Harb actually drew this just based on my own descriptions/screenshots and actually has no idea what this scene besides that is about so round of applause for mighty Harbles ‘o’ hopefully one day she’ll get to enjoy the game…

41 notes • Posted 2021-03-18 01:02:03 GMT

#3

The tiniest of Sekifuyus I commissioned from Laprasass on Twitter 🥺

46 notes • Posted 2021-04-23 14:33:15 GMT

#2

On Miyuki Inaba and Macross:

I’ve heard nothing but love for wave 2-10 of destruction; but I’ve realized that the scene loses some of its magic for western audience because they don’t know it’s a shout out. 

So today I want to break down for you today the biggest reference in 13 Sentinels you most likely missed out on; Miyuki Inaba, Lynn Minmay and The Super Dimensional Fortess Macross.

Join me under the cut for massive spoilers for Sentinels of course, and a nearly 40 year old anime you’ve never seen.

I think everyone knows Sentinels is chock full of sci-fi shout outs. From War of the Worlds, to Terminator, The Matrix, heck even GroundHog’s day, the list goes on and on. Most western audiences will be able to spot the bulk, so why haven’t you heard of Macross?

Simply put, copyright battles. In 1985, Hamorny Gold stitched together three unrelated animes to create Robotech. One of the anime series involved was Macross and Harmony Gold has kept a tight leash on the copyright preventing the series from ever getting a real proper English release ever since.

...so what is Macross?

Well, in super blunt Wikipedia stolen summaries:

Macross (マクロス, Makurosu, English: /məˈkrɒs/) is a Japanese science fiction mecha anime media franchise/media mix, created by Studio Nue (most prominently mechanical designer Shōji Kawamori) and Artland in 1982. The franchise features a fictional history of Earth and the human race after the year 1999, as well as the history of humanoid civilization in the Milky Way. It consists of four TV series, four movies, six OVAs, one light novel, and five manga series, all sponsored by Big West Advertising, in addition to 40 video games set in the Macross universe, 2 crossover games, and a wide variety of physical merchandise.

If you asked me to boil the series down to it’s three staples I’d pick the following three elements. Big robot fights, love triangles and music, usually all interplaying together to make some of the most exciting fight scenes in anime.

The series is going strong in Japan ever since its 1982 release, with the most recent series Macross Delta’s newest film “Absolute Live!!!!!!” getting its first teaser trailer days before I sat down to write this post. It’s insanely big in Japan and you’ve probably seen a half dozen Macross references if you’ve watched a sci-fi anime before. Most likely the signature missile blast.

Sentinels pulls specifically from the 1984 film: the Super Dimensional Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love? The story is largely a shortened version of the first tv series which aired in 82 and is considered in canon a film retelling of the events.

The film focuses on a colony ship adrift through space suddenly being attacked by an alien race called the Zentardi, it’s both a war film and a very quiet drama all tangled up in the three central characters of Hikaru Ichijo, the young pilot, Misa Hayase, one of the bridge officers and then Miss Macross herself; Lynn Minmay.  An idol singer aborad the ship who has during its journey become a huge celebrity after starting as a simple waitress at her family’s restaurant. 

See the full post

47 notes • Posted 2021-01-28 03:16:15 GMT

#1

The Faces of Eve

Commission I got from @lunie-junk​ of one of my fav dynamics in 13 Sentinels! I’m beyond happy with it 💖  Please consider supporting them and their art!

125 notes • Posted 2021-01-17 05:19:09 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

oops all sentinels.

[aroundthecoffeepot]

tagged by @ladyknightofhollyrose

Rules:  Answer the questions and tag 10 blogs you’d like to know better.

Nicknames: Alvie or just plain Vie. V for Vendetta. lol

Star Sign: Gemini

Height: 5′1″

Time right now: 11.41pm

Last thing you googled: Killing Stalking comic

Favorite music artist: I was listening to The Cranberries this afternoon

Last TV show watched: Fortitude, some weird Scandinavian noir murder mystery that’s starting to piss me off Lost-style

What am I wearing right now: My Harry Potter nightie sans pants

When did I create my blog: Monday on the 21st of March 2012, apparently

What kind of stuff do I post about: Animation-related posts, mostly gifs

Do I have any other blogs: Haha, yes... So many blogs...

Do I get asks regularly: Define regular

Why did I choose my url: It’s a quote from Brokeback Mountain - points if you can give me the exact quote!

Gender: Female

Pokemon Team: Idk never played Pokemon Go because it isn’t compatible with my phone

Hogwarts House: Ravenclaw

Favorite colors: Red and green

Average hours of sleep: 6-7 hours

Favorite Characters: We gon be here all night if I list them all, so let me just gush over the latest addition to my list: Yang Seungbae from Killing Stalking, my cute and precious overly-serious Seoul cop embroiled in a grubby small town serial murder mystery >x<

Incidentally, my newest OTP is Sangwoo/Seungbae <3

Dream job: I get paid to read books until I die

Tagging: @e-chime, @embasan-kun, @frukyou, @valerikay, idk man if you read this you’re tagged

[murasakihime]

TOP 10 OTPS

Thank you @shillya-chan for tagging me <3

I decided to include one ship per series so unfortunately I left out Sharryamu and Juhaku despite the fact that I ship them more than some of the pairings I included.

(If anyone ever wants to talk about any of this wonderful pairings you are more than welcome to send me an ask).

1. Renji x Rukia

The Star and the Stray Dog...words cannot describe how much I love this pairing and how happy I am to see them canon. I love pairings that share long history and those two interactions go way back to their childhood. 

Furthermore, I like their messed up relationship. The fact that both of them didn’t always make the right choices when it came to their relationship, makes them a more realistic pairing and less a ‘’fairy tale like’’ and I’m more than fine with that.

And now they finally overcome all the misunderstandings between them and they have created a beautiful family together. That’s beyond perfection =).

2. Zuko x Katara

It’s 2017 and I’m still not over Zutara not being canon. I have a weakness to enemies turned to friends/lovers and Zutara is the epitome of that trope. The fact that Zuko was willing to sacrifice his life for Katara says everything that needs to be said about this otp.

3. Alibaba x Kougyoku

Speaking of enemies turned to friends, Alikou is another fine example of it. Those two not only became friends but also share so many similarities and can understand each other perfectly. I really love how each of them can make the other feel good when they interact. They really share a healthy and beautiful relationship. 

4 . Tamaki x Haruhi

My shoujo otp. I loved them in the anime and I loved their development even more in the manga. Watching those two getting closer and finally falling in love was a delight.

5. Roy x Riza

The ultimate partners in crime. Those two have each other’s back through all the FMA series. While they weren’t confirmed to be canon at the end of the series, I think that their actions speak louder than words and that everyone can see that those two are meant to be.

6. Amon x Akira

This pairing reminds me of Royai (I wonder why :p). I absolutely love how their relationship progressed through Tokyo Ghoul and I’m waiting to see more of them in Tokyo Ghoul:re (Please Isayama-sensei give them the attention they deserve).

7. Bellamy x Clarke:

I’m not as big the 100 fan as I used to be but Bellarke remains an otp. Those two also weren’t getting along well in the beginning but later on they gotten closer and now they act as co- leaders. I hope in the next season they will finally become canon.

8. Okita x Sei:

My other shoujo otp. This pairing is heading to tragedy (due to Okita’s poor health) but so far we’re blessed with a pairing with lots of funny, dramatic and emotional moments. Seriously, those two are meant to be and only death can (and will :/) tear them apart.

9. Todoroki x Momo:

This is my newest addition to the otp list. Both Momo and Todoroki are dear characters to me and I love that they often are paired up together or are in situations that they need to interact. I hope this is a sign that this ship will sail because their characters complement each other. 

10. Dazai x Atsushi:

I was conflicted about which Bungou Stray Dogs pairing should I choose because I like a lot of them. In the end, I chose the first pairing I fell in love with. Their first meeting marked the beginning of the series and Dazai is always there to guide and help Atsushi with his own way. In terms of personality they fit so I have lots of headcanons about them. I doubt that this ship will sail (Atsushi will probably end up one day with Kyouka) but still I’m having fun shipping those two.

I’m tagging: @nana-aniki, @koukoi1412, @remedy-ad, @luciells, @all-ringils-blazing, @sinjaria and @vile-priestess

[sahibookworm]

The original tag was created by ReadLikeWildfire and Earl Grey Books!

I’m not someone who is fond of doing wrap-up posts, but I also feel that giving some sort of update about my first half of the reading year will make me happy. And hopefully, all you friends of mine are also interested to know about all the wonderful books I’ve read these past six months. And before I get started with the tag, let me give you a tiny overall update about my reading year and goals.

Goodreads Challenge: I’m upto 91/130 books.

1000 Followers on the blog: I’m at 982 right now, so hopefully I’ll reach my goal soon.

80% on Netgalley: I’m going steady at 85% and hope to keep it up.

Stars and Sorcery Book Club: I have actually read all our BOTM’s and I am very proud of it.

Around the Year in 52 Books: I’m at 44/52 but the remaining prompts are gonna be a bit tough.

Year of the Asian Challenge: My goal was to read between 21-30 books for this challenge and I’ve already finished 28 books, so I count this as a win too.

I’ve also never used charts and graphs to show my updates before, but everyone seems to be using them and they look awesome and colorful, so I’m gonna give them a try too.

As you can see, majority of my reads have been romances (which also tend to be contemporary) with fantasy coming closest second. I think I will also be happy if I can maintain around 10% for non-fiction till the end of the year.

This one definitely makes me feel very proud because almost half my books are ownvoices and I only hope this count increases as the year goes by.

This is definitely a bit unexpected because I love YA, but I seem to have gravitated towards reading more adult romances this year. Hopefully I can make similar inroads into adult fantasy in the latter half of the year.

This chart totally reflects me because I love reading ebooks and have also been trying to listen to more audios. What I didn’t realize was that I have been reading a lot more ARCs and I hope I continue to be approved for them.

A majority of my reads being 4 star and above surely shows that I have become a bit better at picking books that suit my taste. I surely hope I read many more 5 stars before the end of the year.

Now…. Let’s get started with the tag…!!!!!!!

💨 1. Best book you’ve read so far in 2019:

Well, it was a given that Red, White and Royal Blue was gonna be here because it was such a delight to read. But an unexpected addition to my best books of the year is the finale of the Bone Witch trilogy,  The Shadow Glass because it’s one of the most emotional and satisfying conclusions I’ve read in quite a long time.

💨 2. Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2019:

I just couldn’t choose between Soul of the Sword and The Heart Forger because both of them are excellent and very action packed than their predecessors, and we also can’t help but fall in love with the characters more.

💨 3. New release you haven’t read yet, but want to:

These were some of my most anticipated book releases from the first half of this year. Now, I just have to find time to read them all.

💨 4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year:

There are many many books on my most anticipated list for the upcoming months and I even listed many of them in this post, but one very recent announcement that has me excited is Rachel Maddow’s next. I really love watching her show and was pretty impressed by her other book Drift, so I’m very sure this one will be amazing too.

💨 5. Biggest disappointment:

I have other books which I gave lesser ratings to, but The Women’s War was more of a disappointment because I was expecting so much more from it, and it just didn’t have a lot of substance. On the other hand, I suddenly got the ARC for The Seduction Expert (which I wasn’t expecting) and read some rave reviews, so decided to give it a try – it turned out to be just downright awful.

💨 6. Biggest surprise:

While I was very excited to read We Set the Dark on Fire, I just didn’t expect to fall in love with it so much, and the world building was so amazing too.

I decided to pick up Magical Women on a whim because I wanted to know more about the sci-fi fantasy landscape in the Indian publishing industry and was pleasantly surprised by so many talented authors masterfully blending SFF tropes with Indian mythological elements.

The Priory of the Orange Tree was too intimidating and I didn’t think I would read it, but decided to take it up as a challenge and was very surprised by how easy it was to read. Definitely worth the size of it.

💨 7. Favorite new author (debut or new to you):

While I read some awesome debuts this year, I want to mention a new-to-me author Rin Chupeco. I knew the Bone Witch trilogy was supposed to be good but I was amazed beyond expectations because it was such a different kind of fantasy but highly impressive in all aspects, and also gave me one of my favorite OTPs of this year.

Reviews: The Bone Witch / The Heart Forger / The Shadow Glass

💨 8. Newest fictional crush:

I had to think a lot for this because apparently I don’t seem to have crushed on many characters this year. But one who comes closest is Zavier Demos, the pansexual aromantic rockstar drummer from Syncopation. He is talented, sexy and has a very cool head on his shoulders and I really enjoyed reading his story.

💨 9. Newest favorite character:

In this case, I actually couldn’t choose again because I have a lot of favorite characters this year but one who’s definitely impressed me the most is Yumeko from Shadow of the Fox. She is sweet, trusting, loyal and very brave and I completely adore her. Another one is Lady Tea from The Bone Witch. She has one of the best character developments I have ever read and she is the most loyal and loving person ever.

💨 10. Book that made you cry:

This is so easy to answer because there is no book that could make me cry more than The Song of Achilles. I remember sobbing in anticipation even before the inevitable happened. Another book that made me very emotional was Ghosts of the Shadow Market because it’s about Jem and he is one of my favorite characters from that universe, and reading his journey through so many tumultuous times made me weepy.

💨 11. Book that made you happy:

While Book Boyfriend might not make it to any all time favorite lists of mine, it made me very happy because it featured a romance author hero and a romance blogger heroine, and had so many relatable situations. The Candle and the Flame was a quiet and atmospheric fantasy but it made me happy because of it’s very inherently desi elements and reminded me a lot of home.

I don’t need any particular reason to love The Red Scrolls of Magic other than it being about Magnus and Alec and them being together makes me extremely happy. Sandhya’s books are always a delight to read but There’s Something About Sweetie is special because it features a happy fat brown girl and I could see so much of myself in her.

💨 12. Favorite Book to Movie you’ve seen this year:

I haven’t seen any movies but I eagerly awaited and watched the final season of Shadowhunters and wept when it finished. Whatever the detractors say, I really enjoyed watching this show a lot.

💨 13. Favorite post you’ve written this year:

I love writing reviews but I know I’m not that good at it like my other lovely blogger friends whom I’m in awe of. But a couple of reviews which I poured my heart into are Red, White and Royal Blue and Good Talk. I also loved writing the post about the Books that define my reading life.

💨 14. Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or received):

I mostly rely on my library and other subscriptions for reading books but one among my kindle purchases that is gorgeous is King of Scars – I adore the golden aesthetic. And after resisting all these months, I finally bought the paperback of Foundryside in June because it’s amazing both inside and out.

💨 15. What books do you need to read by the end of the year?:

There are obviously many new releases I want to read but these are two backlist books I wish I am able to read sometime this year. I feel I have put them off long enough.

💨 16. Favorite book community member:

I am actually very happy to have many book community friends these days, especially my dearest ones in the Book Dragons India discord group, but a very recent friend I’ve made is Liz @ Lost in Literature with Liz. Both of us have quite a few things in common and we love lamenting about the fact that we can never pick our next read or find the right motivation to continue. Do checkout her blog for amazing reviews and more interesting bookish discussions.

I am not tagging anyone but if you wanna give an update about your reading year, please consider yourself tagged and link back to me so that I can read all about it.

Half Yearly Check-In AND Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag The original tag was created by ReadLikeWildfire and Earl Grey Books! I'm not someone who is fond of doing wrap-up posts, but I also feel that giving some sort of update about my first half of the reading year will make me happy.

[tomorrowsjustadreamaway]

phantommermaidqueen‌:

Macriley is the newest addition to my ever-growing list of OTPs

This is adorable! I would love to see more Macriley!!!

Macriley is the newest addition to my ever-growing list of OTPs