#and to be fair 108 is a lot

[boomerang109]

yeah maybe you’re a great music fan but actually i think you should be jealous of the joy and whimsy that my audio processing issues bring into my life

[holllandtrash]

not good enough | charles leclerc social media au

paring: charles leclerc x reader

charles' girlfriend gets a lot of hate online and he usually stays out it because she knows how to handle it...but sometimes people just need a little reminder that they're in love asian faceclaim: christina nadin - british/filipino influencer

yourusername

liked by charles_leclerc, pierregasly and 26,522 others

yourusername 'come to paris' charles said, 'it'll be fun' mate it literally smells like ass and i dont speak french

view all 108 comments

charles_leclerc i've been translating everything for you, you're fine

pierregasly should have visited milan instead

charles_leclerc are you hitting on my girlfriend pierregasly milan is simply better than paris yourusername we're going to milan next time

hamiltyres shes so real for this

lightsouthannah she complains about everything why does charles put up with her

55carlando4 are they there for paris fashion week??

charles_leclerc added to their story

yourusername

liked by charles_leclerc, noviaelegante and 43,159 others

yourusername day 2

view all 315 comments

pierregasly how did charles convince you to leave the hotel?

yourusername he told me i wouldn't have to stay for the fashion show yourusername he lied charles_leclerc 🙄🙄🙄

noviaelegante love the fit😍 check your dm's girly!

hammilstop is it just me or does y/n seen ungrateful?

jemmaf1 yeah i was thinking the same thing

charles_leclerc

liked by yourusername, scuderiaferrari and 412,110 others

charles_leclerc Celine Homme 2023🖤 Merci celine

view all 1,382 comments

yourusername pretty

charles_leclerc you should have came with yourusername i had nothing to wear charles_leclerc thats a horrible excuse

scuderiaferrari 😍😍😍😍

luvfrom63 i dont understand why y/n goes to paris with charles but then refuses to attend the shows

yourusername added to their story

yourusername

liked by charles_leclerc, noviaelegante and 31,121 others

tagged: noviaelegante

yourusername a sustainable fashion show that promotes empowering women living in recovering nations? sign me up

view all 210 comments

noviaelegante so happy to have you attend🖤

charles_leclerc you should have modelled one of them

yourusername im not putting on a wedding dress until you give me a reason to

pierregasly when are you walking down the aisle?

yourusername when someone puts a rock on my finger pierregasly is this an open invitation? charles_leclerc mate dont even think about proposing to my girl

channyinthepaddock THATS what she wore to the show? girl💀

kaleyschumacher its a no from me

lewisfanclub im sorry are we not going to talk about pierre's comments????????

charles_leclerc

liked by yourusername, pierregasly and 297,192 others

charles_leclerc The man!! doni.nahmias

view all 5,201 comments

yourusername sorry i missed your show doni.nahmias ❤️❤️

doni.nahmias the drinks are on your tab tonight yourusername thats fair

caraf1fan charles slays at another fashion show and y/n can't even bother to attend and support her friend? what is wrong with her

mickysunshine y/n do better💀💀

yourusername added to their story

yourusername added to their story

yourusername

liked by pierregasly, charles_leclerc and 37,612 others

yourusername these pictures were taken within 45 minutes of each other

view all 412 comments

charles_leclerc beautiful in both 🖤

pierregasly so she does know how to dress up

yourusername its our last night in paris i figured i'd put in some effort

hannahsformula idk i still think charles can do better than her

vivvverstappen nah her and charles are a power couple and anyone who says otherwise is so so wrong

luvforlance but why hasn't charles said anything about what shes been dealing with online 💀 he defends her the same way justin bieber defends hailey

yourusername im a big girl i can handle myself

charles_leclerc

liked by yourusername, scuderiaferrari and 417,923 others

charles_leclerc thank you dior for helping me end Paris Fashion Week in style

view all 7,301 comments

dior 🖤😍

yourusername hot

liked by charles_leclerc

mickandkmags forever wondering how y/n managed to pull charles when he looks like that and she wears jumpers and sweats 99% of the time

yourusername he loves my personality pierregasly yeah sure thats it

charles_leclerc added to their story

yourusername

liked by charles_leclerc, scuderiaferrari and 11,619 others

yourusername prettier than paris if you ask me

comments on this post are limited

charles_leclerc i agree

pierregasly not as pretty as milan

charles_leclerc will you please shut up about milan

pierregasly added to their story

yourusername added to their story

yourusername

liked by charles_leclerc, pierregasly and 57,124 others

yourusername sorry, i thought a bitch on twitter said something

comments on this post are limited

charles_leclerc oh my

pierregasly oh my x2

landonorris people should piss you off more often

danielricciardo shes a keeper charlesleclerc

charlesleclerc trust me i know

charles_leclerc

liked by yourusername, paddockgf and 412,401 others

tagged: yourusername

charles_leclerc ma chérie

view all 7,134 comments

yourusername but am i hot enough for you?

charles_leclerc i like your personality yourusername good answer

pierregasly 😧😧😧

yourusername close your eyes pierre

yellowhaas charles really said 'shes all mine'

hamiltvvn but can he fight

f1fanclubs for so long people have been saying she doesnt deserve him...besties...i think its the other way around

liked by charles_leclerc

this felt like a rushed ending but oh well

masterlist here

[decapitatedsnake]

My little (to no) context reaction to the wisdom saga 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙

(I couldn't stay up to watch the live so I'm just listening to the music = no animatics)

[30th of august 14:58]

Legendary

. I mean I've already heard legendary but I'm excited

. Gorgeous music, I feel transported into like ancient greece

. This sounds amazing

. The guy who voices Telemachus (MICO?) is adorable

. I don't like the riffs but he sounds good

. Telemachus deserves the world

. "L-l-l-l egendary"

. 108??!

. Isn't he like 13 here? (anywhere from 12-15 i feel like)

. I don't think we got a snippet of the ending

. MAN OF THE HOUSE

. AHHHA

. 20 YEARS?? WHAT

. I can't tell if they said 12 or 20

."BOY" Lowkey scared me

. EXCUSE YOU SIR TRAMP?? WHO DOES HE THINK-

. Antinous didn't come to play DAYUM

. This is insane

. "Whatcha gonna do about it champ?" Jorge was totally right Ayron is such a good Antinous

. Awwww he can't do anything :<

. Wait?

Little wolf

. GET HIM TELEY

. I love Antinous's voice

. I really loved the snippets for this one

. "I'll teach you all the lessons your daddy never could" it's on sight actually

. And little wolf is just so ughh I wanna punch him

. ATHENA

. FIGHT BACK

. BAHAHAHA UPPERCUT?

. QUICK THOUGHT

. And he👏is👏a 👏bully👏

. SHOW HIM

. ATHENA IS SO COOL

. OMG OMG

. Her voice is stunning

. The animatics are gonna go so hard

. Awww

. Oh he lost??

. Telemachus:((

. I mean yeah why did she come to your aid?

We'll be fine

. We only got Teleys bit so I'm excited

. Oo start with Athena

. FRIEND??

. Don't make me cry

. "He was a lot like you" gee I wonder why

. GREW APART :((

. HIS LIGHT!!

. GLORIOUS VOICE

. WAITT THEY CHANGED IT

. "Or if hes worth the hype but" > " I don't know what he's like"

. Fair enough

. And they changed "Cuz I got in a fight, sailed to an island when I've never left home shores"

. Okay it's been less than 5 minutes please refrain on the whole "friend" thing rn lol

. God telemachus voice (I can't shut up they're such good singers"

. DUET!!!!

. YOU WILL BE FINE

. Kid? Is he twenty or 12 I can't tell

Love in paradise

. FUCK YES

. WAIT THE INTRO?

. THEY WERE AT SEA FOR 10 YEARS, damn

. THE MUSIC SOARING, IT'S SO COOL, ouch

. CALYPSO MY LOVE (only the epic version though) [Ik it's up to interpretation but for me she doesn't sa him in this version]

. She's my wife 🙂 anyway 🤨

. HELL NO

. Oh shit love in paradise is athena watching, not Odysseus's experience

. Like this is when they first met and Calypso and Odysseus have been together for 7 years

. 7 YEARS

. YEAH I SAID THAT, before the song did

. ODYSSEUS!!

. WHAT > THE LEDGE

. ODYSSEUS 😭😭😭😭

. Wtf I am not emotionally stable enough for this

. Open..... arms.. BRO

. HIS MUM, POLITES AND EURY AND PENELOPE AND ATHENA??? BROO 😢

. YEAH I THINK HE DOES NEED HELP UGH

God games

. Ooo very grand

. Athena get him PLEASE

. She's about that business

. YES GOD GAMES INTRO OMGG

. WAIT WERE GONNA HEAR APOLLO AND HEAPHESTUS I'M SO EXCITED

. THE LITTLE MUSIC CHANEGS ARE SO GOOD

. ZEUS VOICE IS SO AMASZNIGN

. "and me" 😎

. That is not how I thought Apollo would sound

. He's batting for the sirens?? Um Ig that makes sense

. Oh Heaphestus I totally thought that aphrodite was next

. Well she's level 3 anyway

. BRO HIS DAD VOICES HEAPHESTUS I LOVE THAT

. Wait Apollo and Heaphestus are very reasonable, good for them

. NOW THE ONE WE'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR (excluding Hera)

. OMG IT'S THE SNIPPET THAT'S THE FINAL

. Athena's voice is new?

. Hmm she rerecorded but they didn't

. DIDN'T EVEN TRY TO KILL HER

. Don't fuck with Telemachus in front of Athena

. "Ughh release him"

. HERA

. OH FUCK SHE'S PERFECT CMON

. RELEASE HIM

. ZEUS YOU DICKHEAD SHE'S THE GODESS OF WISDOM LITERALLY ONLY HER COULD BEAT YOUR GAME

. WHAT WHAT

. NO

. WHAT???

. WHAT'S going on

. The music is telling me she like survived whatever his ambush was

. Zeus....

.THATS THE END WHATT

[froschkuss]

Hello there! Welcome to all the new (and old) followers that appeared the last few days :) I got asked about gif commissions a lot lately and decided to open a few slots. Since real life is a bitch please be aware that it will take a while for me to finish a gif. I am way slower than I used to be, it bothers me but please be aware ; v ; You can ask frequently about the process tho... I will always try to answer as fast as possible :)

And here it is how it goes:

WHAT: A rotoscope is an animated image, a gif of your choosing that I’ll use in order to draw your favorite pairings. Rotoscopes aren’t made from scratch, although you can be assured that everything will be carefully drawn and adjusted to look just like the characters you chose.

HOW: If you’d like to commission me, please send me an email (mistressfrosch[at]gmail.com) and let me know what you’d like.

You can provide the gifs you’d like me to work on, and if you don’t have any, I’ll happily supply a few references (1 or 2) for you to choose from, depending on what you want. 

As for the characters you’d like me to draw, please also provide a few canon images.

When your choice is made, I’ll send you either a Paypal Invoice or my kofi link, and I’ll start working on your piece as soon as payment goes through. Please allow at least a few weeks for me to finish your commission, unless stated otherwise.

GUIDELINES:

Please DO NOT send payment before you get the Paypal Invoice I’ll send you or the kofi link.

Please DO NOT send me NSFW gifs of yourself.

Please DO NOT edit the reference gif yourself. It has many reasons, such as that I don’t know if I can use it after you edited it (its double work if you edited and I can’t use it so I need to edit the original gif again to get to that point where you edited it).

I WILL NOT draw any kind of abusive relationships or potentially toxic  pairings and/or images that depict harmful situations. If you have questions regarding that, don’t hesitate to ask!

There are a few things I would like to avoid, such as BDSM, choking, pegging and furry.

Everything else is fair game!

PRICES: 

Frames + Paypal Fee.

One (1) frame = 7€. If the gif you’ve chosen has 15 frames, what you’ll pay is 105€  + (in this case) 3€ to cover Paypal fees (7 x 15 = 105) +3 = 108€. The total you’ll pay for this commission is thus 108€. The Paypal fees vary depending on your country and the amount of money for the frames. Simple shading in one color is always included. If you have any extras like tattoos I will charge a small extra cost depending on the pose. 

So far I will open 3 slots!

Thank you for reading!

[wasyago]

okay um

riptide spoilers for the recent episodes!!!

I dont usually write theories and stuff but i haven't really seen anyone talk about it (maybe i just missed it), and i need to get these thoughts written down because my mind is going a million miles per hour and its driving me crazy.

(Also i guess, disclaimer, im not a patron so the last ep i saw was 108, and i don't know any of the information shared in rolled.)

So. This team of strong pirates, Captain Widow, they're turning the Dread Queen into a lich, right? Like, that's the only logical solution i can think of. They're talking about the Dread Queen obtaining power over life and death, which is like the main lich thing - immortality and the ability to be both dead and alive at the same time. They're performing a long complicated ritual, which is also necessary to become a lich, and that ritual requires a lot of sacrifices and feeding energy and nutrients to the Dread Queen. (And, i apologize, all my knowledge about liches comes from Pointy Hat's videos, but i think they're pretty good to base a theory on).

From what i can recall and what i relistened to: no one knows anything about the Dread Queen, Shadowbeard has never talked about her, in the newspaper about the Lords she was just a silhouette, in the memory Jay got from the Black Sea all they said is that they needed to find her corpse in order to make someone a pirate lord (which clarifies nothing), Drey thought she and all the rest of the Pirate Lords were dead. From what we know about the Lords, Rose dissappeared in the hole in the sea accident. According to Lizzie's words, a couple years ago two more of the Pirate Lords went missing, which are the Dread Queen and our boy Hendrix (which we know is hiding in his pocket dimension). And then Shadowbeard was murdered by Ava in the Shadow Scull Masacre.

As we know from Zamia, the Dread Queen's crew didn't disappear but instead came to the black sea and took over an island. And because there's no contact with the outside world from the black sea, and because Navy freely allows pirates passage there, its fair that the world thought the Dread Queen was dead. And this lack of contact and no Navy activity is probably why the Dread Queen chose the Black Sea as a place for her lich ritual. No one will know about it and no one will interfere, no one will stop them from taking over an entire island and killing it's emperor and doing whatever dark magics they want.

Im not sure why they picked this island specifically. Whether its because of the Great Tree (tm) that is "the way of life and connects every corner of the island and gives it life" and probably has a lot of nutrients for the ritual in it. Or for any other reason, maybe it was just the first island they saw, maybe they just wanted a cool castle, maybe because it's the capital, i don't know but I'm sure there's a smart reason.

Gardeck The Scull Crusher aka the minotaur guy did say that their captain is blessed, and its the reason why death is temporary to them, which is one of the details that confuses me. Because first, who is he referring to, the Dread Queen or Captain Widow, both are technically captains. And second, if he is talking about Widow, then uhhh, how? If he's talking about the Dread Queen and if she is undergoing a lich ritual, (and becoming a lich would grant her the power to freely revive people), then how is she able to cast spells while in a cocoon and probably unconscious and probably not yet a lich?

Uhhh don't know how to end these things but that's all i got for now. Also HUGE respect to Grizzly for coming up with all this and connecting so many things and parallels. Because some of the information comes from as far back as episode 32, and its still relevant and accurate and comes up in the plot now, and oh my god.

[dailydemonspotlight]

Ippon-Datara - Day 108

Race: Jaki

Arcana: Hermit

Alignment: Dark-Neutral

September 11th, 2024

Ahhh, Yokai. Being perhaps one of the strangest assortments of urban legends around the world, the concept of a Yokai can be extended into several different ideas- one we've already covered, of course, is the Nekomata, and there's also the Nozuchi analysis from a while back, but these are far from the strangest of the bunch. Well, in fairness, Nozuchi is pretty weird, but... that's beside the point. There's a whole lot weirder, and one of those stranger ones has to be the focus of today's DDS, being none other than the single-legged blacksmith, Ippon-Datara, a monster so ridiculously specific it could actually make sense as more than just a fairy tale.

Ippon-Datara live mostly solitary existences, existing primarily in the Wakayama and Nara prefectures by seeming to reside in the mountains bordering the two. Their appearance is incredibly bizarre, being that of a one-legged and one-eyed creature that resembles more carrot than man, at least in shape. It stomps around everywhere it goes, leaping from place to place with its single, long, trunk-like leg, and its creaky and strong pair of arms make it a definite oddity in terms of appearance. However, its appearance is far from the only thing that makes this Yokai incredibly odd, though you'd be forgiven for thinking that in the first place- Not only does Ippon-Datara live in this very specific range, it also has a very specific event associated with it.

Every December 20th, Ippon-Datara strikes, stomping and crushing exactly one human. Yep, just one. As far as I can tell, this may be related to some sort of unexplained disappearances, but I'm very unsure as to the significance of December 20th itself, outside of it being close to the Winter Solstice, which may tie Ippon-Datara to Kappa in a strange way. Still, as for the monster itself, I don't even really know what kind of phenomenon it may be a representation of- maybe, again, it's an explanation for disappearances in the early winter of those who go hunting and likely experienced bears or other such wildlife, but where the entire concept originated is incredibly unclear to me, and honestly, I kinda like it that way. Keep on hopping, you weird... eye... thing.

I'd recommend checking out this post by @eirikrjs and @dijeh for some additional context related to specifically Japanese origins, as I don't speak the language but it has some fun context and tidbits. I also can't find a source for him being a blacksmith, though I'm trusting that it is true? A lack of good sources damns me again... :pensive:

Still, in terms of design in SMT, Ippon-Datara has a very strange one. Gone is the carrot-esque shape of most contemporary depictions in exchange for an armored blacksmith with a single leg and a single eye, though not even one centered in the body. While a strange depiction, though, I love the creative liberty- it's odd, yeah, and it doesn't fit super well, but I think it looks really cool, and Kaneko absolutely cooked with it. Overall, a strange yokai gets an appropriately strange design, and all is well with the world.

[seasonalmoss]

Epic the musical Catifed: I remade Penelope’s Ref!

AAAAGHH DJDHFJRHJDHSHD OKAY OKAY, so Ive been meaning to redo her ref for quite some time now, and it happens that I’ve been stressed enough lately to draw her! She’s literally one of my very top comfort characters for me right now, to be fair all of my comfort characters are extremely important but for this situation I’m in right now the comfort I need is from people like Penelope or Willow (from Wings of Fire).

anyways this ref has really helped me decompress and calm down, drawing Penelope has made me feel so safe and secure, literally I love Penelope in Epic so much.

I looove how she is in Epic the musical? Idk I feel more drawn towards her and more interested in her then the Penelope in the Odyssey.

though I guess in general when I say “I love -insert character who appears in EPIC” I’m usually talking about specifically the interpretation of Epic. Though I do have a genuine interest in Greek mythology and I want to get into more media that’s about it, the specific characters I’ve grown attached to are the musical ones!

like- people need to understand that Epic isn’t just “the odyssey as a musical” it’s a transformative retelling! And in many ways is it’s own story.

like- I think everyone can Agree that Ody in epic is a lot more nicer and moral then Ody in the Odyssey,

they literally aren’t the same character, and I hate when I see people bash on Odysseus in Epic because of their opinions of him in the odyssey.

Don’t get me wrong I LOOVE LOOVE the Odyssey and Iliad and other Greek myths but that’s simply just not the fandom I’m apart of.

Yes, Epic is still based on the Odyssey and a retelling of it, but it’s still Separate, and people shouldn’t act like it isn’t or act like what happens in EPIC reflects onto the odyssey. Like- don’t say “oohh but Odysseus isn’t that bad because in Epic-“ Stop. Don’t say that.

if you see them as separate from eachother then it shouldn’t matter to you people’s takes of the characters in the Odyssey because they aren’t the same as in EPIC. And really that goes for everything?

I’ve seen people bring up PJO(somehow???) a lot or that Circe book (literally don’t know the name of it) in regards to Epic and say “but in this!” Like- dude they are literally different retellings and interpretations it’s not like every Greek mythology story is connected or idk- canon to the Original Myths??? And don’t get me wrong you can make crossover AUs! I honestly LOOOVE seeing all of the PJO x Epic things I see!

but anyways stupid ramble over, I LOOVE LOOVEE DESIGNING PENELOPE! AAGGHHDHDHD I wanted her to appear very regal and well kept, she is a queen after all. But further more Penelope in Epic is a character who isn’t much of a physical fighter, rather she stands back and watches with calculating eyes and prudence. She has an unwavering will and a strong composure in the face of 108 nasty Suitors. She’s wise and clever. With all of this I wanted to give her more lengthy and soft features, as Penelope is someone many don’t expect to expertly win a battle with wits. She simply just seems to be the face of royalty. But I also gave her a strong long/thick tail to show her strength, she absolutely can beat the shit out of you with that tail, but she won’t. Because she doesn’t need to, since she has other more “civil” methods of wits to break you down. but in general EPIC Penelope is more reserved and calm, she doesn’t need to gaslight you or manipulate you, she just needs to trick you. She’s understanding and gentle, yet serious and worried. she stands tall hence why I made her that height. she’s also one of Odysseus’s leading motives, and a major support for him. I wanted Penelope to come across as someone you turn to for guidance or you lean into to cry. She’s a sturdy yet soft shoulder to cry on, something Odysseus desperately needs. (also Penelope just HAS to be taller then Odysseus I’m sorry- if you don’t make Ody in epic shorter then practically everyone what are you doing? /j)

anyways thats my Penelope design!

[herotome]

Devlog #108

Right, um... update time. Hi-ho, Wudge here.

Actually is it cool if I just post some pictures and then dip? ;;; Idk what really to say, I've just been working on lots of little odds and ends for the game's visuals.

Mia (started giving her some expressions) and Jade (reworking her glowing eyes - still in progress...!)

Katie (gave her blinking)

Evil Eye (put him in shadow for his first missable appearance)

Jade again (credit to Remnantation for her gorgeous sprite!! Will be sharing a better view when I'm not using a stand-in bg :') )

Also finished updating all of Warden sprite's mouths for his first appearance during the job fair... worked quite a bit on the MCs... That's about it, I think.

Stay safe and keep warm,

Wudge.

[acradaunt]

Acra's EO Guild Card Megapost

Guild Cards are a neat thing in the most of the Etrian Odyssey games. Sometimes, they're pretty pointless, but in some, they actually do some neat stuff. I… have a tendency to do multiple playthroughs, to try different team compositions (as seeing how different a game can feel based on your builds is one of my favourite things ever, and I also like abandon them before the big fights, on the hypothetical urge I want to re-fight a boss at an appropriate level an infinite number of times), so I've amassed a fair few of my own.

Why am I uploading these now? Apparently the Nexus database got borked a couple days ago, so this is the perfect time for me to get a few feet in the door. I also swear this is the last time I'll ever post about these, seriously.

EO Nexus -A total of 100 Guild Cards are needed to unlock the Vampire pseudo-class. Obviously, 100 is a lot, so they obviously expected the community, paltry it may be, to come together to make a database. And they did. And then they locked it the second they got 108. And then it died. So now I finally get a second chance to contribute.

Galeforce

-My first (main) playthrough. I actually uploaded a card weekly to help out, but I think only the first one made it on in time. It's not Heroic because it's like a NG+++++ file. This is the final card, but for the weekly set of them, um, here:

Week 0 || Week 1 || Week 2 || Week 3 || Week 4 || Week 5 || Week 6 || Week 7

Stardust

-Filled with all my C-listers that couldn't fit into Galeforce. I ran them as two separate teams; the Boss Killers (shown here), who fought the FOEs/Bosses, and Team Midriff, who did all the exploration.

Sunstorm

-A Guild consisting of classes I mostly avoid using, and portraits I hadn't (as of its conception) used before. As always, there's like another three members that get used that aren't here, including a Survivalist, Nightseeker, and an Arcanist.

Maelstrom

-An attempt at a Nuzlocke-esque run, and also an 'evil' party. Characters stopped being used if they died, but only until the end of the stratum, to not make it overbearing. Being an evil party lacking in support and healing, this was an absolute slog that I considered a total failure by the Jungle.

Brilliant

-An idea for a mage-guild that kinda went askew. Starting as a Sovereign, three Zodiacs, and a Farmer, I ultimately turned this into three single-element teams; Each consisting of a unique Sovereign, a unique Zodiac, two other characters that get earlygame elemental skills (Survivalist's Flame Arrow, Landsknecht, etc.), but the same Farmer (Hazel) across all three. Didn't take it all that far, but worked kinda well!

EOV -Definitely where Guild Cards are seen the most. About 2-4 times every floor, there'll be an event that'll use you GC database to have another guild interact with you in the labyrinth. If you have none, you'll be introduced to memelord Conrad of the Freeblade Guild about 110 times in your course of a playthrough. In stark contrast, Nexus only has GC events maybe a dozen times across the whole game.

Starlight

-Main guild. Not a lot to say. It's a Chain-oriented party, because I love Fencers/Landsknechts.

Bundt

-Cake pun. See, bundt is a type of cake, and the guild is filled with Brouni. As in Brownies, the fairy/pixie/sprite, but I'm punning off the--- ANYWAY. Horrific offense, but don't die easily. Kinda miserable against a few specific enemies like the coffin jerks on 15F, but otherwise worked astonishingly better than you'd expect. Which is; not GOOD, but totally serviceable.

Necrocosm

-My original 'evil' guild, featuring two Necromancers, and edge as far as the eye can see. Two Necros work pretty well together; typically Velvet summoned them and Rue made them explode. The fact Necros heal and have evil vibes let them succeed where Maelstrom would totally fail. I also didn't bench anyone for dying, so that probably helped too.

Firebird

-This playthrough is only saved at Amalgolem and took like a single weekend to get there, so I didn't remember squat about it. Amalgolem is like my single fave boss in the whole series, so I just had to leave a file there. It's heavily skewed towards non-humans, and the bottom deck of the guild is just full of nigh-on unusable cross-classed horrors, like a Celestrian Pugilist and Therian Warlock.

EO2U -Probably where Guild Cards are the most functionally useful. Lets you get the Grimoire Stones the attached character has on hand as many times as you can afford. Pretty nifty, as Grimoires are semi-random in spawning.

Skyquake

-So I didn't actually buy EO2U when it came out for a variety of factors, not least being unaware how different it was from the original EOII, my first EO game. So I've only started this and Untold I fairly recently.

Ironroot

-Holy Gift gives you extra experience, but each level costs twice as much to trade as the previous. That is, you need two level 3 Grimoires to get a level 4. Or 128 level 3s for a single level 10. So having a Guild Card with lowish level Holy Gift is actually pretty dang useful to have.

Untold

-Story Guild. Haven't… uh, haven't exactly been Motivated to do Story mode in Untold 2. On paper, I really dislike the team composition. In practice, hasn't been so bad, but still not enough to make me play them more than necessary.

Fellbloom

-Now legally required Evil Guild. Probably won't ever get past Chimaera.

EOU -Unlike the sequel, Guild Cards don't let you choose what to get from the friend's Guild Card. You just get given a random Grimoire Stone once per playthrough per Guild Card. Kinda lame.

Untold -Unlike later games, only one save file here, and the game nigh-on requires you to play through the Story Mode before doing Classic in NG+, so, that's where we sit.

EOIV -First game to use QR codes. III had Guild Cards, but I don't know how you'd trade them. They do serve a purpose here; each Card gets given a random treasure, and having a Card lets you find that treasure in the overworld. Most are crap, but some are circumstantially useful, and some are permanent stat-boosts, IIRC. I don't think mine was very good…?

Zephyr

-Uh, EOIV had a glitch where your Ventured Days would go up dramatically every time you paused. I think it comes into affect if you ever do NG+. So I haven't actually played for 48 in-game years. Truth be told, now knowing of a way to back up save files, I am admittedly tempted to make a new EOIV playthrough, since it's been like a decade, but for my own sanity, I really probably shouldn't.

[cartoon-network-things]

As promised: the Cartoon Network UK Schedule for May 2013 (possibly the week starting from the 14th).

Like I said before, this schedule is not very good. It's nostalgic for sure, but not great in retrospect. Only a few shows during the day, and most of them consist of just Regular Show, Adventure Time, Gumball and Johnny Test, sometimes in THAT specific order. It's very lazy and boring, despite the fact that at least three of them are really good shows. It's not like CN was lacking in content at that point as the US feed was way ahead of the UK with a variety of different shows in different slots, though to be fair, half of those were aired on either Boomerang or CN Too, leaving the main channel a lot less to work with.

In terms of "new" content that week, or in this case, THAT YEAR, Gormiti: Forces of Nature is one I did not expect to see. I literally cannot recall a single memory of that show, despite being sliced inbetween Ben 10 Omniverse and Regular Show. Probably because it was only on for about a few weeks and disappeared soon after. This was however, a week or two AFTER Star Wars: The Clone Wars aired it's season premiere, so that's cool. In terms of other content, you got some early morning Chowder reruns, plus an hour of Ultimate Alien at 12pm. I was usually in school by then so it makes sense why I never saw it, despite having access to a DVR and knowing how to use one. You've also got some Dreamworks Dragons: Riders of Berk reruns exclusive to weekends, which I definitely remember seeing at the time. Notice how I managed to talk about every show on the daytime schedule in just ONE paragraph.

And if you thought THAT was bad, wait til you see the night-time schedule. Sure, you got some rather odd but cool lineup of classic cartoons from 9 to 11pm, and then an hour of Chop Socky Chooks, followed by two hours of Hero 108, also followed by the exact show preceeding it for another hour, AND THEN ANOTHER TWO HOURS OF HERO 108 AGAIN, followed by MORE Chop Socky Chooks at 5am. You see the problem? Over HALF of the graveyard slots are filled with just two shows for over 7 hours. And in case you're wondering what happened to Robotboy and all the other shows from 2010-2011ish, they were either moved to CN Too & Boomerang or just completely gone from all three (this is likely what happened with Fantastic Four). Though to be fair, it's not nearly as bad as you think because let's be real here: who the hell is gonna watch Cartoon Network at 3am? (totally not me lol)

Phew! Got tired from writing all of this shit. Maybe I'll post an ideal version of this schedule at some point by fixing some of its issues and just making something that could've been. Now if only I was this dedicated to actual important things.

[nancypullen]

Hit 'Em Where They Ain't, Boys

Over the years I've expressed my love for the sport of baseball. Love it. I've always had a favorite team to watch...the Fairbanks Goldpanners, the Nashville Sounds, and always, always the Atlanta Braves. The Braves are on my television right now battling with Chicago. They're up by one run in the second inning and I'm cheering them on. Apologies to my favorite diehard Cubs fan, Dina. All of that explains why I couldn't be more excited to share that we have tickets to see the Braves play the Nationals in D.C. on June 9th! An afternoon game in June, what's better than that? Nuttin'! We'll cross the bridge and catch the Metro which will drop us right at the stadium. No fighting traffic or looking for parking, hooray! I can't wait! As I've also mentioned a few hundred times I love the 1988 movie, Bull Durham. Baseball, steamy romance, big laughs, great music - what else do you need?

Kevin Costner. Need I say more?

I could relate to Annie Savoy. I mean, not because she's leggy and gorgeous, I'm neither, but her love of the game and commitment to the season. I used to have her opening (PG) monologue memorized.

I believe in the Church of Baseball. I've tried all the major religions and most of the minor ones. I've worshipped Buddha, Allah, Brahma, Vishnu, Siva, trees, mushrooms, and Isadora Duncan. I know things. For instance, there are 108 beads in a Catholic rosary and there are 108 stitches in a baseball. When I learned that, I gave Jesus a chance. (sigh) But it just didn't work out between us. The Lord laid too much guilt on me. I prefer metaphysics to theology.

You see, there's no guilt in baseball, and it's never borin' - which makes it like sex. There's never been a ballplayer slept with me who didn't have the best year of his career. Makin' love is like hittin' a baseball. You just gotta relax and concentrate. Besides, I'd never sleep with a player hittin' under .250, unless he had a lot of RBIs or was a great glove man up the middle.

You see, there's a certain amount of life wisdom I give these boys. I can expand their minds. Sometimes when I've got a ballplayer alone, I'll just read Emily Dickinson or Walt Whitman to him. And the guys are so sweet, they always stay and listen. Of course, a guy'll listen to anything if he thinks it's foreplay. I make them feel confident, and they make me feel safe - and pretty. Of course, what I give them lasts a lifetime. What they give me lasts 142 games. Sometimes it seems like a bad trade, but bad trades are part of baseball. I mean, who can forget Frank Robinson for Milt Pappas, for God's sake? It's a long season and you gotta trust it. I've tried 'em all, I really have. And the only church that truly feeds the soul - day in, day out, is the Church of Baseball.

I agree, Annie. Which is why I made this shirt to wear to the game.

I need to look good while I yell at the ump and call balls and strikes. I know they appreciate my help. Trying to decide which earrings to wear, of course the big earrings appeal to me.

I'll probably just wear the beaded hoops on the far left. Ponytail, hoops in Braves colors, and a Church of Baseball tee. If that doesn't spell crazy fan I don't know what does. Whoohoo, let's go, Braves! I don't want to hear a word about my craziness. It's fun to have something to look forward to - and if there's a rainout I may cry.

Alright, that's enough silliness from me for one night. I don't expect you to share my passion for baseball or my love of Bull Durham. I do hope that you can share a bit of my excitement for something fun on the horizon. When we don't have things to look forward to, life becomes drudgery. It doesn't have to be anything big - for me it can be a trip to a garden center or a shopping trip with my sister. Life needs to be sprinkled with occasional treats. So send good juju out to the universe for fair weather on June 9th, then tune in to the Braves game. I'll be the wackadoodle in the red shirt (that should narrow it down). Sending out heaps of love tonight, take what you need and pass it on. Stay safe, stay well. XOXO, Nancy P.S. Go watch Bull Durham. You're welcome.

[ufonaut]

Alan Scott’s various breakdowns are by now relatively common knowledge in fan spaces but lately I’ve been reading a lot about one of my favourite JSA eras, their revival in All-Star Comics (1976), and I realised something that’s often forgotten is the fact that the consequences of what I’ve colloquially referred to as ‘the airport incident’ followed Alan around for very nearly a decade.

After GBC went bankrupt, Alan -- encouraged by the Psycho Pirate -- took his frustration out on the Gotham International Airport and landed himself & the JSA in some major trouble with the law (March 1978). After the loss of his livelihood, he proceeded to live in Jay Garrick’s guest room for almost a year until he was offered a job with Universal Broadcasting (November 1978). It would be another seven years until he’d run a broadcasting station again (December 1985), initially in LA and then once again in Gotham (of course, not without a couple other mishaps and rampages along the way, but that’s another story). 

Here, I offer a quick illustrated history of that period.

I gave my best to this city -- fought for its safety in all corners of the globe! And I was rewarded by being driven into bankruptcy while I was saving lives! // You don’t understand, do you? None of you understand! Don’t you see -- they’ll take it all away from you too! Everything you’ve worked for -- cared about -- built! That’s the price they charge for being a hero-- and it just isn’t fair! || All-Star Comics (1976) #68

That solves the world’s problem, Fate, but not mine! Now that you freed me from the Psycho Pirate’s controls, I’m taking my first clear look at myself in a while -- and I don’t like what I see. There isn’t much future for a bankrupt broadcasting magnate... and I’m too old to go back to engineering. || All-Star Comics (1976) #69

With Gotham Broadcasting gone for good, Alan Scott needs a new job-- and I don’t mind presuming on our old friendship to get one! // I’m through forgetting about my life! From now on, Green Lantern is taking a backseat to Alan Scott’s happiness! || All-Star Comics (1976) #70

You know, Jay, I think you saved my life by giving me this job. For the first time in months, I feel like a human being again -- and not just a part of the power ring! || All-Star Comics (1976) #71

There he is... outside his prestigious research laboratory. And the man with him bears an extraordinary resemblance to Green Lantern! || Showcase (1956) #98

It was really great of Jay Garrick to get me that new job at his Keystone City lab... but I miss my old Gotham! I’ve lived here too long-- know it too well... I just had to come back for a visit! // I haven’t really committed myself to finding a place of my own since Jay and Joan have been letting me use this guest room... || Green Lantern (1960) #108

Still haven’t gotten to open this letter from Universal Broadcasting... || Green Lantern (1960) #109

My confidence has been shaken since I lost my position at Gotham Broadcasting. Well, it’s time to put an end to that! I’ve been putting off opening this letter... knowing that it would force me into a decision-- but now... whatever it is... I’m ready to face it! || Green Lantern (1960) #110

Enough suspense, it’s no secret I’ve been pretty low since I lost control of my Gotham City TV station a while back. Well, I’ve asked you all here tonight to celebrate my re-entry into the field of broadcasting! You see, yesterday I completed financial arrangements for the purchase of a new station -- and what’s more, it’s located right here in the City of Angels! || Infinity Inc. (1984) Annual #1

[watermeloncholycucumbersome]

Day 108 of Writing Something Everyday

(365 Day Challenge)

I feel like I'm doing way too much today yet there's still a part of me thinking I'm the laziest pos on the face of the planet.

I hope I can get out of this funk..

Church lady is denying another girl access to me so she can get items I offered to her to send away to her family in the Philippines.

Apparently that's unacceptable and I can't help or talk to ANYONE unless it's through her. Gross, disturbed behaviour for a 70 something year old woman.

Shame on her..

I just added a bunch of stuff on facebook marketplace to sell today, I'm sick of waiting for help.

I'm never going to get it at this rate. I'm dragging these big pieces of furniture around by myself, trying to sell everything I own. I'm made feel like mine and my mom's personal items are worthless because I can't barely get anyone to come get anything or inquire even. Some of her stuff was lots of money and me asking 10 for a 20 dollar item and so on should be great, but it's not.

It's so hard to clean all this up by myself and store things for people who may or may not come when they say they will or ever.

But you have no choice, you need the money. So you live on a whim of hopefully they respond or show up.

I'm in this get rid of everything mentality and I think it's a good thing. I feel like shits going to hit the fan at some point here and I might be forced to leave my apartment. Last thing I want is a bunch of bags/boxes of garbage to drag around with me, you know?

Less is better in the long run. Only keep what's important, the rest is unimportant.

If I don't hurry up I overthink too much and it gets overwhelming, so throwing stuff out on these days is great because you finally get it done. It just sucks that I finally get the energy to get up and accomplish something. Especially going through my mom's dresser as I just about lost my mind the last few times I went near it. I finally did it and this woman won't drive this young girl a few minutes to pick up a small bag from me because I told her I didn't want her signing me up for programmes at church that I wasn't even aware of I was being signed up for?

How is that fair?

What did the young girl do?

How is this a Christian woman??

Making a young girl suffer because she wants to punish me?

Wretched horrible woman..

Sad part is this will hurt me more because these are people who have been kind to me and she's hurting them now to get back at me because she's a baby and has unresolved issues that she needs to stop putting on others.

Grow up and take responsibility..

Why does a 31 year old woman have to teach her elders common sense and decency?

I guess these bags just sit here tonight then, but I guess I cleared out mine and my mom's dressers today so that's good - still sucks though.

What is wrong with this world, ugh...

I have to clean this apartment up and get this room set up so I can advertise I need a roommate. I have nobody helping with this, everyone talks a big talk until something really has to be done and you see their true colours. I've asked everyone church wise and even at my apartment building - guys want sexual favours and the women are either older or crippled. I literally contacted a random dude on Facebook for help and

Every

Single

One

Of

Them

Agree

Then

Make

An

Excuse

Last

Minute

Nobody follows through so I guess it's just me literally on my own now, so much for if you need me call me. Nobody responds to me any way.

Kinda scary thinking about a stranger living in your house with you to be honest, but I have no choice.

All of this will be done because I figure it out and do it though, I don't have any hope help is coming in the form of people any longer.

~Jenni

[bookaddict24-7]

REVIEWS OF THE WEEK!

Books I’ve read so far in 2023!

Friend me on Goodreads here to follow my more up to date reading journey for the year!

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108. Different Seasons by Stephen King--No Rating

DIFFERENT SEASONS is the first short story/novella collection by Stephen King that I've ever finished reading. I'll admit, this was a bit of a ride and had a lot of highs and lows. I'm so torn on what to rate this, so I'll not rate the overall collection, but each individual novella.

My library doesn't have DIFFERENT SEASONS in its entirety as an audiobook, but it had three of the four novellas in individual audiobooks, so that was fun and kind of weird--especially since that meant that the last story was a physical read for me (it was a really interesting contrast to doing audiobooks for the other three.

Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption: 5 Stars

To be fair, I absolutely adore the film adaptation. I loved seeing the little details left out of the film and the despair that can only come fr0m reading about an experience, rather than watching actors acting it out. One of my favourite things about this novella is how I was hooked from the beginning. Definitely a favourite from this collection! If you loved the film, I highly recommend this novella because it gives you a different experience that you might end up loving.

Apt Pupil: 2.5 Stars

One of the things I've always loved about King is how he has this power to make you incredibly uncomfortable through his provocative and dangerously line-crossing writing. But I'll be honest that this novella made me squirm in my seat. Maybe that alone should raise the rating, but what's also stopping me from raising the rating is the fact that I was eventually starting to zone out. I was NOT feeling this story and I think it's definitely my least favourite from the collection.

The Body: 3.5 Stars

I'll admit that this took a while to grip me. I don't know if having had watched the movie first so many years back was a detriment to reading this novella because I wasn't expecting this book to be so heavy with stories and reminiscing. I know this is the point of this book, since it's a journey (both literal and metaphorical) for four best friends who are about to have their lives changed. I will say that once I was finally into the story, there was no going back. The characters were vivid, the friendship a reminder of childhood adventuring and endless hope for what might come the next day. I ended up really enjoying this one in the end, but it took a while to get there!

The Breathing Method: 5 Stars

Hot take but, this is my favourite of the four novellas. I enjoyed the main character and his naive way of navigating this new world that has just opened up to him. I loved the concept of a men's club sharing stories of all kinds during Thursday nights. And that ending, as my friend said, is very much a Stephen King thing to do. I think this carried some really good scares (traditionally speaking) and an ending only King could write. I felt that the story flowed a lot better than two of the other novellas, and that in itself makes it a winner. I also enjoyed the story so much because it felt so unique, even thought there are a lot of people who get together on occasion to share stories, this grabbed my attention immediately since it was written in such a compulsive way. I love thinking that somewhere in the bowels of New York City there is a group of older white men telling each other horror stories.

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109. Alive by Piers Paul Read--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I've read horror books that have tackled some of the topics explored in this nonfiction recounting of the survivors of the Andes plane crash. I thought I would be super ready because truly, what story with cannibalism could be as jarring as TENDER IS THE FLESH? But I was so wrong, especially because this one was a true story.

Before I get to the meat of this nonfiction survival book, I want to mention how amazingly it is written. The pacing is great, the chapters being split on occasion between the survivors and their forever hunting and searching parents was amazing. While it was definitely important to see the perspectives of the parents, I loved that the main focus was on the survivors and their tale. I think a lot of books mess this up, so props to the author for getting this balance between the two just right.

Also, the events were told in such a way that it literally felt like a fictional story. It's hard to believe that these young men went through such horrors and somehow survived by the end of it all.

Now, for the raw aspects of the story: I think most people, when they talk of this plain crash, they speak of the cannibalism that occurred. The way it was explained by the survivors was both genius and terrifying. By the point where eating the bodies of the deceased became the norm, the dehumanization that occurred was what grossed me out the most. Referring to it as "meat" and just casually mentioning the body parts and spoiled "meat" tasting like cheese made me want to pause the audiobook and take a deep breath. One truly doesn't know what their brain is capable of until they are in that situation.

The survival aspect of this book is absolutely incredible. I highly recommend it--but please, for the love of all that is meaty, strengthen your stomach before you take a bite out of this one.

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110. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Pretty much everyone knows about this book by now. The hype has risen this book to bookish stardom and it's gotten to the point where we get at least one phone call per day (at the bookstore I work at) asking if we have it in stock.

Before I went into this, I was preparing myself. I was worried that the hype would set my expectations for this book at ridiculous levels. I avoided reviews and tried my best to avoid spoilers. When I finally picked this up, I tried my very best to have low expectations. If it sucked, it sucked. If the characters were meh, they were meh. If I was bored, it was fine. I could DNF it.

Ha.

FOURTH WING was incredible. It was the wildest ride I've had with fantasy in a long time and I enjoyed every single minute of it. I devoured the 20 hour audiobook in a day and a bit and my only regret is that it is done. With the sequel safely pre-ordered, I can say that I absolutely need it. Like, tomorrow.

The characters were amazing (even if a few of them should dive into a tub of acid--screw you and your creepiness dude I won't name, but if you've read this book you know who it is--he's a freaking PREDATOR.) and the MC's internal dialogue was *chef's kiss*. I loved the relationships and how they formed and how you couldn't get too attached to them because the Yarros is ruthless. You think you can bond with some characters? Nah, you can't because they'll be dead in the next chapter. It's wild, but I honestly loved it. Especially with how some of the deaths were dealt because dang, some were too funny and I'm probably going to hell.

The plot was addicting and so quickly paced. There was always something going on and I couldn't wait to see what came next. I'm also a massive sucker for the "prove everyone wrong" trope, which Yarros maneuvered masterfully with her novel. Plus, seeing as the MC has chronic pain, or her body is a lot more fragile than the other riders, made this book so much better. I loved that aspect, especially when others acknowledged how hard she worked.

The romance was GREAT. It was predictable, but so delicious. And I don't feel weird saying that because they were in their 20s. I loved how open the MC was about her sexuality and horniness, and how the love interest absolutely devoured her when given the chance. Those spicy scenes be spicy, especially the one near the end....I also loved the fluidity of sexuality in the academy because it's realistic af.

I loved the dragons and their sass (and the occasional adorableness of one of them). It makes me want to read more dragon stories!

One of my favourite things, however, was how I could see the MC growing through the writing style. When the book first started, it felt very YA. The MC was naive and she definitely needed to learn the keys to surviving her new and dangerous world. But as she grew into her experiences and as a character, the writing grew with her. Of course, more people died and that also helped mature the writing. But by the end of the book, the YA writing style felt like a thing in the distant past.

I loved this book and I know that it might not be for everyone and that some people may think it's over hyped, but it's just...pure fun? The tension, the adventure, the constant threat of death, the cunning, and the characters who never stopped striving to succeed made Fourth Wing a force to be reckoned with and I'm so glad I finally read it!

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111. Pet by Akwaeke Emezi--⭐️⭐️⭐️

Super unpopular opinion here: While the message of the book and topic are extremely important, the storytelling was...okay? I don't know. I think it started of beautifully, especially the descriptions of how the world was and who the monsters were, but somewhere along the way, the writing lost its hold on me.

I almost DNFed this because I wasn't into it. I kept going because there's so much love for this book and given the topics it explores and the themes it shines a light on, I can totally understand why. I think it just felt like this weird in between of middle grade and young adult, but with swearing thrown in. And I don't mind either of those things because I love MGLit books and I will swear until I'm blue, but the the combination was just odd and off-putting.

Also, the MC was kind of....annoying near the end. I understood what she was doing, but maybe it's the Taurus in me that was so annoyed by her actions. It read, to me, as an adult putting their morals onto a teenager who might not act in the same way if they were real. It's always been a thing that irks me with certain YA books, because it doesn't feel like a thing teenagers would do.

I don't know. Like I said, the messages were super, SUPER important. I loved the idea of calling these awful human beings monsters (because they are) and how by thinking that they've all been eradicated and/or rehabilitated, a town could live in peace even though some monsters hide in plain sight. I enjoyed the heart of the story because truly, if you ever watch true crime, it'll usually feature a town that thought it was safe from such evil. I really liked the concepts and the main idea, but the writing felt lacking for me. And that MC just felt too unrealistic.

If you DO decide to pick this up, though, trigger warning for CA and CSA.

___

112. Lost in the Moment & Found by Seanan McGuire--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My new favourite in this series!

LOST IN THE MOMENT & FOUND is heartbreaking and hopeful at the same time (especially when the MC sees both a new future and the potential for a second chance at a future. Heartbreaking because, TW, of the horrors living in her home and the threat of CSA (but like the author says in the preface, she runs away).

From the author's heartfelt TW page, to the reveal of what was really happening in the MC's new life, this book was magic. McGuire's ability to take words and create a narrative both so naive and oddly mature at the same time is masterful and while the other books dealt with the whimsical, bullying, lost dreams, and other forms of childhood formative experiences, this one hit different. I felt so ill reading the first half of the book, but I knew the MC, even at such a young age, was someone incredibly powerful in her own right--even as this monster was attempting to steal her strength.

Highly recommend this series--each book offers so much magic.

___

113. Clown in A Cornfield 2: Frendo Lives by Adam Cesare--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

While this one, in my opinion, wasn't as good as the first book, I still found it to be entertaining and full of stomach-churning moments. This was like...reading the sequel to SCREAM and knowing that it will probably not live up to the first movie.

The story for this started just as slowly as the first book did, but it definitely played with the idea and concept of the victim being blamed to the point where they look like the villain. I think that was pretty well done, especially because there were instances where I got pretty pissed off with the people victim blaming.

I loved seeing the continuation of a couple that was revealed in the first book, but it hurt to see the issues between them--especially when I just want to see them succeed together. I found that their issues weren't really resolved and just kind of...swept to the side? But I think this is also par for the course, especially since these books are written in a way you'd expect to see for a potential film adaptation.

The horror was gruesome, the deaths were just as gory as the first book, and the ridiculousness of the whole thing was so much fun. I highly recommend these books, especially for October!

Don't go in expecting a masterpiece, but just go in to have a bloody good time.

___

114. Horror Hotel by Victoria Fulton & Faith McClaren--⭐️⭐️⭐️

While HORROR HOTEL isn't perfect, it's such a fun read--especially if you're a fan of the Cecil Hotel.

When I first heard about this book, I was instantly hooked on the idea of it. A group of teenagers who are paranormal investigators going into a hotel that is hella haunted and has a dark af history? Sign me up. The central case and character that is often referenced at the beginning of the book is a mirror of a famous death that happened there a few years ago and while some might find it questionable, I think it was an interesting.

When the Elisa Lam case first appeared on the internet, I was so curious and terrified by the footage. The idea that this poor woman could have experienced who knew what and ended up where she did was such a heartbreaking mystery. Obviously, there are only a couple of similarities in this book to the real-life case, nothing too macabre, but it was enough to pull me in.

The character relationships were interesting and had some layers that could have benefitted from a bit more exploration. This story really felt like we jumped into it in the middle of these friendships, kind of like an episode of their show where we only know what they show us and nothing more. In a way, this really did feel like I was watching an edgy episode of a ghost hunting show--this one just included a serial killer and a lovestruck teen boy.

Like a lot of young adult horror, don't go in expecting perfection. If you want a pretty straightforward ghost story with a real killer, some questionable side characters, and a group of teens making less than great life choices, then this is a book to add to your TBR. I'm always wary of the star rating on Goodreads for horror novels because honestly, the genre can be incredibly divisive.

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115. What Happened to Rachel Riley? by Claire Swinarski--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I remember seeing this book at work and being so curious about it. One of the things I love doing is browsing the middle grade shelves because sometimes I find gems like this one. WHAT HAPPENED TO RACHEL RILEY? is such an important read. And listen, I know I say this a lot about middle grade novels, but oftentimes, books like this one have such important messages and undertones.

Swinarski tackles bullying in this one and I really appreciated it. Yes, there's a mystery and a teenager who is an aspiring journalist/podcaster, but the heart of this book is about a girl who fell from the pedestal she was put on and was taken down quickly and harshly. Rachel, the bullied subject of the MC's "project" handles the bullying so well and so maturely. What's messed up, though, is that she has to do this at such a young age.

As a person who suffered HEAVY bullying in middle grade, I can say that middle school is hell. Kids are cruel and will do anything to avoid being the next target. One of the topics explored in this book was also that of sexual assault and the many forms it may take. It's also important to note that these kids show how society has essentially groomed girls to laugh SA off if it doesn't fit the "typical" SA behaviour. If a young reader reads this and sees a situation they might have witnessed while in school, they may now have a tool to speak up against the behaviour. This is why literature like this matters. This book attempts to break that cycle and although it shows how difficult that can be, it also shows that there is hope that one day the cycle will be easier to break.

I highly recommend this, not just for middle grade kids, but also for adults who might have been kids like the ones in this book who thought laughing discomfort off was the only way to survive the jungles of middle grade.

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Have you read any of these books? Let me know your thoughts!

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Happy reading!

[max--phillips]

Alright, kids, my unhinged data gathering about EVs has culminated in a google sheet that is now, to the best of my knowledge, complete. I have looked at every active car manufacturer in the US, their EVs (if they have any), their plug-in hybrids (if they have any) (also, referred to as PHEVs), their base price, their max price (meaning, I went in to their build function and added all the shit to it I possibly could), their minimum range, maximum available range, and the type of vehicle. For PHEVs, this included electric-only range, total range, and MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent).

You can visit the Google sheet where this information lives here. Edit from June of 2024: the Google sheet is currently unavailable, sorry!

First of all: Why the hell did I do this?

Great question. I got passed on the road about a month ago by a pack of Lucid Air test drive vehicles. It was a rare instance of me not recognizing a vehicle--I literally work with them every day to make a living, and I consider myself to be pretty acquainted with the available auto manufacturers in the US. So, I looked them up, and it's a new EV brand, which might be a good thing vis a vis bringing more players to the market and all that jazz... but their base MSRP is fucking $87,000. I got so mad about the fact that manufacturers just keep bringing luxury EVs to the market and not like, consumer-level, reasonably priced EVs that I decided to compile this list of information to... well. To be fair I don't know what I was hoping to accomplish with this. At most, prove a point, I guess?

With that out of the way... what did we learn from this?

No more electric SUV options. Society has progressed past the need for more electric SUV options.

I compiled information on a grand total of 40 current EV models, 43 future EV models, 35 current PHEV models, and uh... 2 future PHEV models. Of those, 34 current EVs, 26 future EVs, 23 current PHEVs, and 1 of the future PHEVs were SUVs. That's 70%. Meanwhile, we have (in all four categories) 1 lone cargo van/work vehicle, 10 coupes, 8 pickup trucks, 1 hatchback, 1 minivan, 29 sedans, 3 wagons, and 1 microbus (VW ID. Buzz my beloved). And listen, don't get me wrong: SUVs are great. They're versatile (the U in SUV is for 'utility' after all!) and they're filling the niche that minivans once did, but damn, 70% of the market? Come ON guys. We're more interesting than that, I hope.

Are you not rich? Want an EV? Too bad.

The average base MSRP for an EV in the US right now is $65,556. Are you kidding me? The average base MSRP for the future EVs I found information on is $86,377. The PHEVs include some performance/ultra-luxury brands because of the fact electric motors provide a lot of torque and are desirable in some performance vehicles, so even taking those out, the average base MSRP of a PHEV is $63,442.

The superlatives

Current EVs

First, the good superlatives:

Lowest base MSRP & max price both go to the Chevy Bolt EV, ranging from $26,500 to $34,000. (sedan, range around 259 miles)

Highest range (unfortunately) goes to the Lucid Air, the vehicle that started me on this whole thing. The minimum range is 410 miles, which is the highest minimum range available. The maximum range is 516 miles, blowing the Tesla Model S extended range out of the water by 111 miles. (sedan, price ranges from $87,400 to $249,000).

Now, the bad superlatives

Highest base MSRP goes to the Audi RS e-tron GT, at a whopping $143,900. This beats our highest maximum price model's base MSRP by $2,700. (sedan, range around 232)

Highest maximum price goes to the Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo and Cross Turismo at $304,000. Fun fact: $30,000 of that maximum price is for custom paint. (wagon, range from 222-235 miles)

Lowest range goes to the Mazda MX-30 with a measly 100 miles of range. The next lowest range, the Ford E-Transit, a cargo van, gets 108! This vehicle is currently only available in California. (SUV, price ranges from $34,110 to $43,000)

Current PHEVs

Good superlatives

Highest electric only range goes to Land Rover, both the Range Rover and the Range Rover Sport, with 51 miles. (SUV, MPGe for both is 42, total range for both is 480, price for the Range Rover Sport ranges from $118,200 to $159,000, and price for the Range Rover Sport ranges from $142,575 tp $170,000).

Highest total range, best MPGe, AND lowest base MSRP goes to the Toyota Prius Prime, with 640 miles of total range and a whopping 133 MPGe. Its base MSRP is $32,350. (sedan, electric only range is 44 miles, maximum price is $50,000)

Lowest maximum price goes to the Kia Niro, which will only let you spend $44,000 on it. (SUV, base MSRP $33,840, electric only range 33 miles, total range 560, MPGe 108)

Bad superlatives (a lot of ties for this one, folks)

Worst total range: a tie between the BMW XM and the MINI Countryman, both at 300 miles. (BMW XM: SUV, 30 miles electric only range, 46 MPGe, costs between $159,00 and $186,000. MINI Countryman: Sedan, 17 miles electric only range, 73 MPGe, costs around $41,000)

Worst electric only range is a tie between the Ferrari 296 and Ferrari SF90, both at 15 miles. I have thoughts (derogatory) about these models, but I'll save them. (both coupes; both 330 miles total range; 296 gets 47 MPGe, SF90 gets 51 MPGe. Base MSRP for the 296 is $237,500. I'll get to the SF90 in a moment,)

Worst MPGe goes to the McLaren Artura at 39 MPGe. (Coupe, 330 total range, 19 miles electric only range, base MSRP $237,500)

The highest listed maximum price goes to the Porsche Panamera E-Hybrid, at $295,815. (Sedan, 19 miles electric-only range, 480 miles total range, 52 MPGe, base MSRP is $109,000.)

The highest base MSRP goes, once again, to the Ferrari SF90 at $524,815. Just reading that number hurts me.

Finally, a five-way tie for the most likely to have the highest actual maximum price, because they're cowards and don't put their pricing on their websites. These are the Ferrari SF90, the Ferrari 296, the Bentley Flying Spur, the Bentley Bentayga, and the McLaren Artura. (Bentley Flying Spur: Sedan, 26 miles electric-only range, 500 miles total range, 46 MPGe, base MSRP $217,525. Bentayga: SUV, 29 miles electric only range, 448 total range, 45 MPGe, base MSRP $200,025).

I'm not going to do any superlatives for future vehicles because I don't want to jump the gun on any judgements. Plus, with some of them the MSRPs are just like... educated guesses. Anyway, I have the whole google sheet here if you wanna poke around.

What conclusions can we draw from this?

I appreciate that the US wants to regulate new car sales sooner rather than later to encourage new EV sales in an attempt to be more environmentally friendly. However, until the average price for a new EV comes down significantly, more and more people are going to be in the used car market whether they want to be or not. Beyond that, we simply do not have the infrastructure for this. There are gas stations on damn near every corner, but the closest charging station to me is 2 miles away, and even that's a Tesla Supercharger, so it's only useful if you have a Tesla. The closest non-Tesla charger is 4 miles away. Sure, you can plug it in at home, but in order for that to be done at more than a snail's pace, you need to have it specially installed which is an additional cost that people may not be able to afford.

Additionally, it's interesting to me that being environmentally friendly is still such a huge privilege that's seemingly marketed towards wealthy people, yet huge corporations and the ultrawealthy people actually polluting our planet continue to offload the blame onto poor people for using single use plastics. It's a bizarre paradox.

In conclusion, car manufacturers need to get their shit together so more people can buy EVs at a price that isn't insane. Thank you goodbye

[guitar-prgress]

Day 108 of trying to guitar... i guess

Today i vibed mad hard. I would say that today was the perfect day. First of all christmas just started. I had an exam with a dogwater teacher and she got the rona so i did not wright it. Also i went over to my first live ever that i actually listen to the band i go see that being jazz sabbath and snatching a vinyl (and getting it signed). Also i vibed with a ladwho i will meet with again it 2 days so that is great. There is probably more but that is about it... ... ...

Oh yeah this is supposed to be dedicated to my progress at guitar. I played a fair lot mostly improvising over songs and chilling practicing tremollo picking and vibrato for no reason burning skin in the proscess. Also i completely ignored chord practice again heehee.