#creating dramatically or not at all

[creatingdramaticallyornotatall]

For Whom the Bell Tolls

By Jaysea Lynn

A Review

*I do not own the image above.

⭐��⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

My Thoughts

GAHHHH!!!!!!!!!

I had been waiting for this particular book for a very long time. It was the first book I read in 2025 and frankly, that means a lot to me, especially because I got to support the author. I have a lot to say, but I’ll try to be concise.

For those who don't know, Jaysea Lynn is a creator on TikTok who uses skits made of her own OCs. As a fan of the author who wrote this because of the incredible TikTok skit series she created, I was blown away. This book was such an incredible read. I am so excited to see what she creates in the future. (This series is a confirmed trilogy). I’m also excited to also purchase the print form later this spring. It most likely will be the "beefcake" (as the author puts in) that ends my self-imposed book buying ban.

So much went into telling this story. I can really feel the author's vision coming to fruition. It's beautiful. The world building is incredible and immersive. The character development was beautiful. I really feel like I got to know each of the characters--and not just the primary trio, but the side characters too.

It was so well written. (There were a few text issues. The author knew about them and said they'll be fixed in the print copy. But, those text issues weren't enough to take me out of the story). The plot progression made so much sense. The scenes flowed beautifully. One word: eloquent.

It's not meant to be a smutty novel. It's fiction with a few sex scenes. They were really good and not basic at all. Though I think that can be attributed to the author being a reader as well.

I laughed I cried. I finished it in 24 hours. It was a great start to my reading list/journey for 2025. And, I will be reading it again when I purchase the print copy.

It’s a love story. It’s a story of new beginnings, quite a few of them actually. The ending is literally the set up/beginning for book 2.

I’m excited for when book 2 finally comes out. And it will in due time. The author is also still creating the TikTok series, so I know she has her hands full. Am I excited for new content? Yes. I am. But I’m happy to wait And be patient. Besides, my TBR is longer than my mortgage so so I’ll be chipping at that in the meantime.

Book Summary Below:

Summary (copied from Am*zon)

From Hell’s Belles BookTok sensation Jaysea Lynn comes a hotter-than-hell romantasy about forbidden love, dark magic, and a young woman’s fiery adventure in the Afterlife, perfect for fans of Sarah A. Parker and Callie Hart. They told her to go to Hell. She went, but on her own terms. Lily isn’t exactly thrilled with her arrival in the Afterlife, but what awaits her there is more fantastical than she ever could have imagined: Deities wait in line at the coffee shop. Fae flit between realms. Souls find ways to make death a beginning. As she explores the many corners of the Afterlife, Lily finds herself surprisingly drawn to a place most people would avoid at all costs: Hell. Armed with years of customer service experience and pent-up sarcasm, Lily carves a job out for herself amongst Hell’s demons, sending souls to their rightful circles with more than a hint of sass. Lily’s expectations are subverted every day in Hell—especially by Bel, a demon general with a distractingly sexy voice. The two meet by chance and form an immediate, deeply healing friendship, but the undeniable heat between them threatens to combust. Meanwhile, something stirs beyond the boundaries of their world, threatening to destroy everything they’ve known and everything that could be…unless they fight like Hell to stop it. This debut novel from BookTok sensation Jaysea Lynn invites you to lose yourself in a world where love ignites in the unlikeliest of places, magic defies the rules, and the Afterlife proves more thrilling than anyone could imagine.

[beaft]

it is legit bizarre to me how hard video game creators and film directors and showrunners try to pretend that fat people don't exist. can you think of the last time you saw a fat person in a lead role? god forbid a fat woman? i can walk down the street or go into a shop or restaurant and see fat people everywhere but then i switch on the tv and suddenly it's like a glimpse into an alternate universe where no one has a bmi over 24. insidious and weird

[hurlyburlytopsyturvy]

a seer’s stolen luck

based on this post

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

With the end of season two comes a second redraw!

[Nov 2022] [June 2023] [June 2024]

[mayasaura]

Ten years later, I'm still in awe of what the BBC show Merlin managed to pull off. It's a silly show. It's cheesy, over the top fantasy full of dumb gags and physical comedy. It's the most compelling tragedy I've ever experienced

[automatonwithautonomy]

fifteen voice i'm the last of the timelords :(

the master from inside a fucking tooth, literally themself retired in london, river song somewhere, jenny who to be fair they do think is dead. hey what the fuck man.

[anistarrose]

TBH the Wonderland twins could've gotten over all their unspoken narrative-haunting grief about their third dead sibling really easily if they'd just ever met Magic Brian. They would've loved Magic Brian and he would've loved them. New brother unlocked (evil German edition this time which honestly to them is an upgrade)

[mehrfh]

Honestly, for me anything dramatic in JinMao reunion would have felt odd, I am happy they kept it very usual business-like because these folks are way too professional even in most intense of circumstances. Like after LN5 epilogue the way they talk to each other for a long time is very professional. Although MaoMao's soft, unwavering, slightly shocked gaze was a nice touch. I think the way they turn to professionalism is actually a mutual defense mechanism they have developed to undercut tension/awkwardness/intensity at times. Moreover, it will be nice to see not-so-professional Jinshi in the later two scenes where this scene in retrospect will become funny. However, after the balcony scene, I do hope they do ‘not-so-calm’ Jinshi due justice in carriage scene because that was a SWITCH from how he was behaving till that point. And a very important portrayal of how he ACTUALLY felt about her absence. Till that everything was more or less a facade for him.

Moreover, I feel you get to see intense JinMao only after LN-8, LN-12 onwards is officially together JinMao. So, for me actual important scene is carriage one and maybe the latter one is cherry-on-top for absolutely feral Jinshi. Hope they do both of them justice like the Hunt arc...

[cimtee]

I’m so flattered that even a single soul is interested in my WIPs 😳. I happen to love seeing the unique creative process of each artist.

Also it makes me feel less self-pressured to only post the clean pieces I’m more confident about. Also I’m mending the hole left behind from high school, when my friends watched my sketchbook fill up in real time during the classes I didn’t care to participate in (every single one).

One project I started recently is making ref sheets for each of the trc kids. Been meaning to do it for a while, to help with consistency when drawing them, but also because I love character design. Click for better quality!

Lineup sketch:

Also been doodling basic headshots to get their features down. Here are a few + some notes on personal design choices. Ideally, my ref sheets will list these and more:

(they make me laugh when I open up my sketchbook cuz they’re just there like 🧍‍♂️🧍‍♂️🧍‍♂️🧍‍♂️)

Other WIPs: Going through old sketches to see if any more are fit for posting. A handful of Pynch stuff. Some rendered pieces I will probably never finish but maybe will post anyway, if I’m feeling bold. Layout of the Barns, Monmouth, 300 Fox Way, St. Agnes, blah blah. And arguably my biggest one, a detailed interpretation of Ronan’s tattoo. Its tracked time on procreate is over 50 hrs… but what’s one more questionable life decision amirite… I have crazy respect and admiration for tattoo artists now.

It’s been a fun challenge, albeit a tedious one. A sneak peak:

That’s all for now!! I think I need a couple days off tumblr. I like yapping though. Thank you for having me

[senipsenipsenip]

I feel like if Dipper and Pacifica ever actually did get together it would just be like...a beat for beat recreation of Much Ado About Nothing

[creatingdramaticallyornotatall]

Minotaur Sugar Daddies

By Winter Randall

A Review

*I do not own the image above.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 5

My Thoughts

This is a cute super short story. It's only 47 pages long and I read it on Kindle Unlimited. Honestly, it took me essentially less than an hour to read.

I almost DNF it because the author used my real life college as the setting for the story. That kind of took me out of the story for a hot second there. I had to stop and decide if I wanted to keep reading that with that fact in the back of my mind.

I opted to continue reading, just skipping that line. Admittedly, I spent unnecessary time trying to figure out more of the specific location of the story. It didn't wind up factoring in that greatly in the grand scheme of things.

The smut was cute and short. I think there were a total of three or four total spicy scenes. I think that's a lot for 47 pages.

We got to know the characters well enough. The third act climax was really quick and resolved so fast. And the ending felt tied up in a nice, but fast bow.

It was a quick read but I liked it. It was a story that wasn't asking for much. So, I didn't need to think too hard. It was a great chaser after the previous read.

Book Summary Below:

Summary (copied from Am*zon)

Wanted: a human to spoil and share our nights with. Included: room and board. Maybe agreeing to be the sugar baby of two massive minotaurs isn't my best move, but when my parents kick me out for refusing to go pre-law, it feels like my only option. I've always wondered what it would be like to be with a minotaur, and now I'm the property of two of them. And with every passing day, I'm liking my role more and more...

[allovesthings]

Agatha "created her own little evil intro song which was honestly a bop to reveal herself in Wandavision" Harkness do not get to call anybody else dramatic.

Even if she is right.

[mahealinskis]

i LOVE agathario, i really do. but why are people in this app behaving like aaa is about the ship??? the show is about agatha AND billy.

rio is part of agatha's story, yes, but the show was never about their romance.

[lunavagans]

Me when Shadow, and I wish I were overstating:

[quinn-of-aebradore]

.

[go-go-devil]

Yeah yeah it's great that Flow (2024) won an Oscar and all that, but the REAL winners here are all the animal-obsessed autistic kids who are going to be having some of the best stuffed animal roleplay sessions of their lives with the world this film created 🐾