#elise bray

[echosong971]

Random thought of the day because I will never stop hyperfixating on Exos:

Exos can get sick, but it’s very rare and most of the “sicknesses” operates much like a computer virus at a functional level. Many symptoms of these viruses can mirror those of more organic sicknesses, I.e. upset stomach, headache, fever, body aches. Though there are a few Exo specific symptoms that can occur, I.e. glitching voice box, staticky optics, sudden shut downs, malfunctioning limbs, etc.

There are shops that sell “kill codes” that act as the Exo equivalent of antibiotics and antivirals, though they have timed effects and often leave the Exo feeling weak and tired after it kills the virus, since now their systems have to clean up the mess the viruses made and work on restoring potentially lost data—this takes a lot of energy.

Maybe these viruses originated from the Golden Age as a way to hack into Exos and shut them down, because some people didn’t agree with what BrayTech was doing with Exos. Those computer viruses, which were potentially programmed to be “self-learning” so it could adapt to the protective measures installed in Exos, ended up “mutating” and becoming more dangerous and “infectious” (i.e. now they can spread through contact via jumping across from one body to the other via static electricity or something idk) and so people have developed safeguards against them—like firewalls that act as their “vaccines” that are installed into their bodies and hardware so the virus can’t do anything.

I dunno, I’m just musing. Feel free to add on y’all’s thoughts haha

[300-dismembered-exo-limbs]

DEATH TO THE TOLEIT PAPER

the exo stranger/lizzie-wizze-brazie-idk-I-don’t-like-her needs toilet paper confirmed

i think I should sleep

(also yes you can shot the toliet paper and it can take damage, only in that intro mission tho)

[screaming-for-eternally]

Elise time traveling be like (based off this one scene)

[fanbynature]

loving the fact that pixelcircus are getting back to uploading more game types of videos

[richincolor]

[The images above are each of the book covers of the new releases. For more detailed descriptions for each cover, please visit the original post on our blog.]

New Releases

Maybe it has been happening every year and I didn't notice, but this January brought a fabulously large amount of new releases and I am not complaining. Here are a few we're watching for this week.

The Davenports (The Davenports #1) by Krystal Marquis Dial Books

The Davenports are one of the few Black families of immense wealth and status in a changing United States, their fortune made through the entrepreneurship of William Davenport, a formerly enslaved man who founded the Davenport Carriage Company years ago. Now it’s 1910, and the Davenports live surrounded by servants, crystal chandeliers, and endless parties, finding their way and finding love—even where they’re not supposed to.

There is Olivia, the beautiful elder Davenport daughter, ready to do her duty by getting married . . . until she meets the charismatic civil rights leader Washington DeWight and sparks fly. The younger daughter, Helen, is more interested in fixing cars than falling in love—unless it’s with her sister’s suitor. Amy-Rose, the childhood friend turned maid to the Davenport sisters, dreams of opening her own business—and marrying the one man she could never be with, Olivia and Helen’s brother, John. But Olivia’s best friend, Ruby, also has her sights set on John Davenport, though she can’t seem to keep his interest . . . until family pressure has her scheming to win his heart, just as someone else wins hers.

Inspired by the real-life story of the Patterson family, The Davenports is the tale of four determined and passionate young Black women discovering the courage to steer their own path in life—and love. — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

Two Can Play That Game by Leanne Yong Allen & Unwin

Sam Khoo has one goal in life: create cool indie games. She’s willing to do anything to make her dream come true – even throw away a scholarship to university. All she needs is a super-rare ticket to a game design workshop and she can kickstart her career.

So when Jaysen Chua, otherwise known as Jerky McJerkface, sneakily grabs the last ticket for himself, Sam is left with no choice. It’s war. Knowing all too well how their Australian-Malaysian community works, she issues him an ultimatum: put the ticket on the line in a 1v1 competition of classic video games, or she’ll broadcast his duplicity to everyone. Thank you, Asian Gossip Network.

Meeting in neutral locations, away from the eyes and ears of nosy aunties and uncles, Sam and Jay connect despite themselves. It’s a puzzle that Sam’s not sure she wants to solve. But when her dream is under threat, will she discover that there is more than one way to win?

Play the Game by Charlene Allen Katherine Tegan Books

In the game of life, sometimes other people hold all the controls. Or so it seems to VZ. Four months have passed since his best friend Ed was killed by a white man in a Brooklyn parking lot.

When Singer, the man who killed Ed, is found dead in the same spot where Ed was murdered, all signs point to Jack, VZ’s other best friend, as the prime suspect.

VZ’s determined to complete the video game Ed never finished and figure out who actually killed Singer. With help from Diamond, the girl he’s crushing on at work, VZ falls into Ed’s quirky gameiverse. As the police close in on Jack, the game starts to uncover details that could lead to the truth about the murder.

Can VZ honor Ed and help Jack before it’s too late? — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

Reggie and Delilah’s Year of Falling by Elise Bryant Balzer + Bray

Delilah always keeps her messy, gooey insides hidden behind a wall of shrugs and yeah, whatevers. She goes with the flow—which is how she ends up singing in her friends’ punk band as a favor, even though she’d prefer to hide at the merch table.

Reggie is a D&D Dungeon Master and self-declared Blerd. He spends his free time leading quests and writing essays critiquing the game under a pseudonym, keeping it all under wraps from his disapproving family.

These two, who have practically nothing in common, meet for the first time on New Year’s Eve. And then again on Valentine’s Day. And then again on St. Patrick’s Day. It’s almost like the universe is pushing them together for a reason.

Delilah wishes she were more like Reggie—open about what she likes and who she is, even if it’s not cool. Except . . . it’s all a front. Reggie is just role-playing someone confident. The kind of guy who could be with a girl like Delilah.

As their holiday meetings continue, the two begin to fall for each other. But what happens once they realize they’ve each fallen for a version of the other that doesn’t really exist? — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

The Black Queen by Jumata Emill Delacorte Press

Nova Albright was going to be the first Black homecoming queen at Lovett High—but now she’s dead. Murdered on coronation night. Fans of One of Us Is Lying and The Other Black Girl will love this unputdownable thriller.

Nova Albright, the first Black homecoming queen at Lovett High, is dead. Murdered the night of her coronation, her body found the next morning in the old slave cemetery she spent her weekends rehabilitating.

Tinsley McArthur was supposed to be queen. Not only is she beautiful, wealthy, and white, it’s her legacy—her grandmother, her mother, and even her sister wore the crown before her. Everyone in Lovett knows Tinsley would do anything to carry on the McArthur tradition.

No one is more certain of that than Duchess Simmons, Nova’s best friend. Duchess’s father is the first Black police captain in Lovett. For Duchess, Nova’s crown was more than just a win for Nova. It was a win for all the Black kids. Now her best friend is dead, and her father won’t fact the fact that the main suspect is right in front of him. Duchess is convinced that Tinsley killed Nova—and that Tinsley is privileged enough to think she can get away with it. But Duchess’s father seems to be doing what he always does: fall behind the blue line. Which means that the white girl is going to walk.

Duchess is determined to prove Tinsley’s guilt. And to do that, she’ll have to get close to her.

But Tinsley has an agenda, too.

Everyone loved Nova. And sometimes, love is exactly what gets you killed. — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

Promise Boys by Nick Brooks Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)

The Urban Promise Prep School vows to turn boys into men. As students, J.B., Ramón, and Trey are forced to follow the prestigious “program’s” strict rules. Extreme discipline, they’ve been told, is what it takes to be college bound, to avoid the fates of many men in their neighborhoods. This, the Principal Moore Method, supposedly saves lives.

But when Moore ends up murdered and the cops come sniffing around, the trio emerges as the case’s prime suspects. With all three maintaining their innocence, they must band together to track down the real killer before they are arrested. But is the true culprit hiding among them? — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

How to Be a (Young) Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi & Nic Stone Kokila

The New York Times bestseller How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi is shaping the way a generation thinks about race and racism. How to be a (Young) Antiracist is a dynamic reframing of the concepts shared in the adult book, with young adulthood front and center. Aimed at readers 12 and up, and co-authored by award-winning children’s book author Nic Stone, How to be a (Young) Antiracist empowers teen readers to help create a more just society. Antiracism is a journey–and now young adults will have a map to carve their own path. Kendi and Stone have revised this work to provide anecdotes and data that speaks directly to the experiences and concerns of younger readers, encouraging them to think critically and build a more equitable world in doing so. — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

One Girl In All The World (In Every Generation #2) by Kendare Blake Disney-Hyperion

Into every generation, a slayer is born. One girl in all the world . . . maybe.

Frankie Rosenberg is the world’s first slayer-witch, but she doesn’t have that slay-life balance figured out just yet. After all, being the newest slayer means that another slayer had to die. Frankie and the Scooby gang are still reeling from the deadly explosion that rocked the annual slayer retreat―and grappling with new evidence that some slayers may have made it out alive. And even though they defeated bloodthirsty vampire the Countess, it doesn’t mean Sunnydale is free from the forces of evil.

Something has reawakened the Hellmouth―and is calling old friends home. Someone is performing demon magic in the shadows, opening portals between dimensions. Everyone has demons to contend with―of the metaphorical and the very real (occasionally very hot) variety. And an oracle warns of a new evil on its way: the Darkness.

Could this be what attacked the slayers? And is it coming for Frankie? — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

The Cartographers by Amy Zhang *HarperCollins

Ocean Wu has always felt enormous pressure to succeed. After struggling with depression during her senior year in high school, Ocean moves to New York City, where she has been accepted at a prestigious university. But Ocean feels so emotionally raw and unmoored (and uncertain about what is real and what is not), that she decides to defer and live off her savings until she can get herself together. She also decides not to tell her mother (whom she loves very much but doesn’t want to disappoint) that she is deferring—at least until she absolutely must.

In New York, Ocean moves into an apartment with Georgie and Tashya, two strangers who soon become friends, and gets a job tutoring. She also meets a boy—Constantine Brave (a name that makes her laugh)—late one night on the subway. Constant is a fellow student and a graffiti artist, and Constant and Ocean soon start corresponding via Google Docs—they discuss physics, philosophy, art, literature, and love. But everything falls apart when Ocean goes home for Thanksgiving, Constant reveals his true character, Georgie and Tashya break up, and the police get involved.

Ocean, Constant, Georgie, and Tashya are all cartographers—mapping out their futures, their dreams, and their paths toward adulthood in this stunning and heartbreaking novel about finding the strength to control your own destiny. — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

*The HarperCollins Union has been striking since 10 November 2022. Please consider supporting the strike by purchasing books through the union's Bookshop account or by donating to the strike fund.

[toonabby]

Q1 (January to March) anniversary recap thread:

Here's a listed of works that celebrated their milestone anniversaries this year and people who celebrated their milestone birthdays that I missed last quarter, as well as works that released this year:

[Note that this draft was made in March 31, but I didn't have enough time to post it, hence why it's here]

1964 and earlier:

Colonel Heeza Liar's African Hunt - January 10, 1914

Gertie the Dinosaur - February 18, 1914

Colonel Heeza Liar Shipwrecked - March 14, 1914

Janet Waldo✝️(Late American voice actress known for portraying Judy Jetson from The Jetsons) - February 4, 1919

Felix Out of Luck - January 1, 1924

Ron Moody✝️(Late British actor, singer, and composer) - Born January 8, 1924

Felix Loses Out - January 15, 1924

Felix 'Hyps' the Hippo, Colonel Heeza Liar's Mysterious Case - February 1, 1924

Felix Crosses the Crooks - February 15, 1924

Felix Tries to Rest - February 29, 1924

Alice's Day at Sea - March 1, 1924

Yanky Clippers - January 21, 1929

Sick Cylinders - February 18, 1929

James Hong (Chinese-American actor known for Mr. Ping in the KFP franchise) - Born February 22, 1929

Bob Uecker (Former MLB player) - Born January 26, 1934

Barry Humphries✝️(Late Australian actor known for portraying Bruce in Finding Nemo) - Born February 17, 1934

Hamateur Night - January 28, 1939

Mickey's Surprise Party - February 18, 1939

Ferdinand the Bull - February 23, 1939

Goofy and Wilbur - March 17, 1939

Jerry Springer✝️(Late American comedian) - Born February 13, 1944

R. Lee Ermey✝️(Late American actor and Marine drill instructor) - Born March 24, 1944

Adventures of Pow Wow - January 30, 1949

Pat Farley (American voice actor for Krang, Casey Jones and Baxter Stockman in the 80's TMNT series) - Born February 18, 1949

Oprah Winfrey - Born January 29, 1954

Shigeru China (Veteran Japanese voice actor) - Born February 4, 1954

James Carter Cathcart AKA Jimmy Zoppi (Retired NY-based voice actor known for portraying James, Meowth, and Pros. Oak) - Born March 8, 1954

Clancy Brown (voice actor for Mr. Krabs) - Born January 6, 1959

Sleeping Beauty (1959) - January 29

Clutch Cargo (1959) - March 9

The Magilla Gorilla Show - January 14

Michelle Obama - Born January 17

Mika Kanai (Japanese voice actress for Vanilla H, Satoko Houjou, and Histoire) - Born March 18

1969:

Mr. Lawrence (American animator and recurring voice actor in SpongeBob SquarePants) - Born January 1

Himitsu no Ako-chan - January 6

Patton Oswalt (American comedian) - Born January 27

Lee Toker (Canadian voice actor for Bling-Bling Boy, The Roach, and Snips) - Born February 11

Paget Brewster (voice actor for Elise Pearson, Della Duck, and Judy Ken Sebben) - Born March 10

Kevin Shinick (producer of MAD) - Born March 19

1974:

Heidi, Girl of the Alps - January 6

Christian Bale (English actor beat known for portraying Batman) - January 30

Vicky the Viking - January 31

Seth Green (American voice actor for Chris Griffin and creator of/recurring voice actor for Robot Chicken) - February 8

Bagpuss - February 12

Kamen Rider X - February 16

1979:

Amigo and Friends - January 1

Julie the Wild Rose - January 4

Battle Fever J - February 3

Josh Keaton (American voice actor for Spider-Man) - February 8

Maryke Hendrikse (Canadian voice actor for Susan Test, Revy, and Gilda) - February 23

1984:

Katri, Girl of the Meadows - January 8

Kaiji Tang (LA-based voice actor for Archer, Fang, and Jinshi) - Born January 25

Cristina Miliza (voice actress for Poison Ivy, Jessica Cruz, and Charlene) - Born February 1

Choudenshi Bioman - February 4

Ian Sinclair - Born March 2

Lupin III Part III - March 3

James the Cat - March 10

Future Boy Conan and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind - March 11

Doraemon: Nobita's Great Adventure into the Underworld - March 17

1989:

Marianne Bray (Crunchyroll English dub voice actress for Charlotte Flampe, Mia Christoph, and Ichigo Saotome) - Born February 6

Chip & Dale: Rescue Rangers, Kousoku Sentai Turboranger - March 4

Doraemon: Nobita and the Birth of Japan - March 11

Babar - March 28

1994:

Reina Ueda (Japanese voice actress) - Born January 17

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 - February 2

Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego? - February 5

Ninja Sentai Kakuranger - February 18

Dakota Fanning (American actress and daughter of Steve Fanning) - Born February 23

Duckman - March 5

The Busy World of Richard Scarry - March 9

Alan Ituriel (Mexican creator and voice actor for Villainous) - March 10

Doraemon: Nobita's Three Visionary Swordsmen and Dragon Ball Z: Broly - Second Coming - March 12

Super Metroid - March 19

Thumbelina - March 30

1999:

The PJs - January 10

The Brothers Flub - January 17

Super Smash Bros - January 21

Zoboomafoo and Dilbert - January 25

TNK (Japanese animation studio known for School Days and High School DxD) - January 29, 1999

A Little Curious - February 1

Power Rangers Lost Galaxy - February 6

Ojamajo Doremi - February 7

Mario Party (US) - February 8

Final Fantasy VIII - February 11

Kyuukyuu Sentai GoGoFive - February 21

Babar: King of the Elephants - February 26

Joshua David King (Africa-American voice actor and singer) - Born February 28

WonderSwan - March 4

Doraemon: Nobita Drifts in the Universe - March 6

Tarzan of the Apes - March 9

Neo Geo Pocket Color - March 16

Doug's 1st Movie - March 26

2004:

Drake & Josh - January 11

Seven Little Monsters - January 14

Vocaloid - January 15

Teacher's Pet - January 16

Whoopi's Littleburg - January 18

The Koala Brothers, Boohbah - January 19

Kamen Rider Blade - January 25

Winx Club - January 28

The Lion King 1½ - February 10

Power Rangers Dino Thunder - February 14

Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger - February 15

Clifford's Really Big Movie - February 20

Duel Masters - February 27

Tripping the Rift - March 4

Doraemon: Nobita in the Wan-Nyan Spacetime Odyssey - March 7

Game Over - March 10

Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed - March 26

2009:

Huntik: Secrets & Seekers, Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight - January 3

The Electric Company - January 19

Wolverine and the X-Men - January 23

Kamen Rider Decade - January 25

Olivia - January 26

Hulk Vs - January 27

RuPaul's Drag Race - February 2

Coraline - February 6

Friday the 13th remake - February 13

Samurai Sentai Shinkenger - February 15

Madea Goes to Jail - February 20

League of Super Evil - March 5

Watchmen - March 6

Doraemon: The New Record of Nobita: Spaceblazer, Power Rangers RPM - March 7

The Amazing Spiez! - March 15

Barbie Thumbelina - March 17

Pretty Cure All Stars DX - March 20

Monsters Vs. Aliens - March 27

2014:

Every Witch Way - January 1

BeyWarriors: BeyRaiderz, Space Dandy, Seitokai Yakuindomo - January 4

Noragami - January 5

D-Frag, Robot Girls Z, Super Sonic: The Animation - January 6

Numb Chucks - January 7

Engage to the Unidentified - January 8

Go! Go! 575 - January 9

No-Rin, Wake Up Girls - January 10

Nisekoi - January 11

Tesagure! Bukatsu-mono Encore - January 12

The Nut Job - January 17

Sheriff Callie's Wild West, The Idolmaster Movie: Beyond the Brilliant Future! - January 25

The Lego Movie - February 7

Barbie: The Pearl Princess, Power Rangers Super Megaforce - February 15

Ressha Sentai ToQger - February 16

Peabody and Mr. Sherman - March 7

Pretty Rhythm: All Star Selection - March 8

Cardfight!! Vanguard: Legion Mate - March 9

Nerds and Monsters - March 12

Pretty Cure All Stars New Stage 3 - March 15

Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth2: SISTERS GENERATION - March 20

Muppets Most Wanted - March 21

2019:

Abby Hatcher - January 1

Dororo remake - January 7

The Rising of the Shield Hero - January 9

The Quintessential Quintuplets - January 10

Kaguya-sama: Love Is War - January 12

The Magnificent Kotobuki - January 13

Gigantosaurus - January 18

Gen:Lock - January 26

Rainbow Butterfly Unicorn Kitty - January 27

Arc of Alchemist - February 7

The Lego Movie 2 - February 8

Doom Patrol, The Umbrella Academy - February 15

Super Sentai Strongest Battle - February 17

Corn & Peg, How to Train Your Dragon: Hidden World - February 22

Tyler Perry's A Madea Family Funeral - March 1

Power Rangers Beast Morphers - March 2

DC Super Hero Girls, Captain Marve, Costume Quest - March 8

Fully Funtasia - March 11

Wonder Park - March 15

Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger - March 17

Pokemon the Series: Sun & Moon - Ultra Legends - March 23

Dumbo remake - March 29

Victor and Valentino - March 30

2024:

[winningthesweepstakes]

Reggie and Delilah's Year of Falling by Elise Bryant

Reggie and Delilah’s Year of Falling by Elise Bryant. Balzer + Bray, 2023. 9780063212992 Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 4 Format: Hardcover Genre: Romance What did you like about the book?  Delilah’s been covering the Fun Gi merch table when the band performs, but her 3 friends (including crush Charlie) have decided to try her out in the lead singer slot. Serendipitously,…

[ilayas11]

Elisabeth Bray / Elise Bray / The Exo Stranger  from Destiny 2.

[2021ya]

HAPPILY EVER AFTERS

by Elise Bryant

(Balzer + Bray, 1/5/21)

9780062982834

Add to Goodreads

Purchase from Bookshop

Sixteen-year-old Tessa Johnson has never felt like the protagonist in her own life. She’s rarely seen herself reflected in the pages of the romance novels she loves. The only place she’s a true leading lady is in her own writing—in the swoony love stories she shares only with Caroline, her best friend and #1 devoted reader. When Tessa is accepted into the creative writing program of a prestigious art school, she’s excited to finally let her stories shine. But when she goes to her first workshop, the words are just…gone. Fortunately, Caroline has a solution: Tessa just needs to find some inspiration in a real-life love story of her own. And she’s ready with a list of romance-novel-inspired steps to a happily ever after that will surely refill Tessa’s creative well. Nico, the brooding artist who looks like he walked out of one of Tessa’s stories, is cast as the perfect Prince Charming. But as Tessa checks each item off Caroline’s list, she gets further and further away from finding her words, and herself, again. She risks losing her parents’ trust, her spot in the writing program, and her friendships—including the surprising bond she develops with Sam, the aspiring baker who lives across the street. She’s well on her way to having her own real-life love story, yet she can’t help but wonder…Is it the one she wants, after all?

This book had a preorder campaign that has now ended, but for authors looking into what folks have offered for preorder campaigns, here is that info

Preorder Campaign: Vinyl sticker sheet featuring original cover art by Michelle D’Urbano. 

[blackchildrensbooksandauthors]

18 YA Novels about Finding Love

Recently, Renee Watson has been on a book tour for her new release, Love is a Revolution. She stated in this PEN America interview, “I wanted a dark-skinned Black girl with a big body to be the desired one, not the side character.” Valentine’s Day is less than a week away, so here are a few young adult novels about teens looking for or finding love, where Black characters of various body sizes, orientations, etc. are represented. Although some of the diverse stories may not be categorized as “romance” novels, the common connection in the stories is the characters’ desire to find a special love relationship.

Our stories matter.

Some titles include:

Love Is a Revolution

Renée Watson | Bloomsbury USA (2021)

Yesterday Is History

Kosoko Jackson | Sourcebooks Fire (2021)

Happily Ever Afters

Elise Bryant | Balzer + Bray (2021)

Roman and Jewel

Dana L. Davis | Inkyard Press (2021)

Charming as a Verb

Ben Philippe | Balzer + Bray (2020)

Continue HERE for the full list of the 18 YA Novels

Follow/Subscribe: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Newsletter

If you believe BCBA provides a valuable service, please take a few minutes to donate here or via Cash App ($BCBooksA) and support our mission to promote awareness of children’s and young adult literature by Black authors. 

Thanks for your support!

[echosong971]

vibrating at a frequency strong enough to shatter glass as i once again think of more intimate Exo headcanons

[clovermunson]

revamp of hphm original character profiles

2/4

*character is somewhat canon-compliant, but there are details that aren’t 100% consistent with canon

god wtf did I get myself into with this🤦🏻‍♀️

Name: Rhiannon Elise McCarthy

Nicknames: Rhia, Eli

Birthdate: August 2nd, 1973

Zodiac sign: Leo

MBTI type: ENTP (the Debater)

Blood status: Half-Blood

Nationality: Irish/Welsh/British

Physical Appearance

Hair: long and wavy, medium-brown colored, thick

Eyes: golden-amber (a rare trait in her family)

Height: 5’1”

Weight: 110 lbs.

Body type: short-statured, slim; semi-athletic

Skin tone: light with neutral undertones

Distinguishing marks (scars, birthmarks, etc.):

from childhood:

feint scar on the bottom of her foot from stepping on broken glass

scar on left elbow from a metal gate

acquired in teenage years/adulthood:

scar on left leg from an encounter in a cursed vault

scar on back/right side from the Battle of Hogwarts

pierced ears

Background

Hometown:

Bray, County Wicklow Ireland (from birth until age 8)

Richmond, England (ages 8-18)

Westcott, England (18-retirement)

Family:

Mother

Bethany Renee McCarthy, née Adwell was the second daughter of Emily and John Adwell. Sorted into Hufflepuff in her first year, she would later excel in Herbology and Potions. After Hogwarts she would work in the Ministry in the Administration Registration Department, located within the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

Father

Fergal Patrick McCarthy was the third born son of Deirdre and Fergus McCarthy. Sorted into Slytherin during his first year, he would go on to excel in Defence Against the Dark Arts and Transfiguration. After Hogwarts he would go on to be an Auror, earning the famed title of Head Auror.

Brother

Jacob Fergal McCarthy was the first born of Beth and Fergal McCarthy. He would be sorted into Slytherin in his first year, and later show a proficiency for Potions and History of Magic. His obsession with the Cursed Vaults led to his disappearance, and to a rift in his family. His sister sought out to find him, hoping that she wouldn’t find only his corpse.

Hogwarts

House: Slytherin

Clubs: Dragon, Sphinx, Hippogriff, and Dueling

Best class: Care of Magical Creatures

Worst class: Divination

Favorite professor: McGonagall

Least favorite professor: Snape

Boggart: a death eater

Riddikulus: the death eater dressed as a porcelain doll

Patronus: grey wolf

Patronus memory: breaking her first curse on the ice vault

Mirror of Erised: herself, presumably as a Magizoologist, surrounded by many different creatures

Amortentia (what she smells like): almond, coffee, and caramel, with hints of vanilla cream

Amortentia (what she smells): sandalwood, fresh linen, musk, and a hint of tea leaves

Career

Ages 11-18: Hogwarts student

Ages 18-40: Cursebreaker for Gringotts Bank

Ages 40–retirement: Magizoologist with specialization in thunderbirds

Personality & Attitude

Priorities: her studies, her friends, the vaults, finding her brother (not all necessarily in that order)

Strengths: loyalty—empathy—compassion—determination

Weaknesses: stubbornness—indecisiveness

Stressed: during O.W.L.S and N.E.W.T.S while dealing with the vaults

Calm/Comforted: when she’s in the library studying with Barnaby and it’s raining outside, the rain pelting against the windows giving off a calming effect, or when she’s taking care of creatures

Favorites

Color: emerald green, gold

Food: Dublin Coddle

Drink: tea with mint and lemon

Weather: sunny, moderate temperatures

Hobbies: singing and reading

Fashion: when she’s out of her school uniform, Rhia’s style is strictly for comfort and functionality. oversized t-shirts (sometimes she’ll snag Barnaby’s shirts), jeans, and sneakers are her go-to, but she also loves a comfy sweater (again, sometimes she’ll steal Barnaby’s sweaters too), paired with jeans and some comfy sneakers or boots.

Relationships

Significant Other/Love Interest: Barnaby Lee

Friends

(Rhia is currently open for friendships with others’ ocs, just message me or reply to this to let me know if you’d like for your oc to be friends with her!)

Cato Reese (@catohphm)

Valentina Somerset (@endlessly-cursed)

Rivals

Patricia Rakepick is a woman that Rhia never trusted, not even enough to take care of a simple doxy infestation. after being betrayed by Rakepick in her pursuit of the last vaults, she only loathed the former professor more.

Trivia

Rhia became a Magizoologist alongside Barnaby, each of them being sure to teach their children the joys of working with and respecting magical creatures.

After Barnaby inherited the Lee family manor, he and Rhia decided to remodel it and sell it so a new family could make happier memories in the old home.

in her fifth year, Rhia become a Slytherin prefect, then became Head Girl in her seventh year.

[charmingpplincardigans]

Books 2020

“I feel like I lost six months out of this year to my brain just spiraling out of control“ said last year me, feeling very much like she’d lost control of things. HOW LITTLE SHE KNEW ABOUT JUST HOW SPIRALY A YEAR COULD GET. Anyway, I read some books this year. Not as many as I would have liked to, but against all odds, more than last year? I’m not going to beat myself up about that because *gestures at literally everything* 

Honestly, since July all I’ve wanted was to survive the year and LOOK AT ME GO!! So, books. 

Dante and the Early Astronomers: Science, Adventure, and a Victorian Woman Who Opened the Heavens // Tracy Daugherty 

The Diviners // Libba Bray (re-read) 

Lair of Dreams // Libba Bray (re-read) 

Before the Devil Breaks You // Libba Bray (re-read) 

The King of Crows // Libba Bray (fiction)

A Short Philosophy of Birds // Elise Rousseau & Philippe J Dubois

Duende // Tracy K. Smith

The Deep // Rivers Solomen

Aphrodite Made Me Do It // Trista Mateer

The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite // Gerard Way & Gabriel Ba (re-read)

The Umbrella Academy: Dallas // Gerard Way & Gabriel Ba (re-read)

The Sentient Machine: The Coming Age of Artificial Intelligence // Amir Husain

The Henchmen of Zenda // KJ Charles

Tribute // Nora Roberts

Lamb // Christopher Moore

The Hunger Games // Suzanne Collins

Catching Fire // Suzanne Collins

Mockingjay // Suzanne Collins

The Westing Game // Ellen Raskin

In the Dream House // Carmen Maria Machado

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue // VE Schwab

Time is the Thing a Body Moves Through // T Fleischmann

He Held Radical Light // Christian Wiman

Save Yourself // Cameron Esposito

A Field Guide to Getting Lost // Rebecca Solnit

Two Rogues Make a Right // Cat Sebastian

Dr. Mutter’s Marvels: A True Tale of Intrigue and Innovation at the Dawn of Modern Medicine // Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz

Clap When You Land // Elizabeth Acevedo

Shame is an Ocean I Swim Across // Mary Lambert

Sailing the Forest, Selected Poems // Robin Robertson

Helium // Rudy Francisco

One Above and One Below // Erin Belieu

No Surrender // Ai

Autobiography of Death // Kim Hyesoon (trans, by Don Mee Choi)

Butch Geography // Stacey Waite

Past Lives, Future Bodies // Kristin Chang

The Tradition // Jericho Brown

How to Be Drawn // Terrance Hayes

[richincolor]

Fridays are review days, so I made sure I would have something in the Halloween spirit lined up for October. I settled down with an ARC I received from a publisher, one that I’d been looking forward to—and made the decision to stop reading before I could finish the second chapter due to some intense scenes involving racism.

Back in April, Imani and Jessica shared their thoughts regarding Netflix’s Shadow & Bone adaptation, and their discussion there is relevant to my experience with the book I had intended to review today. The book simply ate through my mental and emotional reserves too quickly without refilling them. Perhaps I’ll try again another day.

In the meantime, I’ve reached out to the other Rich in Color bloggers for recommendations for books on the lighthearted end of the spectrum. If you need a good book to lift your spirits this autumn, here are some of our favorite comfort reads from 2021:

Counting Down with You by Tashie Bhuiyan Inkyard Press || Jessica's review

A reserved Bangladeshi teenager has twenty-eight days to make the biggest decision of her life after agreeing to fake date her school’s resident bad boy. How do you make one month last a lifetime?

Karina Ahmed has a plan. Keep her head down, get through high school without a fuss, and follow her parents’ rules—even if it means sacrificing her dreams. When her parents go abroad to Bangladesh for four weeks, Karina expects some peace and quiet. Instead, one simple lie unravels everything.

Karina is my girlfriend. Tutoring the school’s resident bad boy was already crossing a line. Pretending to date him? Out of the question. But Ace Clyde does everything right—he brings her coffee in the mornings, impresses her friends without trying, and even promises to buy her a dozen books (a week) if she goes along with his fake-dating facade. Though Karina agrees, she can’t help but start counting down the days until her parents come back.

T-minus twenty-eight days until everything returns to normal—but what if Karina no longer wants it to? [Image and summary via Goodreads]

Happily Ever Afters by Elise Bryant Balzer + Bray || Imani's review

Sixteen-year-old Tessa Johnson has never felt like the protagonist in her own life. She’s rarely seen herself reflected in the pages of the romance novels she loves. The only place she’s a true leading lady is in her own writing—in the swoony love stories she shares only with Caroline, her best friend and #1 devoted reader.

When Tessa is accepted into the creative writing program of a prestigious art school, she’s excited to finally let her stories shine. But when she goes to her first workshop, the words are just…gone. Fortunately, Caroline has a solution: Tessa just needs to find some inspiration in a real-life love story of her own. And she’s ready with a list of romance novel-inspired steps to a happily ever after. Nico, the brooding artist who looks like he walked out of one of Tessa’s stories, is cast as the perfect Prince Charming.

But as Tessa checks each item off Caroline’s list, she gets further and further away from herself. She risks losing everything she cares about—including the surprising bond she develops with sweet Sam, who lives across the street. She’s well on her way to having her own real-life love story, but is it the one she wants, after all?

Meet Cute Diary by Emery Lee Quill Tree Books || Imani's review

Noah Ramirez thinks he’s an expert on romance. He has to be for his popular blog, the Meet Cute Diary, a collection of trans happily ever afters. There’s just one problem—all the stories are fake. What started as the fantasies of a trans boy afraid to step out of the closet has grown into a beacon of hope for trans readers across the globe.

When a troll exposes the blog as fiction, Noah’s world unravels. The only way to save the Diary is to convince everyone that the stories are true, but he doesn’t have any proof. Then Drew walks into Noah’s life, and the pieces fall into place: Drew is willing to fake-date Noah to save the Diary. But when Noah’s feelings grow beyond their staged romance, he realizes that dating in real life isn’t quite the same as finding love on the page.

In this charming novel by Emery Lee, Noah will have to choose between following his own rules for love or discovering that the most romantic endings are the ones that go off script.

Fat Chance, Charlie Vega by Crystal Maldonado Holiday House || Group discussion

Coming of age as a Fat brown girl in a white Connecticut suburb is hard. Harder when your whole life is on fire, though.

Charlie Vega is a lot of things. Smart. Funny. Artistic. Ambitious. Fat.

People sometimes have a problem with that last one. Especially her mom. Charlie wants a good relationship with her body, but it’s hard, and her mom leaving a billion weight loss shakes on her dresser doesn’t help. The world and everyone in it have ideas about what she should look like: thinner, lighter, slimmer-faced, straighter-haired. Be smaller. Be whiter. Be quieter.

But there’s one person who’s always in Charlie’s corner: her best friend Amelia. Slim. Popular. Athletic. Totally dope. So when Charlie starts a tentative relationship with cute classmate Brian, the first worthwhile guy to notice her, everything is perfect until she learns one thing—he asked Amelia out first. So is she his second choice or what? Does he even really see her?

Because it’s time people did.

A sensitive, funny, and painful coming-of-age story with a wry voice and tons of chisme, Fat Chance, Charlie Vega tackles our relationships to our parents, our bodies, our cultures, and ourselves.

XOXO by Axie Oh HarperTeen || Group discussion

Cello prodigy Jenny has one goal: to get into a prestigious music conservatory. When she meets mysterious, handsome Jaewoo in her uncle’s Los Angeles karaoke bar, it’s clear he’s the kind of boy who would uproot her careful plans. But in a moment of spontaneity, she allows him to pull her out of her comfort zone for one unforgettable night of adventure…before he disappears without a word.

Three months later, when Jenny and her mother arrive in South Korea to take care of her ailing grandmother, she’s shocked to discover that Jaewoo is a student at the same elite arts academy where she’s enrolled for the semester. And he’s not just any student. He’s a member of one of the biggest K-pop bands in the world—and he’s strictly forbidden from dating.

When a relationship means throwing Jenny’s life off the path she’s spent years mapping out, she’ll have to decide once and for all just how much she’s willing to risk for love.

Love & Other Natural Disasters by Misa Sugiura HarperTeen || Crystal's review

When Nozomi Nagai pictured the ideal summer romance, a fake one wasn’t what she had in mind.

That was before she met the perfect girl. Willow is gorgeous, glamorous, and…heartbroken? And when she enlists Nozomi to pose as her new girlfriend to make her ex jealous, Nozomi is a willing volunteer.

Because Nozomi has a master plan of her own: one to show Willow she’s better than a stand-in, and turn their fauxmance into something real. But as the lies pile up, it’s not long before Nozomi’s schemes take a turn toward disaster…and maybe a chance at love she didn’t plan for.

A Taste for Love by Jennifer Yen Razorbill || Crystal's review

To everyone else, high school senior Liza Yang is practically perfect. Pretty, smart, and well-liked, she’s salutatorian of her class and starting a prestigious university in the fall. To her ultra-traditional Taiwanese mom, however, Liza is stubborn and rebellious, unlike her older sister Jeannie. She won’t even date a proper Asian boy! The only thing mother and daughter agree on is Liza’s talent for baking. With Mrs. Yang’s annual junior baking competition on the horizon, Liza’s determined to prove she’s more than Jeannie’s shadow. If only she knew her mother has plans of her own…

[domodragon]

YO I GOT THE COLLECTORS EDITION AND LOOK

M.SUND12.

bro

remember insight terminus? msund, OXOT, accessed centuries ago, the cabal were trying to access it in present day d2, so perhaps its something to do with the process of actually making an exo, and the cabal were trying to access it in an effort to become immortal, like how ghaul was trying to do with the traveler except this time on a more massive scale than just one guy

also "I have decided to hate her." i love it

ive been reading peoples interpretations of the things in the collectors edition and like... bro this shit is WILD.

i think the exo stranger is elise bray, clovis brays granddaughter. it doesnt specifically say that her grandfather is clovis bray but from the fact that shes talking about europa and theres clovis bray facilities there, that its worth the guess. theres a handwritten part where she writes about the awful things her grandfather was experimenting with in effort to become immortal, and that the guardians are now wielding this ( perhaps the darkness? ) anyways she continues on to talk about him experimenting, i think he was using human volunteers in an effort to perfect the process. i think a while back i read some lore about how people signed up for an "Exo Program" where they volunteered to do this in the hopes of being able to live for potentially hundreds of years more etc., and we already know that a ton of them died due to the disconnect from their consciousness being shoved into an exo frame. So I think this has to do with that, along with the creation of rasputin and trying to preserve humanity. i think its also possible that Ada-1 has something to do with this in some way, we found her in a golden age weapons vault, she's not a guardian, and she has a 1 next to her name. Meaning she was only rebooted 1 time. Perhaps she was the first successful exo? She volunteered for the exo program to be able to protect the forges and the weapons which would be used to protect humanity. Clovis then reset her once so she would not remember the horrors of what she had witnessed and experimented. After a success, he did the process on his granddaughter so he wouldn't have to see her die, this being the exo stranger. she never tells anyone her name so people wouldn't connect her to clovis bray & braytech. she just goes by "Exo", which possibly represents her being the first Exo that was ever presented to the public as a success, so people would flock to him and be preserved, etc.

There's also been a lot of people theorizing that Clovis Bray is alive, and that he is hiding out on Europa, some even speculating that he is the raid boss for the stone crypt bc its said to be the birthplace of the exo race.

I'm not 100% sure what else may be going on. the shard of darkness can be illuminated, one mode being a code that i believe is morse code so ill have to write that down. theres some other puzzles in the book, and the book is missing the last two page leaves, it ends on page 46, which means there was 50 pages total. (two sides to one leaf, 4 page sides total) i dont k ow if those numbers have to do with anything. im wondering if any of the numbers on the lunch box mean anything or if theyre just there for show. i will note that the bag that comes with this says its rated to be efficient to -171.15°c.

[destiny-archive]

The Exos are a race that was created by the Clovis Bray corporation during the Golden Age for a long forgotten conflict, perhaps against the Vex. During the Golden Age, they were led in part by the Warmind Rasputin, but after the Collapse and Exos went through more and more reboots, they eventually forgot their original purpose and joined alongside humanity and the awoken in the rebuilding of society, with some even being reforged in the Traveler’s Light.

They possess all the humanly functions typical humans have, they can eat and drink, although they do not need to, they have unique personalities and consciousness, and were even created with the ability to have sexual intercourse with each other and other human beings if they so desired. Exos even go through a sort of “death” process called “rebooting,” where most of their memories are wiped and they are sort of reset. The number attached to the end of an Exo’s name indicated how many times they have gone through this rebooting process, so Cayde-6 has been rebooted 6 times and Banshee-44 44 times. (Even though new documents and transcripts recovered from the Hellas Basin indicate they should only be rebooted about 20 times)

There is one thing that does set them apart, however, and that is the Deepstone Crypt. The Deepstone Crypt is the subroutine that first seeded the Exo’s consciousness, and is described by many as the birthplace of the Exos. On occasion, the Exos visit the Deepstone Crypt in their dreams, and their experiences at this mysterious location vary greatly. In their dreams, a tower rests on black planes, and the Exos must somehow reach and climb the tower for whatever reason. Some Exos reach the tower in peace, but others have to fight an army of every person they have ever seen in their current life and their lives from their past reboots. It is unknown what the Exos see when they reach the tower, however, as if they even remember it at all after waking they seldom wish to speak about it.

Some notable exos include Cayde-6, current Hunter Vanguard, Banshee-44, Tower Gunsmith, Saint-14, legendary Titan and the Speaker’s “son,” and the Exo Stranger, who may in fact be Elise Bray.