#one of the most hectic book series I've ever read

[iambellarose1816]

The Manipulator 😏

Outside the window is the silhouette of a man. Staring directly at me.

I take a step back, ready to turn and call for Daya. When my phone buzzes, I flinch, freezing me in place and nearly choking me on the fear.

Keeping one eye on the man, I slide my phone out of my pocket and see a new text message.

UNKNOWN: You didn’t like my flowers?

*faints because this book series gave me chills*

I am obsessed with The Cat And Mouse Duet 😍😍😍❤❤❤ This couple is so fucking hot without even trying 🔥🔥

[giantchasm]

top 10 pokemon characters/story arcs?

Hi! Sorry this response is coming a little late. I can take a bit to answer asks, but I swear in general I will get around to them. Life's just been hectic.

To answer your question, though (And assuming this only applies to mainline Pokemon— I'll do everyone a favor and spare you from hearing me talk about my feelings on PMD characters... unless people WANT to hear about those too?)

As a note, this is within the context of how well developed I think their characters/story were, so it's not in the order of my favorites in general. That would vary slightly. For example: I love Raifort, but her ass does NOT have that much going on. I'd also put Volo much higher up than I did on this list.

1 - N - Honestly, I had a lot of trouble deciding whether he or Lillie deserved first place. They're more or less a tie in my book. I think they both had character arcs handled extremely well in different ways. I ultimately opted for giving N this slot because I think BW is just the more thematically rich game as a whole, but I do love Lillie. N is just so fantastic, though. I love his arc as well as the different facets of his personality. He was the first character that was ever truly a "blorbo" in a fandom sense to me and with good reason. I would take Ibuprofen with him any day.

2 - Lillie - Like I said, Lillie almost made first place. I really do love her. I think her arc about learning to stand up for herself and generally carve out her identity as an abused child is extremely well done. She is my FRIEND and it made me VERY SAD when she left at the end of the game. I hope everyone who complains about Sun & Moon's story without ever having actually bothered to engage with it blows up forever.

3 - Arven - Say what you will about Scarlet and Violet- they're buggy, rushed games, but their story slaps. I think Arven's arc and the general way he's characterized is super well done. Although that goes for all of the ScarVi cast! I think they're just sincerely good characters. Blowing up everyone who didn't pay attention to the story then had the audacity to complain about it being bad with my mind here as well. [This is malice directed specifically towards Alpharad for his read on Penny, but don't tell anyone that]

4 - Silver - Silver's interesting in that he comes from a time when Pokemon character arcs weren't super defined but he has such a solid one, so he really stands out! I love him learning to open up, trust, and love his Pokemon and think the way that story is told organically through elements such as his Golbat finally evolving is wonderful. His Pokemas event with Ho-Oh made me cry.

5 & 6 - Cheren and Bianca - I feel weird separating these two because of the way their arcs parallel each other, so they're going together. They really do exemplify the way that Black and White were sincerely well-written games and I love their individual stories as well as the way they play into the themes of the overarching story as a whole.

7 - Cyrus - What a character. Cyrus is well and truly one of the most offputting yet interesting characters in the entire series. His nihilistic outlook burying what little he does seem to sincerely care about is so fascinating, and his backstory easily gives him even more depth. He's just this guy who's like... sincerely mentally unwell, and not in a cartoon villain way. He has legit psychological issues. I would love to study him under a microscope.

8 - Volo - This guy's one of my favorite Pokemon characters, but even I've gotta admit he doesn't actually have that much going on. I feel like so much of what I like about him just came from my head. That said, he has a fun charisma about him, even in canon, and I loved getting stabbed in the back. Please stab me in the back more, GameFreak. ([A flying ice-cream truck appears over my head, a la SpongeBob] IN THE STORY! PLEASE DON'T STAB ME IN THE BACK BY MAKING DISAPPOINTING GAMES...)

9 - Barry - Yet another fantastic character from gen 4. I love him realizing he needs to actually take some things seriously and the way he grapples with his failure to protect the Pokemon of the lake. For the third time in this post I'm blowing people up with my mind, specifically the people who just see him as annoying and loud and don't pay attention to the way he changes over the course of the game. ADHD king.

10 - Bede - Tbh... I don't know if Bede actually deserves to be on this list. I think it's probably a little offensive to put any SWSH character on this list. But truth is... I just like him! Even if it was ostensibly poorly executed, I'm a complete sucker for the "spoiled brat gets smacked in the face by reality and has to learn some goddamn humility" trope, and he embodies it well. I also like how ultimately he finds himself and his place in the world through embracing things stereotypically associated with femininity :) I simply think it's nice.

[anonofseasons]

Here I go...? Weird timing on my end, but despite a hectic weekend and Monday, I'm feeling chill. So. Reveal time? I hope I do not regret haha... I'm MCalhen (link to AO3). Yup, a couple of you know me bc I like your writing a lot. I'm the bringer of long comments! I'm so sorry, I've deceived you. 😔 Most of my work is currently locked in a collection, so there's not much still public. When I felt apprehensive about my writing last summer, a friend suggested a collection. A few fics will remain in "fic jail", while some might be brought out again if I ever edit them. Some are old and should remain privately archived, and one is a fan theory that has since been disproved. :P (And the Brain fic is also canonically wrong now. Thanks, KH.)

I have four blogs on tumblr but the writing one is @mcalhenwrites (also my main, so sometimes I reblog stuff to it, but I'm not active in fandoms lately) I do have a crochet blog that I seldom use and deleted nearly everything off of a couple of years ago. It's @mcalhencreations if anyone is interested... I currently only have one twitter account, it's for my writing. I keep deleting my fandom accounts on there. I'd remake one if I could transfer my massive block list. I have a goodreads that currently only gets used for reading, even though I am an "author" (and of my four books, only three are listed under this name and only my two attempts at erotica are even still for sale).

If you want to read the antithesis to Vivian's parenting, I have Wandering Souls. Sibling fluff? Language of Flowers. Rascal might be off-putting due to all the kink, but I assure you it has heartwarming moments, sibling bonding (takes some time to get there tho), and daddy issues. It's also complete, tho I have side stories and AUs I'm tinkering with~ I've got some more original work posted on my pillowfort, but I don't remember what bc it's been forever since I used it... Most of my other original writing hasn't been published yet, but I'm working on the edits for self-publishing my novel, Geckos, Automata. If you want a comprehensive list of my stories that are in progress, I miiiight type one up on google docs? (Not on tumblr. It gets mad if I make long posts.) I have an expansive dragon universe that covers several novels. The most recent I've been working on is called The Dragons' Cosmos, though Seasons sort of put it on hold. It's fantasy/scifi, and there are dragons, but also people. In fact, abuse is a pretty common theme in that series. Wayne is worse than Vivian, fortunately his son succeeds in running away - off the planet, in fact~ Feel free to peruse my bookmarks on AO3 or my read list on goodreads, there are damn good authors in there. ;) (Do not be surprised if I delete this in a fit of anxiety! Might be "too late" but that won't stop me.)

[daisyneptune]

Hello again!!

Oh that's so neat you're reading Dune! I wish I had the brain capacity to read science fiction, but it's not my particularly favorite genre. Though I've always wanted to read dune myself. I feel like I would like it. I read a lot of fantasy and horror books, myself. That and history books!

A song that really gets me in the Christmas spirit is Last Christmas by WHAM! I love it so much!! Wonderful Christmastime of course and White Christmas (specifically the Drifters version) are close seconds. I do have a Christmas playlist I break out from time to time if I'm feeling down so I'm happy to play it at this time of year.

I typically buy my own presents for Christmas (I'm the weirdo person who hates surprises) so I've gotten most of my presents this year. Do you have any idea of what you want for Christmas? Do you like surprise gifts? I hope your week is going good! Things are a little hectic for me trying to wrap of my semester but it's alright! Hoping your week goes well! -🎅✨

Hi Santa!!! Hope you're having a lovely day!

Honestly, I had to listen to the audiobook first with Dune. I would start to read the book, then after a few pages I'd have to go back because I felt like I was lost. Listening to the audiobook made me pay attention and I fell in love with the series, so reading the rest of the books has been easier. I read a lot of history & other nonfiction, too. What have you been reading lately?

I love the Drifters version of White Christmas! I have a playlist on YouTube somewhere that I need to update of a lot of rock/oldies Christmas songs.

I like surprise gifts! That's why when someone asks what I want I give them a list, so they can choose from it and I can get surprised by whichever one they choose. My mom does the same thing. I've noticed she always picks the most practical stuff off my lists, but honestly at this point in my life, I appreciate practical gifts more than ever. Most of my list this year is either stuff for my apartment, my cat, or a few books and Blu-Rays.

I hope the rest of your semester goes well!

[whalechief]

I wanna try the Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag for 2023 :3c

Will post below cut with what I've read thus far this year~ (minor spoilers ahead for *checks notes* Atlas Paradox and How to Sell a Haunted House (but not rly that last one)

Best Book You've Read So Far: OK, I went back and forth because there were some good reads (🥁) this year. I will say both Ninth House and Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo (both from the Alex Stern series) | I think this is the best introduction into dark academia, truly. It's rarely in a lull, but never too much going on at once. All characters seem to be important in their own way, if not now then later, and I just...I love the characters aaaah!!

Best Sequel You've Read So Far: The Atlas Paradox by Olivie Blake | Obviously spoilery, but as a Callum fan, I wanna say that the fallout of what happened in book one was very interesting to see in a character with his personality. The first instance we see of him is who he 'takes on' in the mind test, expecting one of the others but finds himself. I just...man, I focused so heavily on Callum and Tristan that I forgot a large chunk of the rest, but I know it was all good...I just hyper-focused for a moment, OK?

New Releases You Haven't Read Yet, But Want To: Yuwu by Meat Bun | I have the copy, I had it pre-ordered, but...well, another book you will see down in the post put me into a slump, and now I am slowly working my way back to physical copies (I've been audiobooking the last month or so), but I've seen fan art and I'm feral already for that good shit

Most Anticipated Release for the Second Half of the Year: I'm blanking completely, a lot of things are coming out around right now that I want to read and it's been hectic, BUT for sure Yellow face by RF Kuang

Biggest Disappointment: How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix | You ever read something so shit that you go from rinsing through books, reading non stop, to....like a full on reader's slump for weeks? Yeah, it took me 3 weeks to pick up another book entirely, I hated hated that book...ugh. I finished it, but at what cost? My time, given to a cast of characters that are all entirely shit. That is why I'm only at 27 books into 2023...

Biggest Surprise: Paris The Memoire by Paris Hilton | OK, I knew a bit about Paris Hilton's dj and had sort of heard something about her time in the reform places, but...wow. She really is out here exposing your ass, Provo Canyon School, get fucked. I think if you're wanting to know what kinds of places Dr Phil sent kids is like from the inside perspective, Paris went through it again and again and also fuck men and the male gaze. Anyway, love Paris, want the best for her, xoxo

Favorite New Author: Ali Hazelwood, probably. I have only read Love Hypothesis so far, but I am eager to jump into her other works. I am also interested in reading more of Holly Black's work, as I've only read The Cruel Prince and am curious if she holds up!

New Favorite Character: Hm...Darlington from Leigh Bardugo's Alex Stern Series | At first, he seemed pretty cut and dry, cookie cutter Yale boy. Yeah, well we were WRONG OK? He's beautiful, amazing, deep, deserves to be pegged, OK I said it.

Book that Made you Cry: I am not a crier, so I did not cry. However, I will say that I was left emotionally cold after finishing No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai | The character is technically fictional, but to find out at the end that this is...just technically a fictional character, and we don't know what happened where we left off but have a good idea is....Yeah, had to pause it during seasonal depression because it was too heavy for my mental state at the time.

Favourite Page-to-Screen Adaptation: I've seen the trailers, so it counts. Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 | I read this after the anime first aired, and I will never not be excited to see Toji on screen. I will not spoil anything, I will just sit back and be Big Excite.

Book You Want to Read Before the End of the Year: Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber and The Sun and the Star by Rick Riordan...and also A Darker Shade of Magic by VE Schwab I know, it's been out for forever and I own a copy, I just keep starting it and...idk what happens, but I forget to read it...

Anyway, this was fun ✌️ will be posting every reading update on Goodreads, as per usual. Add me on there, my name's also WhaleChief on there.

Full list of books read in 2023 (bottom is first, top left is most recent):

[evilwickedme]

What are some of your favorite books?

Sorry for taking so long to answer this when I asked for Qs on my birthday I really did expect something easier to answer

Anyway top books are the raven cycle and I've greatly enjoyed anything else of Stiefvater's I've read (except shiver), almost anything written by v e Schwab (notable exception is this savage song, I didn't even read the sequel) the night circus and the starless sea, the six of Crows duology, king killer chronicles (which sucks bc the third book is definitely never coming out) especially the slow regard of silent things, and I don't care what people say about how cringe it is the all for the game series is so important to me

I also love anything I've read by Diana Wynne Jones although I haven't read even a fraction of her writings - like uh eight or nine books I think? I have a few more I haven't read yet I'll hopefully get to soon but like I think she wrote like 30 or 40 books. Ella enchanted and the brothers lionheart are a couple of my childhood favs. The strange and beautiful sorrows of ava lavender is a book I read in like early hs that I thought I might've overhyped in my head but then I reread it a couple of years ago and it's SO GOOD. I listened to the entire murderbot diaries a few months ago, fucking delightful. The lies of locke lamora is so good. Spinning silver and uprooted are PEAK. I haven't finished the sequels yet but the fifth season is so fucking good if you've been afraid it's overrated it really is not. The Carls duology by hank green is also really good

Special mention to never contented things which is one of the books that affected me the most ever but I've never managed to reread and I honestly can't recommend it easy bc it's pretty dark but if you look up the trigger warnings and want to give it a short go ahead

For classics, pride and prejudice and emma are easily my favs. I love Emily Dickinson's poetry so much I dedicated my book to her (link in bio if you want to check it out 👀👀)

I have another ask waiting for me asking for my fav comics so I'll put that aside for now

I also really like listening to celebrity autobiographies and there's some rly mediocre ones but there's also ones I can't recommend enough. Obviously we've all heard of I'm glad my mom died, I think it was my top read of 2022 don't quote me on that tho I have shitty memory. Born with teeth by kate mulgrew is something truly special, I don't have the words honestly. Where am I now by mara wilson made me cry in public. I don't really read much nonfiction that isn't autobiographies (I'm working on it but it doesn't grab my attention as easily) but denial by deborah lipstadt is really good, I liveblogged reading that a few years ago

Obviously I've read and loved so many more books but I think this is so long as is! Yeah it's a hectic mix of many genres (fantasy scifi contemp romance poetry autobiographies adventure) and target age groups (all ages and ya and na and adult), but every single one of these is a genuine rec that I love. Thank you so much for asking!!

[niyana-the-ambiguous-mobian]

You ever have a good original idea for a book or book that can become a movie one day you think hey I should get to work and start creating? But then you think about after facing the challenges of getting your idea out there it’s subject to being changed by movie studios that may and can cut important info from the source material you poured your heart in and they’ll just make it weird with hot actors who can’t even save the most cringey lines the editors will put in the film? And even if you made a book not everyone reads books that much you fear and it will be lost to the fading light that is the library and bookstore lands?

This was me at 3am after getting up for some water and couldn’t head back to sleep and ended up having an existential crisis over a “what if” scenario that popped into my head. Just a regular daily thing for me😓

Hey there Non.

I'm not gonna lie, I've had PLENTY of ideas that I would have pop up in my mind when brainstorming randomly, even at times writing the ideas out in synopsis form with little dialogue tidbits and potential character arcs if I ever choose to write about it in the future, not just in terms of stuff for like Sonic or other fandoms but just OG story ideas that were created over the course of a couple of months that were just inspired by stuff I've watched over the years.

And each time I would put more time to explore those ideas, that same negative feeling of thinking what would happen to said stories and/or characters if it got accepted into some big, well-known studio or company and having it become a lesser version of what it initially was because they kept changing things that probably didn't need to be changed or taken out.

But that was before I got more accustomed to other means in terms of that, like posting artwork on websites like Instagram or Deviantart, sharing stories you've written on Ao3 and FF.Net, creating a comic series and posting it on Webtoons for everyone to see. Or even on sites like Tumblr, where you can pretty much do all three on a single blog! Even comic strips that started out on here got to become cartoons and shows on their own in due time.

We can't always let those what-ifs get in our way to try and get out there in the hectic world, cause otherwise we could end up missing out on opportunities where it'll be everything we'd ever dreamed of doing. For some creators, they'd rather do the safe route and be a small, part time creator and continue making content for the audience they gained while others want to aim for the big leagues like YouTube or a animation studio and give their content a shot to be made into a property.

Both routes are good choices, but it’s mainly up to you to choose how you want your content to be known on the web. It's different for everyone, it would probably come to you in a couple of weeks or months, but in due time...lighting will strike and you'll act upon with no doubt on your mind.