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wildflowerwoodsworld · 6 months ago

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A guide on writing Charlotte Roselei (or, how I do it at least)

Okay. So. This is another one where I've written this over and over, trying to put into words how I write her and, honestly, the best advice I've got is to remember that she has goals and ambitions and personality outside of a romantic relationship.

(I have already done a bit of a meta on her and how her curse affects her here if you want to check that out)

The first thing I do when writing Charlotte is to ignore 90% of what goes on with her in canon. If it involves romance, ignore it for now. We're going to focus on the other facts.

So. What do we know about Charlotte Roselei and how do those facts effect her personality?

1) she was cursed as a little girl.

There is no arguing with this point. Yami straight up says it. The actual age is debatable, but the curse itself is not.

2) she seems to have a strained relationship with her parents.

This point comes from the flashback in Volume 12 (Chapter 104 if you want to check it out yourself), where she is the one reassuring her parents about her curse. Her parents never come up again.

3) she takes everything onto her own shoulders and sees a lot of things as personal failings when they're not.

Again, this point comes from the flashback in Volume 12, while we see several other people calling it "the curse on House Roselei" (the person laying the curse says "a curse on you, House Roselei), Charlotte always says "my curse". And when she can't hold it back, she calls herself pathetic.

4) she gets told something is impossible and tries to do it anyway.

For the final time, we're looking at the flashback in volume 12. Charlotte herself says that the only way to break the curse is for her to have her heart stolen by a man. And yet. The very first thing she says after being cursed is "I'll get stronger! Stronger than anyone! I'll overcome this curse!"

5) despite her calm and collected facade, she's actually a fairly dramatic person.

We see this literally every time we get to see her internal monologue. She wails and pulls faces and overall is just a bit of a mess. Also. Her go-to reaction when annoyed by someone is to attack them with briars, generally throwing the person in question up into the air. Sure, this general comes with a verbal smack down, but most of the time there was no need for her to react that, well, dramatically.

And the star festival (Chapter 103). When that guy tries to use her as arm candy and he goes "Don't you know who I am?" Her response? "Who you are? Don't you know who I am?" followed by her pulling noble rank on him, complete with wrapping the guy up in briars.

6) she has a problem with men.

I don't think this one really needs explaining. Personally, I prefer to interpret this as her having a problem with the trend of men objectifying her rather than a problem with men as a whole, but there is no denying she has a problem with men. And I can't really blame her, to be honest. If I had men I didn't really know randomly proposing to me in the streets, I'd have a problem too.

7) she is given multiple chances to drop out of the fighting during Spade and choses not to. (in other words, she doesn't know when to quit)

I don't think this point really needs any explanation. Every time she gets knocked down, she gets right back up again. To the point that, without Mimosa's intervention, she would have died.

Other fun facts about her that come with the volume extras (@/thoughfullyrainynightmare has compiled some of the volume extras here and here).

She's the most beautiful woman (as long as she doesn't have her helmet on)

She's the third smartest Captain

She's the worst (in the entire kingdom) at handling her alcohol

She's got the third biggest fan club out of the magic knights

She's got the second worst talent/taste in art

Her character profile (volume 7) tells us that she's 171 cm tall, her birthday September 18th, she's a virgo, her blood type is A and that she likes relaxing moments in the garden at her private residence. (it also specifies that she likes Yami while disliking most other men, but we're ignoring that for now).

Her stats in the data book look like this (though these numbers are sourced from the wiki as the data book has yet to be translated into English, so take them with a pinch of salt)

Physical Strength: 4/5 Magic Amount: 5/5 Magic Control: 5/5 Magic Sensing: 3/5 Cleverness: 4/5 And her extra stat is Honesty, with a score of 0/5 (interestingly enough, as far as I know, she's the only person to have 0/5 for her extra stat instead of 5/5).

The wiki also has stats for a card that came with volume 12, but, again, I'd take these numbers with a pinch of salt as I've never seen the card myself.

Magic Attribute: Briar Magic Magic: 1400 Affiliation: Blue Rose Type: Attack Leaves: 3 Power: 3/5 Magical: 4/5 Wisdom: 5/5 Stamina: 3/5 Vitality: 4/5

I also want to point out the anime-only Heart Training Arc. When Charlotte first arrives, she says "So this is what mages are capable of in the Heart kingdom" with a look on her face that, to me, screams "filing that away in case we ever have to face you". Because Charlotte is the eldest of the mages they send to Heart. By a significant margin. There's six years between her and the next oldest, Finral. She also struggles with understanding Sarado's initial explanation, but when her time in Heart is recapped in the manga (volume 28), we get Potrof calling her a genius, implying she picked up Heart's mana method very quickly one she understood what she was supposed to be doing.

Putting all of this information together, we have a character who is very smart and very powerful (and knows it). She holds herself to a very high standard and appears to hold others to those same standards. If something goes wrong and she's involved, it's her fault, so nothing can ever go wrong, which likely leads to her double and triple checking everything and not delegating tasks as much as she should. She is someone who has been placed on a pedestal and is constantly trying to live up to the expectations that come with it. People are enamoured with the idea of Charlotte Roselei, but don't know who she actually is.

And, taking a break to look at the romance for a moment here, one of the key parts of her personality is that she doesn't know how to ask for help. We see this time and time again with her trying to ask Yami out.

So, how do I write Charlotte?

My interpretation of her is a woman who knows what she wants and goes for it. Who doesn't understand the phrases "reasonable human limits" or "it's impossible". If she wants something doing, she does it herself. I also tend to characterise her as petty and prone to jealousy. She's a skilled liar with a brilliant poker face (providing she isn't drunk). She keeps all her cards very close to her chest and doesn't volunteer information easily. She was isolated during a key point in her development (thanks to her curse) so she struggles with interacting with people, especially her peers. She's overly formal and doesn't understand a lot of slang. She's a little (or a lot) touch starved.

I interpret her trying to break her curse as her doing a lot of research into curses and as many different ways of using mana as she could get her hands on (which, as a noble, would be a lot) as well as doing plenty of training to work on her control. 5/5 for control has to be earnt. She pushes herself until she's exhausted and then gets up and does the exact same thing the next day. And the next. And the next. Because there is a clock ticking down above her head and every second could be the difference between her breaking the curse and her failing to control it.

I see her as a little- not suicidal, but reckless with her own life in her time in the magic knights between joining and her curse being broken/lifted/deactivated/whatever. She's going to suffer a fate worse than death when she turns eighteen anyway, and if she's going to die, she might as well die doing something useful. After the curse is broken, she is very aware that she's living on borrowed time, that every breath could be her last.

And, underneath it all, she's a little bit feral. She's not sadistic, but there's a clear line between Us and Them and there are times when she's almost begging Them to give her an excuse to let loose.

#black clover #charlotte roselei #black clover analysis #character breakdown #Wild's Writing Guides

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soongtypehuman · 10 months ago

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Crispy, Crunchy, Peanut-Buttery Updates

Hello everyone! You all look lovely today. Shiny coats, cold, wet noses.

I’ve been mostly absent for a bit while I try to get my health issues stabilized, but I’ve been working on a lot of things behind the scenes and wanted to update you.

First, as you can see below, I have front and back covers for Kinktober 2022-24, which indicates two things. First, there’s more than likely going to be a Kinktober this year. My health is precarious but my libido is strong. No promises, but nearly every day of October has at least an outline, and many with a first draft, so things look promising. But unlike previous years, requests are closed. I’m just doing whatever my depraved little heart desires.

Second, these have covers because I’m nearly finished putting together and formatting text and cover files that can be uploaded to a POD site (like Lulu) so that physical books can be printed. Everything will be available to download for free, I’m not making any money off this.

After the first of the year when season 4 of Positronic Rivalry has wrapped up, seasons 1-4 of PosiRi and Kinktober 2022-24 will be available as downloadable files with covers so you can print all 7 volumes at your print on demand supplier of choice. The text files for the seasons are already formatted, I just need to figure out something with the covers.

After that, I’m working on compiling “Neogenesis: The soong_type_human Synthetic Omnibus”, which will contain all 4 seasons of PosiRi, all 3 years of Kinktober, both PosiRi drabble/ficlet collections (explicit and non), the Positronic Christmas collection, the Stars and Circuits trilogy, The Family We Keep trilogy, the Data/Lore drabble/ficlet collection, as well as orphans such as Pet, To Walk as Death, and Oceans of Void Between Stars, as well as the two Detroit: Become Human fics I’ve written.

That’s a lot! But wait, there’s more.

I’ve currently got the first drafts of three different fics finished: 2 for season 4 of PosiRi, and the final (😢) installment of Among Stars and Circuits. All three are getting posted before Kinktober, and then after a short break, season 4 of PosiRi will resume.

And if you think this is all of lot of work, it is. But I love it and I’m fond of you guys as well.

As always, if you want to toss a coin to your android smut peddler, there’s a ko-fi link in my bio.

#fanfiction #star trek fanfiction #data soong #commander data #lore soong #lore star trek #star trek the next generation #star trek fanart #kinktober #positronic rivalry

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4ngelmutt · 2 years ago

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What I've noticed in the angelkin community is that we are all expected to be these dainty, skinny, porcelain pale, blonde, blue eyed, kind and quiet humanoid things.

So I've compiled a list of angel care for all my fellow angels who do not find themselves in that stereotype.

This is just the first volume with bits coming from my own experience, feel free to submit your own tips for the next volumes!

[Care for Grotesque Angels vol. I]

1. Encourage yourself and other angels to embrace their unique qualities and celebrate their individuality. Remind them that beauty and holiness comes in all forms, and there's no one-size-fits-all definition of what an angel should look like.

2. Go to places where reality feels altered. Those places that make your back and the top of your head tingle. And laugh, scream, run, make weird noises, bask in the sunlight. Just go ape.

3. Say random words in latin and enochian (you never finished Supernatural) to strangers, etch them on walls. When you have that random latin word stuck in your head just write it everywhere obsessively until it goes away.

4. Be divine. Or don't. Spit on the stairs of churches, or go inside ones you've never been before and just sit in the back. Don't get up for the hymns, don't do anything. Just stare at the priest. At the paintings. Look at Gabriel on the wall looking back and think "brother." Look at Jesus, think how uncomfortable that position must be. Think how many times has God betrayed (you ask yourself "who", someone says everyone. You're alone.) Think he should go to therapy and take his meds. Leave chocolate coins and apples in the offering basket. A book about good parenting. Never go to that church again.

5. If you are, be unapologetically, annoyingly, fully and loudly queer. Be a faggot, a transexual, be one in their churches and scream at them how they have no idea about what the truth is (you don't know either, but it's fun.)

6. Be angry at God. Scream at him, bleed for him, ignore him, cry for him, laugh with him, fuck him, make love with him. And then forget he ever existed and hope he left the body of that 20 years old with black box dyed hair and won't find his next home in the heart of your new lover.

6.5. Slam your door like he just told you to go to your room and took your mp3, and you're packing a bag to runaway with chocolate and your birthday money while your mother (mother?) watches fondly from your white door frame with a look that says "He didn't mean to." But she will not say. And you'll never know. You go to sleep angry. Running away is too hard. And there's gravity falls on tv in the morning.

7. Hold Judas's anger, bask in Jesus's kindness. Be a warrior like Michael. A messanger like Gabriel. An anarchist like Lucifer.

8. Use the Bible to your heart's content. Read it, rip it apart, burn it. Use it to draw, keep stable that wobbling table, roll a lavender cigarette for your lover after they "took you to church," as Hozier would say. Make a flame and make smores with your friends, tell stories. You will never see them again. But the memories will replace your blood. Transubstantiation.

9. Kiss a priest, or kill one. Run for pope, burn a church. Disappear into a forest. Become one with the flowers and the moss and the grass and the water and the moon and the sun and the stars and the birds and the maggots and the foxes and the bears. Become the genesis. Become God. And then go out and get pizza.

10. Pray. Or don't.

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kylesvariouslistsandstuff · 3 months ago

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Same energy.

...

Here's some context...

SHUT DOWN VOLUME 2 is an unusual LP in the Beach Boys' discography. There is no Beach Boys album called SHUT DOWN VOLUME 1, or SHUT DOWN for that matter...

Instead, SHUT DOWN VOLUME 2 is something of a sequel to a compilation album put out by their then-label Capitol Records, titled SHUT DOWN.

SHUT DOWN, put together by then-Beach Boys producer Nick Venet and collaborating songwriter Gary Usher in 1963 and released in the summer of that year, was a collection of previously-released hot rod songs spanning the early 1950s up until release year, with presumably some new additions. The album is named after The Beach Boys' song that appeared as the B-side of 'Surfin' USA' and as a track on the accompanying SURFIN' USA album earlier in 1963. Though, 'Shut Down' wasn't the only Beach Boys song about a car by this point. '409' had previously appeared in June 1962, B-side of 'Surfin' Safari' and later a track on the SURFIN' SAFARI album the following fall. '409' also appears on SHUT DOWN.

There was something of a hot rod rock craze at the time that intersected with the surf rock sounds coming out of California, The Beach Boys' early singles and albums among it all. Those unique riffs just synced up so well with the excitement of a chrome-decked street machine, they practically became bread and butter.

The SHUT DOWN album surprisingly went to #8, it really struck while that iron was hot, eh? 1963 was chock-a-block in car songs, such as Jan & Dean's 'Drag City' and The Rip Chords' 'Hey Little Cobra'. The latter group's Bruce Johnston later became a full-fledged Beach Boy, and The Beach Boys' association with Jan & Dean goes hand-in-hand. All connected.

In March 1964, Capitol released the group's SHUT DOWN VOLUME 2, which was all theirs. No songs from other surf rock groups about cars, just Beach Boys car songs... And some songs that aren't about cars as well... It's a Beach Boys album through and through that just so happened to have then-new car songs on it, if the album cover didn't give that away. But it's quite an unusual record from the outside! And yet, this album also contained several certified bangers, like 'Fun, Fun, Fun', 'Don't Worry Baby', 'The Warmth of the Sun', and 'Why Do Fools Fall In Love'. Those with no knowledge of the Capitol compilation would probably look at The Beach Boys' discography and be like "Where's Volume 1?"

Similarly, WOODY WOODPECKER IN CRAZY CASTLE 5 for the Game Boy Advance follows... No WOODY WOODPECKER IN CRAZY CASTLE 1, 2, 3, and 4...

Who had 1, 2, 3, and 4, then?

Bugs Bunny!

Developer Kemco's CRAZY CASTLE games date back to 1989, and it's a convoluted carrot clustercuss... Even though THE BUGS BUNNY CRAZY CASTLE games 1-4 certainly exist, some of them are actually re-skins of their Japanese counterparts starring different characters, a la SUPER MARIO BROS. 2 USA/DOKI DOKI PANIC...

THE BUGS BUNNY CRAZY CASTLE was originally... ROGER RABBIT... In Japan, on the Famicom. For us yanks, Roger was changed to Bugs... Now how 'bout that? Roger Rabbit, the character and his movie, are very much a homage to the classic Warner Bros. cartoons... And there was a Roger Rabbit Japan-only game that became a Bugs Bunny game in the West...

(Also, the scrapped Roger Rabbit prequel that was being developed around 1990-92 was apparently supposed to reveal that Bugs Bunny was Roger's father... Wrap your head around that!)

It also explains why that "Crazy Castle" that Bugs goes through is a lot of red brick walls, for sure.

Now, the Game Boy version of THE BUGS BUNNY CRAZY CASTLE wasn't a Roger Rabbit game in Japan, to make this even more unusual... It was a Mickey Mouse game! Simply titled MICKEY MOUSE. Like Bugs, a Golden Age of Animation icon (for those living under a rock who somehow found my page first after emerging into the world), and he and Bugs share a legendary scene together in WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT...

So the intersection of this series of platformers seems to be Golden Age of American animation cartoon characters...

MICKEY MOUSE II came out in Japan and Europe for the Game Boy in 1991 and 1992 respectively. Roger is now officially out, for Kemco lost the rights to using the character by this point. Here in the U.S. it was BUGS BUNNY CRAZY CASTLE 2. It also got re-skinned as a game called HUGO in Europe waaaay afterwards in 1996; HUGO is a franchise of its own - about a little troll - that I am aware of but never got into. I'm much more familiar with the HUGO games for the MS-DOS, a totally separate series starring a guy in purple pants who - in games 1 and 3 - goes on perilous adventures to save his sweetheart Penelope. They were staples of my childhood.

MICKEY MOUSE III: BALLOON DREAMS hits the Famicom in 1992... That game isn't released here as a Bugs Bunny game, but instead as a game called KID KLOWN IN NIGHT MAYOR WORLD. Kid Klown appeared in games of his own thereafter, such as KID KLOWN IN CRAZY CHASE for the Super NES.

1993's MICKEY MOUSE IV: THE MAGICAL LABYRINTH for the Game Boy becomes... A REAL GHOSTBUSTERS game in the U.S. And... GARFIELD LABYRINTH in Europe... Wait a minute... Garfield was voiced by Lorenzo Music in GARFIELD AND FRIENDS and many animated specials made in the '80s and '90s, he also voiced Peter Venkman in the first two seasons of REAL GHOSTBUSTERS, who of course was portrayed by Bill Murray in the movies... Murray also voiced a CGI Garfield in two live-action movies made in the mid-2000s... And GARFIELD AND FRIENDS made a joke or two about GHOSTBUSTERS, Garfield and Slimer both appear in the infamous special CARTOON ALL-STARS TO THE RESCUE... Soooo... Yeah, all roads lead to Rome! And they all seem to come from... This Japanese platformer series!

MICKEY MOUSE V: THE MAGICAL STICK comes out the same year in Japan for the Game Boy, it isn't released in the U.S. until... 1998... In its original form. No Bugs, no Ghostbusters, no Kid Klown... Titled MICKEY MOUSE: MAGIC WANDS!

1997, SOREYUKE!! KID: GO, GO! KID is released for the Game Boy... Starring... Kid Klown... Here in America, two years later, it's converted into a Game Boy Color BUGS BUNNY CRAZY CASTLE threequel... About 8 years after BUGS BUNNY CRAZY CASTLE 2.

2000... Japan and the states both get THE BUGS BUNNY CRAZY CASTLE 4 for the Game Boy Color.

The series concludes in 2002 for the Game Boy Advance with WOODY WOODPECKER IN CRAZY CASTLE 5, this is released in the U.S. a year later...

Woody Woodpecker, as you probably know, is a Universal character. Also from American animation's Golden Age. He was co-created by Ben Hardaway in 1940 with Walter Lantz. Hardaway, two years prior at Warner Bros., co-created a rabbit who appeared in PORKY'S HARE HUNT... Which he was a director on... Said rabbit, you can imagine, was like a first draft of Bugs Bunny who made his first proper appearance two years later in A WILD HARE. The first draft Bugs in HARE HUNT laughs similarly to Woody Woodpecker, at that. Mel Blanc voiced both Bugs and Woody.

And then you have these Bugs Bunny CRAZY CASTLE games later concluding with Woody Woodpecker as the star. This interchangeable series is a literal rabbit hole (heh!) and it has all these coincidental connections... How 'bout that?

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annon-guy2 · 7 months ago

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SEGA Saturn Collection Game Volume Five: SEGA AGES - Voting Poll

Note 1: I put list of games for the compilation titles on the box covers, so if you want to see the games, look them up.

Note 2: Even if you hadn't played the game yet, you can still vote for that option if it appeals or interests you.

#Sega Saturn #SEGA AGES #Voting Poll

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jonathan-sins · 6 months ago

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I read 50 books in 2024. Here are my reviews

Some of these are marked with either (slight spoilers) or (major spoilers!!!). All the Dungeon Meshi volumes are on this list, and all of them contain very slight spoilers along the line of “a fight happened” or “we met a new character”, as there wasn’t much else to say about such short segments. There is one volume with major spoilers, which has been marked on the list

Books read in 2024

One of us is back 3/5  the first half is weak. The new cast is too big and it’s confusing. No proper investment in making me care about the characters means there are no stakes. The second half is good. Everything ties together neatly. The final twist is shocking and well foreshadowed at the same time. The first book is better, and works just as well as a complete story, which means the sequel struggles to justify its own existence, besides piggybacking off the success of the first book to make the author more money. despite my complaints, I did have a lot of fun. It’s hardly Shakespeare, but if you’re looking for a beach read or something this book is great. 

Red White and Royal Blue 5/5  So much fun. A rollercoaster of emotions that had me laughing til my face hurt one minute and sobbing the next.  Not just a fun romance with good banter and mutual pining, but also a criticism of celebrity culture, homophobia, and not respecting famous people’s privacy. It feels like fanfiction in the best way possible 

If we were villains 3/5  It was alright I guess. There’s nothing wrong with it. The banter was fun, the build up to act three was good. Three one was shockingly gruesome. After that, as everything fell apart, I just lost interest. I couldn’t finish the last fifty pages. I think comparing it to the secret history and Babel is unfair, as it doesn’t really have the same depth, and there’s nothing wrong with liking the aesthetic, but if you’re expecting something deep and meaningful it will feel like a cheap copy. If I hadn’t gone in expecting TSH but with Shakespeare I think i would’ve liked it more.  

Babel: an Arcane History 4/5  Absolutely heartbreaking. A tragic tale of violence and oppression from beginning to end.  there are two reasons it’s not 5 stars. One, the narration is very modern and it hurts the immersion a bit. Two, the authors notes.  throughout the book, there are little pieces of extra information at the bottom of the page. half of them could have been compiled in the back of the book, and the other half could have been cut. It broke the immersion what was already being tested by the modern language. I have seen complaints that religion isn’t talked about enough, and it would have been interesting to explore Ramy’s faith more, but I didn’t notice it until it was pointed out and even then it doesn’t bother me. Despite these nitpicks, this is an amazing story full of life, shocking-but-well-foreshadowed twists, a unique and well thought out magic system, and a world and history that feels so much bigger than this one story. the ending could easily have felt unnecessary and contrived, but Kuang sets such a suffocating tone of inevitability that there truly feels like there was no other way. 

The Night Circus 3.5/5  a simple, entertaining tale! The main reason it doesn’t get a higher rating is because the main couple act like lovesick teenagers despite being in their late 30’s, and it tests the believability of the characters. You could argue it’s because of how sheltered they were, but it was mostly just annoying to me. The start is also a bit slow, but other than that, I loved it!  The Man in The Gray Suit is by far my favourite character. He’s very mysterious and absolutely fascinating! 

Twisted love (mild spoilers) 1/5  possibly the most toxic romance I’ve ever seen. Alex has zero respect for Ava’s autonomy, and he never once listened to her when she asked him to literally stop stalking her. both Alex and Josh are super mysogynistic and treat Ava, a  22 year old GROWN ASS WOMAN, like a stupid, delicate little flower. this would have been a 0 star book if it weren’t for the INSANE tone change like 2/3rds in. This book decided to have a thriller/batman vengeance plot out of absolutely nowhere, and then it just goes back to being a romance??? there are many, MANY mean things I could call this book, but “boring” is certainly not one of them. It’s so bad its entertaining  

The picture of Dorian Gray 5/5  A perfect example of how to write a good corruption arc. All of the main characters are surprisingly fleshed out for being walking representatives for different philosophies, and the way Dorian is slowly being swayed to Harry’s views is very realistic. The picture itself is written almost as a character in its own right, and works as a perfect foil for Dorian.  I love the ending, it’s so neat and fitting. 

Northern Lights (His Dark Materials book 1) (slight spoilers) 5/5 this is the first of a trilogy, and as such it doesn’t have a complete arc. It is the beginning of an arc, and it sets up all the main players perfectly. It does a great job of fleshing out the world without being too exposision-heavy, and the big betrayal at the end is made all the more impactful for being as well-foreshadowed as it is. 

The Subtle Knife (His Dark Materials book 2) (major spoilers!!!) 4/5  it does a good job of introducing the new worlds, and gradual reveals give the feeling of learning how this new system works alongside the characters, helped by Will, a new deuteragonist from “our” world. That being said, it could easily have been fifty pages shorter without losing any meaningful plot.  It sets up a lot without any of it really paying off. An example of this is John Parry. We learn that Dr. Grumman is Wills missing father, aka the lynchpin in Wills story. We know they’re related before anyone in the story does, and we’re just waiting for them to reunite. And they meet! For three seconds before John is killed. All that setup for so little payoff is frustrating. Adding to the disappointment is the fact that we already knew. Dramatic Irony can be a good tool for building tension, but when it’s overdone it just makes the characters look stupid for not realising something so obvious to the audience. Had we discovered that he’s Wills dad at the same time as Will, the tragedy would be much more impactful. It would have recontextualised all the little hints, and it would have let us feel what Will felt: shock at the discovery, followed by grief at not just the death itself, but the fact it happened before they could get to know each other. The audience knows John. We know him better than Will ever did, and that distances us from Wills grief for the relationship that could have been.  the main reason this isn’t a 3.5 is because the side plot with Mary is so well written. It’s also more violent than the first book, and the children are believably scared. It’s great escalation of tension. 

To Kill A Mockingbird  4.5/5  I honestly don’t have much to say. It was a good time, I especially loved the accents (written accents are always a huge plus for me) and “serious topic seen through the perspective of a child” is a really cool idea. It never dragged on too much and I had fun. Not enough fun for a five star review, but it’s still a solid book. I gasped at the plot twist and I was certainly engaged, but it just never made me very emotional. The sad scenes didn’t really affect me, and I’m usually a crier. 

Dot Con 4.5/5 a highly informative, entertaining recap of the buildup and bust of the internet stock market bubble. It presents all the different factors at play in a straightforward way that is easy to keep track of as events unfold and the bubble inflates. The only reason it’s not 5 stars is because some parts got a little repetitive, especially when listing the point drops and stock prices of every major company, but I understand why it was written that way. 

The Amber Spyglass. (His Dark Materials book 3)  5/5 Great payoff for everything set up in the subtle knife. Everything is tied neatly together. The ending was sad, but fitting and satisfying.  

Dungeon Meshi Vol. 1 5/5  does a great job establishing the cast and their dynamics. They have good chemistry and realistic conflicts they need to work on ( like Marcilles insecurity and Laois social skills).  

Part of Your World 4.5/5  a really heartwarming story about personal choice, overcoming abuse and breaking the cycle. It has very realistic representation of emotional abuse and its consequences, both by parents and partners, and how one leads to another. It has a touch of magic realism that’s very subtle but fun when you notice it. My only complaint is that it drags on a little, and some of the miscommunication/pining got a bit annoying at certain points.

The Whisperers 4.5/5  a very insightful look into the everyday lives of Soviet citizens. Each new segment recontextualises the previous one and naturally leads into the next one. There are families and people we follow throughout, sprinkled between the one-off anecdotes, which is a really good way of keeping people engaged. We slowly get a more fleshed-out view of the lives of one poor family of Jewish shopkeepers, contrasted with the life of a rich, upperclass writer.  

Dungeon Meshi Vol. 2  5/5  introduces orcs, plants the seeds of the mystery of the Kingdoms past, and introduces a food chain and other interactions between the monsters. Overall, great expansion and world building! 

Dungeon Meshi Vol. 3 4.5/5  Introduces an old party member and expands on the adventurer community. Some very fun dynamics between the party and the new group, shows how different parties can be. Also continues the parallel arc with Kabru’s party 

Dungeon Meshi Vol. 4  5/5  the battle that’s been building since page 1 finally happened, and it was definitely worth the hype. All the characters got to show off their unique talents and really play off each other as a unit, and several Chekhov’s Guns were fired  

Dungeon Meshi Vol. 5 4/5  Kabru and Laois parties finally meet! Interesting new character dynamics are forming, and it does a great job of setting up the new arc 

The Great Gatsby 3.5/5  It has some interesting themes about the past vs the future, dreams vs reality, and a creative twist on the rags to riches story. Overall a solid story with interesting symbolism. It was a good read, but I didn’t really connect with it. The emotions never reached me 

No Longer Human  4/5  A truly fascinating tale full of twists and a persistent atmosphere of oppressive dread 

Dungeon Meshi Vol. 6 4/5  it’s slower than volumes 4 and 5, which is needed after so much drama. A potential new party member is excitement enough, and being able to slow down while staying engaging is a sign of good writing 

Dungeon Meshi Vol. 7  5/5  Senshis backstory was an unexpected gut punch, and really well handled. The stakes are upped and character relationships are tested and strengthened 

Project Hail Mary 5/5  absolutely amazing! A perfectly balanced combination of funny and tragic, simple and sophisticated. The science is explained in simple terms without ever feeling patronising, and the protagonist even has a Watsonian reason to be talking like that. It kept me engaged and on the edge of my seat from page one. The protagonists intelligence is very realistic. His mistakes happen for a reason and don’t feel like they’re just there for juicy plot, which is a common problem in these types of stories.  

Dungeon Meshi Vol. 8  4/5  the Canaries have entered the dungeon! We also got Chilchuck and the Toudens backstory, and the changeling Arc was a good way for the cast to learn about each others race, and understand each other better. Also, we have plan to save Falin! 

Dungeon Meshi Vol. 9 5/5 the stakes have been thoroughly upped! Some fun Chekhovs Guns were fired, and a huge piece of dramatic irony has been introduced! Not to mention learning why dungeons were created in the first place! 

Dungeon Meshi Vol. 10 5/5  it’s the final confrontation with Sissel! It ends on quite the cliffhanger, and it will be very interesting to see how Laios plans to get out of this one 

Dungeon Meshi Vol. 11 5/5 the fight was awesome! Not only did Laios get to push his monster knowledge to the limit and win with strategy against Sissels brute force, but the final conclusion was both unexpected, foreshadowed, and scary! And that’s just the first two chapters!  so much happens in this one and all of it kept me on the edge of my seat 

Dungeon Meshi vol.12 (major spoilers!!!) 5/5 Marcille becoming the Dungeon Lord was not a twist I saw coming, but looking back it makes a lot of sense for her character. We also get to see more of the Winged Lions personality, which was really fun. The way they worked together to snap her out of it was such an awesome moment! 

Dungeon Meshi Vol. 13 5/5 it’s the second to last volume! The final confrontation was epic, and we finally got to see all the different groups come together to stop the Winged Lion. The way Laios defeats the demon is so narratively fitting.  

Dungeon Meshi vol. 14 5/5 the finale! And what a finale it is. I’m weirdly glad everyone doesn’t just get a fully happy ending. Like, sure they’re content with their lives, but the consequences of their journey stayed with them. I’m a little sad that they split up, but their desires were incompatible together and I understand that. Sometimes it’s for the best. 

Angels before man 5/5 such a beautiful tragedy. Even as Lucifer spirals more and more, you just can’t help but root for him. You know how this story ends, but there’s such an atmosphere of hope and change that you think they might actually do it for a bit.  

Entangled Life 5/5 an absolutely fascinating look into the lives of fungi, the many ways they effect the world, the ways they can help us in the fight against climate change. And the many, MANY unanswered questions we have about their lives and biology. The only nitpick I have is that chapter 3 was a bit of slog to get through, because it was all about lichens. While they are fascinating, they’re just not what I’m interested in. The rest of the book more than makes up for it though! 

1984  5/5 A fascinating world with great world building and deep philosophical musings, and a scathing critique of authoritarianism and inequality  

Unlocking the keto code 4/5 Very entertaining, and conveys information with easy-to-follow metaphors and an upbeat tone. The recipes in the back are a nice bonus. For being an educational book on nutrition, it is a bit outdated. It recommends several foods we now know to be unhealthy, but I still learned a lot about mitochondrial health and function.  

The phantom of the opera 4/5 the framing of a story within a story, with the narrator researching a “real” closed case at the real Paris Opera House, is really fun! You get so sucked in that it’s a fun little reminder of the extra layer every time he addresses the reader. The plot is convoluting at times, but easy enough to follow if you’re paying attention, and I was never frustrated. My only complaint is the dialogue is very stiff, and the author often muddles things by being needlessly detailed in his descriptions, which was the norm of writing at that time, so I can’t complain too much.  

Start with why 3/5 it has some interesting ideas, but it’s very repetitive. It would have been much better if it had cut to the chase and said what it was trying to say in 150 pages. As it is, a lot of it feels like filling. I get what he was going for, with the recurring lines, but if you have a recurring line it’s meaning has to evolve with the story, and invoke multiple perspectives as the context changes around it. The expansion of the Golden Circle was well done, and it had a cool evolution, but the rest was meh 

Girl in pieces 5/5 an incredibly tragic tale packed with emotional moments. I had to read the first part in small sessions to keep myself from getting too sad. It has a beautifully hopeful, bittersweet ending perfectly suited to our protagonist. I love that they didn’t act like everything was okay in the end. The whole story is made all the more impactful for how real it is.  

The Lake House 2/5 I found out after I read it that it’s a sequel, which honestly just makes it worse. I was not confused at any point because the events of the first book are summarised in the first three chapters. I imagine that would be very annoying for those who’ve read the first one, and it makes it feel like a waste of time.  There are many reasons this book is bad. The plot is easy to follow, but it’s just straight up badly written. It reads like a Wattpad fanfic in the worst way. The characters dynamics feel flat, the romance felt shoehorned in, and the writing style itself just wasn’t fun to read. The point of view was kind of weird too. Chapters from Franny’s perspective are first person, but everyone else gets third person limited. It was jarring and unnecessary. 

A good girls guide to murder (good girl series book 1) 5/5 after forcing myself through the Lake House, this was a welcome surprise. The characters are fleshed out and interesting, the mystery is complex and intriguing, and some of the reveals had me gasping out loud. The way all the clues come together in the end is very satisfying, and it’s super fun seeing all the loose threads tidied together so neatly. Every word feels intentional, and I was constantly analysing and rearranging the clues right alongside Pip. Speaking of Pip, she’s an amazingly written protagonist, and fits this kind of story perfectly. Her relationship with Ravi was super fun to read. 

Boomerang 4/5 surprisingly entertaining for an economics book. A series of case study-esque looks at five different countries with five different responses to a sudden shift in world economy following the 2008 recession.  

Good girl, bad blood (good girl series book 2) (slight spoilers) 5/5 I love the idea of the first book being an in-universe podcast, and her using that to help with the case. There’s a clear escalation, from cold to active cases, and the ending was way darker than I expected.  

Animal farm 4/5 The metaphor is obvious and solid, and the point was well made. It really feels like a classic fable made to teach a lesson 

This winter  5/5 for a short Christmas story, this packs quite the emotional punch. Tori and Charlie both have their own struggles, and their sibling dynamic is very relatable  

As good as dead (good girl series book 3) (slight spoilers) 5/5 A thrilling conclusion! Pip is realistically traumatised from the events of bad blood, and she’s not coping very well, which makes for great conflict. The whole Full Circle theme is very well done, and I love the way everything ties in to the last two cases. The “everything was connected all along” reveal is always fun, and I love that we see more of Andie’s real personality and motives  

Radio silence  5/5 such a rollercoaster of emotions! It went from sad to sweet to heartbreaking to hopeful, and all the characters are super fleshed out. I especially love Aled and Daniel’s relationship. 

The boy in the striped pyjamas  5/5 the gradual reveal is very well done, and the dramatic irony adds a great extra layer to the story. It does a good job of trusting the audience, giving us hints and details to let us figure out what is happening without ever actually saying it. You don’t need to confirm anything if you know the readers are smart enough to figure it out. 

Hvordan Magnus Karlsen ble verdensmester  3/5  not bad for a 45kr book. Would definitely have been a lot better if I cared about chess in the slightest  

Heartstopper vol. 1 5/5 such a cute story! Had me kicking my feet and grinning at the book. I love the little speech bubbles that just have exclamation marks or hearts in them. And the playlist and diary entries at the back!! 

Heartstopper Vol. 2 (major spoilers!!!) 5/5 they’re official!! Nick came out to his mum!!! I’m so happy for them! This series truly is the dopamine hit i need to survive the beginning of next term

#★彡 #reading #book review #bookblr #year in review

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b-else-writes · 6 months ago

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The Great CLAMP Re-Read Part 11: The One I Love

The 90s were a period where CLAMP's star was on an astronomic rise, and they were frequently scouted to publish works in a variety of magazines. This resulted in their most obscure work - and yes I mean it this time! - the semi-autobiographical manga The One I Love, serialized from 1993 to 1995 in the short-lived josei magazine Monthly Young Rose. It was compiled into a singular volume (released in English by Tokyopop), and its lack of adaptation or crossover potential is rather obvious - as a work of creative non-fiction vignettes, it simply doesn't work. Even CLAMP themselves forgot they made this!

The One I Love is formatted as individual vignettes of around 7 pages, all illustrated by Nekoi, her first time as the primary illustrator on a CLAMP work, and accompanied by an essay by Ohkawa, where she explains the real-world inspiration of the vignette and her thoughts on love. It's also the first real peek behind the curtain of Ohkawa as a person and her opinions on love and womanhood. What is there is....frankly a lot more unsatisfying than I really wanted to know. I'll be formatting my thoughts on this one differently as well, since this is such an outlier in CLAMP's oeuvre - and not one I really think anyone should be rushing to get ahold of.

I think there is a real danger in work that is autobiographical, or semi-autobiographical, in this case. The reality is not all of us have the deft hand or complex life experience that produces work like Maus or Persepolis, leading to shallow work that attempts to package rather bland incidents as revelatory Live-Laugh-Love moments. This is the great weakness of The One I Love: it is largely pedestrian in its stories, with trite little reflections such as "love happens unexpectedly", or "try on something different in order to express yourself without your insecurities". There's nothing groundbreaking or particularly meaningful here, and the collection feels geared more towards young girls than it does adult women because of how juvenile a lot of it comes across.

While some of the "lessons" have some merit, because they're approached so shallowly, I often find myself disagreeing. For example, the vignette that features, of all things, Sonic the Hedgehog, is about how girls shouldn't be judged for getting into their boyfriends' interests because it's good to share interests. Well, yes, it is true you'll be happier if you and your man have the same interests....it also shouldn't be an obligation especially if you don't have a genuine liking for a thing. And that's not even getting into the whole gendered aspect of this! But that's the whole issue - because these stories are so superficial and trite, you end up with these empty platitudes that don't offer any new insight into love.

Now, on the issue of gender, the other great issue of autobiographical fiction is the peek behind the curtain. I'm not saying that I lost all respect for CLAMP, but I was reminded that they're women born in the late 60s in Japan. There's a strong "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" theme underpinning a lot of the essays - women are inherently more paranoid and neurotic and insecure than men and have Strange and Mysterious Reasons for how we approach romance, and not the basic human desire for connection and reassurance. The amount of neuroses on display here are more than a little alarming (listen, if you are catastrophizing on this level that your boyfriend hates you, it's not because you're a #Girl). Men are largely framed as breadwinners and women as aspiring housewives, and women especially as "all wanting to feel and be pretty" (again, #Men also like reassurance about their looks, men aren't cave trolls and women beautiful fairies). It really makes a lot of the stories very difficult to read - but it does also validate a lot of the lingering unease I feel with how CLAMP approaches female characters and the regressive gender roles and writing they often fall into. I love CLAMP, I do, but I'd really like to know less about how they think Men and Women have Men Brains and Women Brains.

Also, because it must said: ALL the relationships in this are heterosexual.

That's not to say I didn't find some of the vignettes cute. I did like their vignettes on marriage - that it shouldn't fundamentally change you as a person, but life will be different (from the POV where it is uncommon to live with your partner before marriage) afterwards, and that is the adventure you undertake with someone. I also found the story "Suddenly", while largely silly in its topic, to be cute. But none of the stories necessarily moved me to want to pick this up again.

I also have mixed feelings on the overall art of the series. I do like the opening colour spread with all the different ladies. It has a nice, delicate sensibility that matches the romantic nature of the story (though it's a shame they all have the exact same face). But in the manga proper, there's a certain plainness and simplicity to the art style that I find lacks the lavishness of their earlier work. Even low stakes work like Man of Many Faces had a decadent nature to its designs that really remain in my memory despite my indifference to its plot. The One I Love, in contrast, feels less refined - and I know Nekoi was taking on a very big new task here, and I don't want to sound harsh, but I simply didn't find the work very visually impressive when judged against their entire oeuvre. Also, I really don't like how the noses here are drawn.

Overall, The One I Love is a quick and lightweight read with some big pitfalls in its approach to gender and a troubling look behind the curtain. It is not in any way an essential CLAMP work, and while cutely illustrated, I didn't particularly find it impressive or meaningful. I would recommend this only for diehard completionists.

#clamp #the one i love

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swapauanon · 1 year ago

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Fanfiction Master Post

Okay so, I'm going to try and make a Master Post for my Fanfics.

Currently a work in progress, might add a "Read More" later on:

A Girl and Her Bike

AO3 Series | Spacebattles Thread | TV Tropes Page

Probably my post popular fanfiction ever, A Girl and Her Bike is a series of RWBY/Transformers crossover fics wherein Bumblebee the Autobot from Transformers is ALSO Bumblebee the motorcycle from RWBY. He and Yang serve as the main protagonists, with the focus being on their PLATONIC/sibling-like bond. (He's a two million year old war veteran, she's a teenaged lesbian. Get your heads out of the gutter.) It also has, by far, the largest expanded universe of any of my fanfic series. Current fics in the series are:

A Girl and Her Bike: Volume 1: On her 17th birthday, Yang Xiao Long got a motorcycle to celebrate going another year without getting killed by Grimm. However, what was meant to be a simple gift ended up bringing a war to the Rose/Xiao Long's doorstep. Now, between the Grimm, Atlesian Military, White Fang, and Decepticons, Yang and Bumblebee have their work cut out for them. (Complete) AO3 | FFN

A Girl and Her Bike: Spotlight Collection 1: What did Bumblebee, Ruby Rose, Winter Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao Long do after the Battle of Vytal? How will they adapt to the life-changing circumstances they've been thrust into. Read on to find out. (4/5 Spotlight Oneshots Complete, still working on Yang's) AO3 | FFN

Current spin-offs in the series:

Like Judas Thereupon Kissed: Prequel, set on Cybertron. "The war between the Autobots and Decepticons is one of the longest, bloodiest conflicts in the galaxy's history. So why is it that it started just after the two sides united against a common foe?" (In-Progress) AO3 | FFN

Myths of Cybertron: Anthology of in-universe works of fiction, compiled by certified nerd Glyph of the Cybertronian Historical Preservation Society. (4 myths compiled) AO3 | FFN

A Girl and Her Bike: Super Deformed CHIBI: In a world full of darker and edgier Transformers and RWBY fics, sometimes all you need are blatantly noncanon antics and hijinks to lighten your mood. Basically, a comedy-focused spin-off of "A Girl and Her Bike". (No planned ending) AO3 | FFN

A Girl and Her Bike: Jazz's Report: In-universe reports Jazz writes for Professor Goodwitch and Optimus Prime, providing further context for the setting. AO3 | FFN

Through the Shattered Glass

AO3 Series | Shares Spacebattles Thread with A Girl and Her Bike

Mirror Universe of "A Girl and Her Bike", wherein the heroes are villains and the villains are heroes. Installments are as follows:

Shattered Fragments: If we glance through the shattered glass, what distorted reflections would we see? In a universe opposite the world of A Girl and Her Bike, an alien war collides with an ancient conspiracy, shaking up countless lives throughout the world of Remnant. Their stories shall be collected here. (In Progress) AO3 | FFN

Dust and Decepticons

My other RWBY/Transformers crossover.

This one asks a very simple question: What would happen to Remnant if Atlas formed a secret alliance with the Decepticons prior to the events of the series? Fics in the series are as Follows:

Falling Stars: When aliens fell to Remnant in balls of flame, responsibility fell on General James Ironwood of the Atlesian Military to make first contact with these strange new beings. Who knows, perhaps these Decepticons could be the key to a new golden age? Surely keeping the existence of these strange new beings a secret couldn't possibly backfire! (In-Progress) AO3 | FFN

Epiphets of Megatron: Before he held two seats on Cybertron's High Council, Megatron was just another Cybertronian. However, over the course of his military career, in the defense of Cybertron, he has been called many things. Here is the story of how he earned those titles. (1/7 Chapters) AO3 | FFN

Miscellaneous

This is where I'll put any fics that aren't part of another series.

Y'know, when I feel up to it.

Check back here regularly for eventual updates.

#my fanfics #masterpost

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archoneddzs15 · 10 months ago

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Sega Mega CD - Game no Kanzume - Sega Games Can Volume 1

Title: Game no Kanzume - Sega Games Can Volume 1 / ゲームのかんづめＳｅｇａ　Ｇａｍｅｓ　Ｃａｎ　ＶＯＬ.１

Developer/Publisher: Sega CS

Release date: 18 March 1994

Catalogue No.: G-6032

Genre: Various

Do you know the Sega Ages volumes for the Sega Saturn? Well, the Game Cans are pretty much the same but for Mega CD. They are pretty nice really with their novel can case. In the 1st volume shown here, you can find the following games, all of which were taken from their Sega Game Toshokan broadband bite-sized download library.

Flicky (God knows how many compilations this game has been on)

Paddle Fighter (crappy Air Hockey type game)

Hyper Marbles (pretty crappy game)

Pyramid Magic (nice puzzle game with 4 versions)

.....and four Phantasy Star II text adventures.

Volume 2 of game can is far better than this release. Oh, and before you go, all the music in this Mega CD disc is composed by none other than Jun Senoue before Crush 40 was even a thing.

youtube

#sega cd #sega genesis #Youtube

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dndhistory · 2 years ago

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4. Various Authors - The Strategic Review #1 (Spring 1975)

After the publication of the three volumes compiling the rules for D&D and before the supplements that would add a lot to those rules the publication of The Strategic Review started. This short lived publication was the official newsletter of TSR (Tactical Studies Rules), the company founded by Gygax and friends to commercialize not only D&D (which wasn't their main product of the time) but other games, like Chainmail, Warriors of Mars or Star Probe. The company has a different name but the same initials as The Strategic Review (also TSR), get it? I bet they thought it was funny at the time, but it just becomes confusing after a while.

However, even in this first issue you can tell that they are particularly excited by their new game, D&D, and this issue they introduce a new monster for Dungeons and Dragons which as bound to become a true classic of the game, The Mind Flayer, a truly nasty beastie which is still around messing players up today.

You also get an article for the lonely D&D player that teaches how to create solo adventures by developing a system of tables and dice rolls to randomize a map and possible encounters in that map. It sounds slightly tedious, but it would be a good way for new DMs to learn the basics of the game at the time. A fun little 6 page pamphlet, but it brought us the Mind Flayer, so if only for that it was a landmark in D&D history.

#ttrpg #dnd #dungeons and dungeons #dnd art #ad&d #adnd #dungeons & dragons

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aspiringpolymath · 2 years ago

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Mid Year Reading Check In

I compiled this at the end of June, so it's not up to the minute accurate, but a good indication of how my reading year has gone so far. I tweaked the questions a bit to suit my reading style. If anyone sees this and wants to answer them PLEASE tag me so I can see what you are reading!

Mid Year Book Check In Questions:

Did you set a reading challenge; if so, how’s it going? (AKA How many books have you read?)

Best book(s) you’ve read so far?

Best sequel or book in a series you've read so far?

New release you haven't read yet, but want to?

Most anticipated release for the second half of the year?

Biggest disappointment?

Biggest surprise?

Favorite new author? (Debut or new to you)

Newest favorite character (for whatever reason)?

Book that made you cry or saddest book you’ve read?

Book that made you happy?

Favorite review you've written this year? (Can be glowing or a takedown)

Favorite cover for a book you've read this year?

What books are your priority to read by the end of the year?

Answers:

According to GR, I’ve read 239 books (tho I prefer ‘title’ since some are pretty short. I read a mix of novels, novellas, shorts and manga/comics.) My GR goal is 365, so I’m ahead of schedule!

Bests

Manga - Restart After . . . duology by Cocomi

Graphic novel - Mamo by Sass Milledge (ff ya)

Non LGBTQ+ romance book - The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna (still casually queer)

Short book - Bisclavret by K.L. Noone

Standalone mm romance book (there are not a lot of these, lol) - We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian (I didn’t want it to be over, so I really took my time.)

3. Three way tie between The Missing Page by Cat Sebastian, Malibu by Emmy Sanders, and Out of the Wild Night by Marina Vivancos. Oh, and Muscle Cub by Slade James!

4. Loads, but I still haven’t read The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by KJ Charles and I really need to get on that.

5. I’m looking forward to the next volume of Our Not-So-Lonely Planet Travel Guide by Mone Sorai. Oh, and Gentle Chaos by Tyler Gaga (ghosthoney on IG and TikTok)

6. I was most recently disappointed by How To Say I Do by Tal Bauer - not hugely, just wasn’t what I was hoping for.

7. I was really pleasantly surprised by Show Me How to Trust by Ray Celar. I didn’t have high hopes after book 2, but this one really took the time it needed to with the characters. Not a perfect book, but really lovely.

8. I’ve read a couple of short things by her in the past, but this year Crystal Lacy has become a new go-to author.

9. Sal from The Demon’s Mate by Delaney Rain, and maybe Collin from Off-Ice Behavior by Hannah Henry.

10. Some I’ve already mentioned made me cry, but I Felt a Funeral, in My Brain by Will Walton made me cry no fewer than five times. It’s a weird prose poem YA book about grief and generational addiction, I thought it was so well done. A book that made me cry mostly happy tears was Keep Me by HJ Welch.

11. The audiobook of Heartbreak Boys by Simon James Green made me legitimately lol.

12. Well, the one that has gotten the most likes on GR is my 1 star of The Right Wrong Number by Katie Warren, but I did like my pithy review for So These Rude Grumpy Arrogant Jerks Fall In Love and It’s Gross by TJ Land. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5353619286

13. The Roger Crenshaw books by Taylor Titmouse have amazing covers, and illustrations inside, too.

Also, Haunt, Heart, Havoc by Freydís Moon has a super striking cover.

14. I’d like to get back to In Memoriam by Alice Winn. I started it, but there were holds and I knew it was going to get very sad. Oh, and this probably should have been listed above, but I also want to get to Something Wild and Wonderful by Anita Kelly soon.

#mid year book tag #mid year book freak out tag

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sidewalkstamps · 20 days ago

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Clarence P. Day Corporation Pasadena (Photo taken by Scott Fajack on June 7, 2024 in Pasadena at the intersection of S. Sierra Bonita Ave. and E. California Blvd.)

Clarence Parkman Day was born on October 4, 1885 in Beverly Farms, Massachusetts, USA to Isaac Franklin Day and Ella Frances Lovering Day and died on February 19, 1969; he was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, CA, USA. He had been married twice (Findagrave.com).

He "was a well-known contractor and engineer in Pasadena throughout his professional life. After working with the Olmsted Brothers firm in the East, Day moved to Pasadena in the early 1900's. Working with the Allin Brothers' engineering firm, he helped with the design of the Annandale and Oak Knoll neighborhoods. Around 1910, he did the survey work for the new Caltech campus. His subdivisions, including the 1923 design of the Eldora Park neighborhood, were known for their winding streets which are reminiscent of his original Olmsted training. Day's firm later did work on the Grace Nicholson Building (Pacific Asia Museum) and the Westminster Presbyterian Church (both landmarks). Outside of Pasadena, Day was known for the development of the Pacific Palisades as well as being the head of civil engineering at Camp Pendleton." Additionally, he compiled "cartographical data of the district formerly known as North Pasadena before its annexation" (Agenda Report described below).

According to the City of Pasadena June 19, 2006 Agenda Report from the City Manager to the City Council on the designation of 492 Eldora Road as a landmark, we learn that Day was the first resident of a Tudor Revival-style house at that address.

In 1918, Clarence P Day was in the Boston Building and was listed as a surveyor, civil engineer, and landscape architect and also under Sprinkling Systems, plus they placed an ad in the city directory (Thurston's Pasadena (California) City Directory Including Altadena and Lamanda Park, Los Angeles Directory Company, 1918).

Day took out several advertisements in the Pasadena Star-news:

Confusingly, one ad says 335 S. Raymond Ave. and another says 35 N. Raymond Ave.! Either way "since 1904 always at Boston Building" and "the only organization of it's kind in the west"! At least today, the Boston Building is at 35 N. Raymond Ave. (and is now condos, of course). This is also the first time I've seen his business described as "landscape development" (Pasadena Star-news, Pasadena Star News, 1919).

In 1919, Day did the landscaping for Douglas Fairbanks's house in Beverly Hills ('Fairbanks to Have New Home,' "Motion Pictures," The New York Clipper, July 16, 1919, accessed via lantern.mediahist.org).

Day was the low bidder" and was awarded the general contract for the 2nd St. school bldg." in Chino, CA (Building and Engineering News, Volume 22, 1922).

Day was "in charge of the basic layout of the development that encompassed three and half acres" of the aforementioned Oak Knoll Gardens neighborhood of Pasadena, CA from 1922-1923 ("Neighborhood History: Oak Knoll Gardens," Madison Heights Neighborhood Association newsletter, June 2009).

According to the Online Archive of California Collection Guide for the El Mirador Ranch Collection, Day was the engineer for the real estate development (El Mirador Ranch Collection, 1924-1965, Pasadena Museum of History, OAC).

Still in the Boston Building in 1925 (The Railroad Yardmaster, Railroad Yardmasters of America, 1925).

In 1925, the Corp. submitted the low bids to the city of Pasadena for "walks on Sierra Bonita Ave., betw. California St. and Lombardy Rd." and for improving Hawkeye St., "involv. oil mac. pave." They also submitted not-the-lowest bids in Pasadena and Monrovia, CA. They were awarded the contract by Los Angeles County for improving Chevy Chase Dr. between 1/2 mile northeast of southwest boundary of lot C and other boundaries I can't read in the scan unfortunately. I love when other companies list their clients to prove they make a good product, and Blaw-Knox Batcherplants includes Clarence P. Day Corporation in that capacity (Southwest Builder and Contractor, Volume 65, F. W. Dodge Company, 1925)! Batcher plants combine the ingredients of concrete.

According to the US Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Registration Form from 1997 for the Bekins Storage Co. Roof Sign on 511 S. Fair Oaks Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91105, Day constructed the sign in 1925-1926 for the Standard Fireproof Storage Company.

According to California Southland, the Clarence P. Day Corporation were engineers, contractors, and builders and were still located in the Boston Building in Pasadena, CA in 1926 (Volume 8, California Southland, 1926). That would be the aforementioned 35 N. Raymond Ave., I believe.

"Every motorist entering Ventura, California, finds a large sign which bears the A. G. C. SEal commanding his attention. The sign placed at the intersection of two main traffic arteries, heralds the work of Clarence P. Day Corporation on the Ventura Union High School" - this article was about the AGC, whom we've talked about before, but gives us a nice bit on Day, too! ("Marked Display Given Emblem of A. G. C." Constructor, Volume 8, Associated General Contractors of America, 1926).

Clarence P. Day was president, J. L Hazlehurst & S. J. Van Ornum were vice presidents, W. A. Moore was secretary, and E. R. Bartlett was treasurer of the Clarence P. Day Corporation in 1927. They were still in the Boston Building (Walker's Directory of Northern California Directors and Corporations (including Northern Nevada), Walker's Manual Incorporated, 1927).

In 1919, Day took out an ad stating they were the general contractors for the Westminster Presbyterian Church (The Architectural Digest, Volume VII, Number 3, 1929, John C. Brasfield, Los Angeles). The church is at 1757 N. Lake Avenue in Pasadena, CA. According to the church's website, the cornerstone was laid in 1927 and the dedication of the new church was November 25, 1928. As previously mentioned, it's now a landmark!

A flickr user named Luke Gattuso posted another contractor stamp photo which stated "Clarence P. Day Contractor Pasadena."

Some other work is documented in photography and is available through Pasadena Digital History:

"The Garden of Mr. Arthur Noble, Pasadena. Clarence P. Day, Landscape Engineer"

"The New Plunge at the Valley Hunt Club. Joseph Rhodes, Builder; Clarence P. Day, Concrete Work"

"Waterfall and Cistern"

Other source:

Kappa Alpha Record: Centennial Ed., 1825-1925, Being a Record of the Members and Activities of the Kappa Alpha Society, Kappa Alpha Society, Executive Council, 1926

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