#hes super optimistic and naive and they sort of hate him for it

[dark-lord-of-awesomeness]

So your tags with Bill seeing Ford as Stan’s champion makes me think Bill used to be wary of Stan, but Stan constantly ends up playing a damsel in distress role (cause I can’t imagine Stan NOT being part of the action, but couldn’t figure out what else he would do if he wasn’t the one fighting Bill) so Bill got cocky, which became his downfall. Also I think there is something to be said about how, technically, all of Ford’s plans were actually Stan’s which Bill turns a blind eye to lol

(I love doodle ford so much, sorry I am sending so many asks lol)

I'm thinking in the og tales of Lil'Stans Bill was a full on joke villain that was determined to take over the world and reign Supreme in crunchy deliciousness as the king of junkfood. He'd trick Ford with snacks into helping/distracting him so he could steal his inventions, then the Stan bros would go off on an adventure to stop him. Ford would always get into a showdown with Bill and send him flying, while Stanley foiled the invention or ate through his minions.

The idea here is that Stan made several bad guys, some were Ford focused, some Stanley focused, and some were both. So Bill was a Ford focused villain and didn't care to pay attention to any non Bill related adventures. (Stan's bad guys I'm thinking are Darlene, the Tax Man, caricatures of his teachers, probabilitor, while Ford had Bill, Dr. McGucket the memory man (who always reintroduced himself every fight), the gnome queen, and various hay wire inventions (like the kiss bot), they both fought off Stan's bully caricatures(like cramp man), various sea monsters, and The Fuzz, plus a various amount of creatures and other not as notable villains).

When Stan erased himself and started working on more adult themed comics, he reused Bills name and design, going from snacks to the all seeing eye and keeping his jokey personality to make him more threatening. Bill went from junkfood to demonic takeover, but since he's the same character reworked he still has those memories and history. Since he's a Ford villain, he sees Ford as the threat, even though Stan's God and actually wrote everything. It makes him underestimate Stan, which leads to his downfall here.

(And no worries! I love yapping away!)

[mountainashes]

Washington Siblings Time lets goooo

Beth Washington

She likes instruments and can play quite a few different ones. (I feel like I saw a hc somewhere abt her playing guitar? It stuck with me).

She also plays some sports, but not as much as Hannah.

She was actually quite popular in school (based off her relationship stat with Jess being reasonably high).

She's lesbian.

Her 'role' in the group very much seems to be sort of like Sam's in that she's often trying to prevent trouble.

She's constantly looking out for her siblings, especially when they're in a big social situation like a party.

She wears beanies everywhere. Emotional support beanies.

Has a crush on Sam.

She's usually quite laid-back, but when she gets annoyed she's immediately furious. 0-100 real quick.

Hannah Washington

She likes insects a lot. Especially butterflies.

She can and will pick up spiders in her hands she literally does not fear any kind of bug or creepy crawlies.

She's quite artsy.

She's quite strong bc of all the sports she does. She, Sam and Matt often enough end up in weird little competitions and go on runs/hikes etc.

She was sort of the weird kid in most her classes, but wasn't often made fun of because of the people she was friends with and her siblings.

She's generally always a little caught up in her own daydreams.

She's trans.

She's neurodivergent. Idk what specifically but she is nd to me.

She's bi but it would take her forever to realise that.

As Beth describes her, she's often quite 'naive' and if it weren't for Sam, Beth and Josh she'd likely be the target of many jokes, some more harmless than others.

She's very optimistic, bright and chooses to see the best in people. She's not as social as her siblings and spends most her time with Sam. She likes being alone often, left to her own thoughts and fantasies and ideas.

Josh Washington

He's very into art and drama, especially horror of course.

He hangs out with Ashley and she helps him write scripts, while he draws things from her writing for her.

Despite this he is very jumpy and easily scared.

Because their parents are often super busy he very much took on the whole big-sibling caretaker role.

He's popular despite being really quiet and somewhat anti-social. He's the kind of guy who disappears off of any social media for weeks and is very difficult to get into contact with.

He likes playing pranks and jokes, but only when they're somewhat thought out. Like he isn't just going to jump out from behind a door and yell it's gotta be way more interesting.

He's trans (I don't have a specific hc for him I stick to I just know he's very genderfucky).

He's queer.

He hates Hannah's bugs and complains all the time about them but he'd never actually do anything to hurt them or upset Hannah.

He's quite pessimistic, sort of the opposite of Hannah. He's very paranoid of others and their intentions, and he often isolates himself because of that. This has a lot to do with his mental health though, he doesn't actually like being alone.

[thefandomenchantress]

My DRDT Character Ranking

I’m not going to explain my reasoning for every character but I do want to explain some of them (I’m so nervous to post this but oh well).

-First things first: I don’t dislike any DRDT character. I think they’re all wonderful. However, for characters like Arturo and especially Mai I’m going to need more backstory to like/understand them. I feel like right now I can’t really like Arturo since we don’t know too much about him besides his whole beauty shtick, which I honestly don’t find all that funny most of the time. I really want to know what the deal with his sister is, though. As for Mai…We don’t know much about her at all, so she’s just kinda meh for me right now. I like her design, though.

-I’d be lying if I said Ace wasn’t on a whole tier of his own. The sheer amount of Ace content on this blog probably proves that. He’s definitely morally questionable, but that makes him so much more interesting to me!! I feel like most of the fanbase either loves or despises Ace, and I’m definitely on the love side. Not because he’s hot (He was my favorite even when he had that Jimmy Neutron hair style), but because I think his mentality and personality have so much depth and are so much fun to analyze and think about.

-I’m one of the people who only started really liking David after Ch. 2 Ep. 11. I thought he was interesting and all that before, I still liked him, but Ep. 11 David is so entertaining and I was cackling at most of his lines (Especially the ‘What else do you want, Teruko, my hand in marriage?�� and ‘Who cares about your stupid fish?’ Lines).

-Whit is probably one of my biggest DRDT kins, since I often deflect with humor and really like puns. Honestly I’m surprised he’s not my favorite character. I really hope he gets an arc about how it’s okay to be sad and stuff. I definitely think Whit’s going to be a survivor, but he may lose Charles along the way.

-J definitely has my favorite design of the cast, so she gets extra points for being very pretty. But I think her backstory is pretty cool, too, and I totally relate to hating dresses. In my opinion, they are pure evil and made only to make you suffer. >:(

-I really like how Eden isn’t portrayed to be naive or anything, she knows the world can be evil, but she chooses to see the good anyway. Pure sunshine characters like Eden usually get on my nerves, but she strikes the balance between optimistic but not ridiculously optimistic just right.

-If Min hadn’t died so early on, I probably would’ve put her even higher, but not seeing her character as much as I’ve seen the others definitely works to her detriment for me. Her bonus episode was super interesting, though, and I think she’s super cool overall. I love her design, too, because I’m a sucker for baggy clothing in character designs.

-I feel like I could grow to like Xander more, since it seems like he had some sort of role in the killing game in his bonus episode, but much like Min, limited screen time brings him down a bit. I think that since mirroring chapter 1 of TTH is such a common thing in fangans, I was sort of expecting him to die right away and therefore didn’t let myself get too attached. It was still a really cool spin on the chapter one THH murder, though.

-I have a love-hate relationship with Teruko. I love her because she really stands out among the hopeful, optimistic protags that we usually get. I hate her because thanks to her not trusting anyone, we can’t get close to other characters and learn more about them like we usually would. One time this really bothered me was when Ace was revealing Nico tried to kill him in the cafeteria, but we didn’t get to see most people’s initial reactions because Teruko left the room. But I still really like her despite all that, and I think her arc is going to be very interesting to watch.

-I really like Nico, they’re just not my favorite. Which is kinda weird since Ace and Nico are so similar, yet they’re at opposite ends of the list. I definitely think I’m going to grow to like Nico more, especially now that they tried to kill Ace. I can’t wait for the new character depth we’ll see from them.

-MonoTV is definitely one of my favorite fangan mascots ever. It’s both funny and has a creative design, and they casted the voice actor for it perfectly.

Aaaaaand that’s it. I really love the whole cast of DRDT so honestly the tier list was sort of hard to make. While my opinions will undoubtedly change in the future, I think this is a pretty accurate ranking for me at this point in time.

[broxklynn]

The End Of My Candy Love

Warning!

Alright, so. This post will contain a lot. First of all, it's gonna be really sloppy. I'm very emotional person and I easily get attached to games, movies and stuff. I know it's a bit weird, but yeah, I'm a weird person. Anyway, that's why there's a warning: there's gonna be a lot of sloppiness, grammar mistakes (at least I think so, specially since english isn't my native languange) and it's probably going to be long. So, if you're intrested in reading my thoughts about everything - good luck.

First Adventure

I first heard about "My Candy Love" in 2015, six years ago. So, I was basically a baby (I'm pretty young). And I started playing a year after, I got totally obssesed with Lysander and I fell in love, seriously, haha. I was into writing back then, but I couldn't find any ideas on "what to write?" and MCL gave me just that - inspiration (that's most likely why I'm just a romance freak).

My Story

You know, I was a child so I couldn't really pay for AP, but I always found some kind of way to get them. But then I got my phone I just used money from that, geez, I was nuts. The old AP system was so iconic, looking for Nathaniel, finding Kiki, I'm gonna miss it.

Anyway, I got along with Castiel pretty well (which suprises me 'cause I found about walkthroughs in 2017, like year after, so maybe it was because I was a brat?), but I adored Lysander. Oh, I also loved Ken (I was so sad when he went away) and Nathaniel. After I met Armin, I liked him too.

Again, being a child and playing a game like this I came across all diffrent kinds of emotions. I was laughing, crying, dying from embaressment (this thing with Nath and locker room, aaa) and getting seriously mad (Deborah's arc, Priya, Charlotte). I remember impatiently waiting for new episode to come out or crying my eyes out during Lysander's amnesia plot. Jesus. I loved the way Castiel was teasing Candy, I loved this cute-clumsy Kentin, I loved the old Nathaniel, I loved Armin and most of all - I loved my precious Lysander. I adored the interactions between characters, how funny or cringy they were and how much fun I had. I even like this secret-dating plot even when it got on my nerves. I still remember staying up late to watch videos like "lysander illustrations" and stuff. I also really enjoyed reading MCL manga and I spent hours trying to translate it from Spanish to English or my native languange (funfact: I still haven't finished it! I don't know where to find those mangas) or trying to draw something from the game up ending up terribly failing. Anyway, I was crying during the prom thing, my Candy was so grown-up, I got emotional, haha. So, 40 episode came in. I was pretty excited 'because, me, being extremely naive (I got to say, I've never had a problem with Beemoov before, I started playing MCL in 2016 and Eldarya in 2017, so there were no major issues with them, only the price of PA, I think) thought that my Lysander is going to propose (I was a child, ok?) and maybe, there's going to be a second season with us living together. Haha, how naive I was. Whole episode 40, really got me tearing up, I was a wreck, seriously (When Kentin couldn't take Candy's bra off I lost it or this whole ananas thing in Castiel's route, omg). But I finished it feeling happy. I truly enjoyed spending my time on this game. But, then this whole university thing came out. And the fact, that Lysander, Armin and Kentin won't be with us foe the next season. I spent entire vacation crying (I was a kiddo, ok?) and being mad at everyone. I felt like I got robbed. It was horrible.

"A New Chapter"

I was one of these people who just couldn't accept the change. Not in the world. Never. They stole my Lysander, Kentin and Armin from me and changed AP system to some kind of bullshit. God, I was mad. Really mad. Seeing Castiel was quite nice, but I didn't fill the void of my baby. But, oh, my, God. When I saw Nathaniel I just couldn't believe. I said I was mad? Then I was furious. I really liked the old Nathaniel, he had his own vibe, his backstory, his character and it was just, damn, amazing. But they changed him completely, for what? They wanted the second Castiel? Yeah, they got it. Priya as a love interest was quite a good move, tho. I even though I didn't like her (in highschool or in university) I liked the idea of adding a female interest. But the thing that hurted me, was the fact that Lysander was taking care of the farm. Like, no! He didn't want that. He didn't like the countryside. He had such a potential to become a author and Beemoov didn't let him. God, that broke my heart. Anyway, I didn't spent a single penny on MCLUL, but I have to say - I kinda enjoyed it. You know, it was the guily-pleasure kind of thing. I didn't like it as much as I liked highschool, but there were some good or funny moments. I loved Rayan's kiss scene. I adored Chani. Or Hyun making us watch "Toy Story". Nathaniel's ulgy green hair or all these crazy threesomes. I liked it. Kinda. I hated Nath tho. The ending, hm, it was okay, I guess? I do feel sort of nostalgic thinking about it 'cause I got some nice memories from it, in the end. But yeah, going on.

Love Life

Oh. My. Lord. I was so sceptical about it. Like, I was sure that, at this point they're going to do "My Candy Love Mid-Life Crises" next or some other shit. But in the end, I "kinda" like it. It wasn't good like highschool or fresh like university, but I was nice to see new chapters with our annoying-cringy Candy, that I love (btw, I started playing other otome games and I realized that Candy wasn't that bad). Meeting Eric was nice, even tho, this whole cheating plot really got me ragging. Like, damn, Beemoov, seriously? And if you going this, why not with old LIs? Just kidding. Anyway, I truly enjoyed meeting Dan and Eric, the two of them were quite a characters. I won't forget them, hah. I was happy with single ending, 'cause I think about it as a "open ending" when my Candy can go back to my baby and everything's going to be alright.

Regrets & Complaints

Now, now. Where do I start? AP system was a freaking nightmare. Replacing old Nathaniel with some kind of weird Castiel was a nightmare. Removing Lysander, Nathaniel, Armin and Kentin was a nightmare. Not finishing plots was a nightmare. And why in the whole Love Life I haven't seen Amber once? Why Alexy never mentioned Evan like they're not brothers? Why Castiel doesn't care that I was dating his bestfriend? And why, in the world, after changing the system finding Kiki is so damn easy? Why AP is so expensive? So many questions!

All The Good Times

But, I got to say. I will never forget this bitchy Castiel, cookie-monster Ken following us around. Or cute Nathaniel. Castiel buying Candy some kind of weird McDonald's. Or Lysander's parents exposing him having crush on Candy. Or seeing Kentin kissing Amber (ew). This super akward-funny sex ed lesson. Deborah's arc and losing my shit over it. Or Thomas (this weird child) stalking my Candy and her LI in the park. And Lysander asking us how to hide a body, aaa. Or Armin telling us he loves us. Or Kentin. And Cookie ripping this huge teddybear apart. Or the water fight in Kentin’s spin off. And crushing on Alexy and later on finding out he’s gay. Or spin-the-bottle game and Lysander getting jealous. Or Dake, being a creep for entire game straight. Or guessing what was guy's surnames. And for sure, I will never forget this demonic Kiki dog.

What it worth it?

In the end, yes. Have I ever told you that I want to become a professional writer? Silly dream, I know, but writing is a huge passion of mine, and well, my first story was based off My Candy Love (it is cringy as hell, but I feel kinda nostalgic thinking about it). All these years spending on playing game that I wasn't supposed to be playing was amazing. It was one of the best experiences I had in life and I will never, ever forget that.

What now?

Well, Beemoov is working on a new game and I'm kinda optimistic. I know, it's really naive of me, but I want to believe that they won't f*ck this up, this time. And going back to Sweet Amoris, well, I truly missed this place! And the teachers... And Kiki. I wonder, when it will be released and will Beemoov finally open up about telling us surnames and ages of love interests. Anyway, I want to believe they learnt from their mistakes.

In the end. Thank you, My Candy Love, for creating so many memories. I will be forever grateful. 

(I just re-read this post and it seems like I have really love-hate relationship with this game)

[somethingusefulfromflorida]

I finally finished Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

I am the world’s slowest reader; it took me over a week to finish it. I create a picture of the scenes in my head like I’m watching a movie, which my family says is weird. Apparently when they read, they just see words, but surely they’re the weird ones, right? Am I an outlier or them? Is this one of those things we’re you say the word “apple” and ask someone what they think of, and some people say they see an apple but others say they just think of the concept of an apple?

I’m getting off topic.

I really liked this book! It is my second favorite of his three; The Martian will always be on top (it’s one of my favorite books of all time, next to World War Z and The Time Traveler’s Wife), and Artemis has my favorite setting, but Project Hail Mary had all the science I love without it becoming incomprehensible. The main character is super smart, he picks up on things, he figures stuff out, he isn’t like other generic audience-surrogate protagonists who aren’t allowed to know anything the reader doesn’t know. He is ahead of us at all times, but he doesn’t feel like a Mary Sue because he makes mistakes and explains everything in simple enough terms that you believe he could do everything he does. The book holds the reader’s hand with the science, but not in a patronizing way; one of the blurbs on the back said it was like reading a book written by your favorite science teacher, and it’s not wrong!

I love Rocky. That little alien rock spider holds a special place in my heart, and I really hope they make a movie of this just so I can see what Andy Weir intended him to look like. The picture I have of him in my head is basically a big orange-brown roomba with legs. Minor spoiler warning: I also love that his mate didn’t leave him after all the decades he was gone. Happy ending!

I freaking HATE Stratt. I wanted Ryland to punch her in the face; I wanted him to return to Earth just so he could have the last laugh while she’s old and decrepit and dying. I don’t think Weir will ever expand on this book, but I would love to read about what happened on Earth while the Hail Mary was gone. The socioeconomic and geopolitical implications really pique my interests; I’ve been getting into war stories a lot recently, and the apocalyptic food shortages implied in the text would certainly kick off World War III, though we learn at the end of the book that whatever vestiges of mankind survived the wars eventually solved the astrophage problem with the data the Beetles collected from Adrian (that sentence makes sense if you read the book)

Weir is an optimist. I don’t want to call him naive because he’s way smarter than me, but his books represent a side of humanity I forgot existed. Everyone works together, countries cooperate to solve problems and save lives, people can look past their petty squabbles and collaborate for the greater good. In reality, Mark Watney would have died on Mars, Artemis would be run by the Brazilian Mafia, and Earth would destroy itself before fixing the astrophage problem, but in Weir’s books it’s like every problem is solvable if you science the shit out of it.

I wish more people had read Project Hail Mary by now so I can geek out about it with them! If you’ve read it, feel free to hit me up.

The only problem I have is that Weir just hand-waves the xenonite. He never even tries to explain how Rocky’s people create super-diamond-metal out of the inert noble gas xenon. He lampshades it, says it doesn’t make sense, and leaves it at that. I guess he sort of had to do that. It’s a MacGuffin, integral to the plot but there’s really no reason we need to know how it works, just that it works regardless. Any technobabble explanation he came up with would feel half-assed, though I believed his technobabble explanation about neutrinos and germs living on the sun, so who knows? Xenonite works because it needs to work. C’est la vie.

[may-grant]

LONG POST WARNING!!! okay im super passionate about sorting people into hogwarts houses *correctly* and not just based on the stereotypes we’ve created around them so here’s my take on jatp characters houses and why

julie: i think shes the hardest to place because shes so multifaceted but ultimately i think shes a hufflepuff. shes loyal and trusting and as the show goes on you can see her become more optimistic after mothers death. i dont think shes necessarily a slytherin or ravenclaw because shes never really been about being ambitious or showing individuality. she just loves playing music, shes never wanted to be the best or anything. this represents the lack of ambition (which could lead me on another tangent on whether shes always been like that or if its because of her mothers death)

luke: slytherin. while my baby boy is incredibly loyal and loves his friends hes not a hufflepuff at all. the scene that quite literally spells him out as a slytherin is the one where he goes on a rant about how sunset curve booked gigs by doing. he’s ambitious, cunning (he knows how to worm his way into gigs), and his sole focus on being able to play gigs can be his downful like how he almost fell into caleb’s trap to play music forever. and remember kids, just because ur a slytherin doesnt mean ur evil!!

alex: SUCH A HUFFLEPUFF. he’s naive just like reggie, but in different ways. you remember the ghostbusters? lmaooo. bby i still love you its okay. he can suffer from low self-esteem “dude can you just own your awesomeness for once!?” loyal like a puppy “have you seen willie??” to a literal evil person. he loves everyone who has shown him loyalty basically. also clearly hates change.

reggie: okay he actually is a hufflepuff. i mean his whole character is centered around the fact that this band *is* his family. loyal and honest to the point where sometimes dumb things come out of his mouth but thats okay. and you can see it in the negative aspects too. reggie is fine just chillin as a ghost, theres not a lack of ambition but once hes comfy he likes to stay in a comfy place in life. i love my lil hufflepuff bass playin ghost himbo.

nick: so clearly a gryffindor. he has his moral code that he stands by. will even call out his own girlfriend for being mean to someone. chivalry is top notch, still being friends in the face of rejection? bringing flowers to show support? more boys like him represented in tv pls.

carrie: i know we can all agree that shes a slytherin but yall say it because “carrie mean to julie :(“ like no its because she wants to be the BEST!! yall remember that scene where she says to nick “julie didnt play a note for a year and here she comes to upstage me” honey will spend all the money and do all the gigs to get to the very top. and i stan her for it, its what she deserves.

flynn: she’s a little bit hard to place but i stand by the fact that shes a ravenclaw. the creativity and individuality? immaculate. need i remind you that SHE came up with name julie and the phantoms? the posters? flawless. shes always been herself and not afraid to BE BY HERSELF. she was ready to drop julie in a second when she found out she was being lied to. i love her knowing her self worth.

willie: gryffindor babeyy. the way he drove a bus to the middle of nowhere for his bf? iconic. borderline reckless, but nevertheless iconic. the way he did all this despite the fact that caleb owns his soul? we stan the bravery luv

caleb: slytherin for sure. the whole “covington ive got an offer that you cant refuse” in nothing to lose. wants all of the power. i love this sorting more because then you can easily see the differences between him and luke. i could make an argument for ravenclaw with his individuality and creativity. he doesnt look like he has many *friends* in hgc. so i could argue either way i guess!!!

[astracola]

so because a3 is still relatively new (locally at least) i wanted to do a small introduction post to introduce my muses from it! i haven’t dropped in any headcanons (yet) so this’ll just be basic early game canon or character traits i think are neat. deadass i’m out here with half the cast i don’t know why i’m like this either frankly.

AZUMA YUKISHIRO

one of the oldest members of the company, likely in his early thirties. somehow manages to “defy aging” with his makeup skills and natural beauty.

he is fully aware of how pretty he is, thank you for asking.

a big brother to all.

gentle, easygoing, and calm, even in crisis or under stress.

have you met a professional cuddler. now you have.

noted to have an alluring personality and high sex appeal, because that’s great. likes to flirt a lot, and is very direct. says things that he definitely probably shouldn’t.

not much is known about his past, even among those in the company and his own troupe (winter), he keeps it this way intentionally. it’s implied he might have once been a host, as when he left his prior work to pursue acting, his clients were devastated.

skilled at poker and similar card games.

ITARU CHIGASAKI

what’s up gamers.

prince archetype. even within the major company he works for as an elite employee, he’s well respected/regarded. feels refreshing and calming to be around.

very, very handsome. like holy shit.

“two modes”. the professional look he gives for his work and in public--and the exact mode that give him his prince-like associations, and how he is in private. his public persona is mostly facade, though his compassion and caring nature is genuine. his “true self” is a hardcore gamer and otaku, like this, he curses more frequently and comes off rude or lazy.

he likes to keep these two personas separate, understandably. with most personal relationships, he holds everyone at a distance.

he works in finances, and not much is known about his passion for acting or if he has much of one at all. regardless of this, he’s a member of the spring troupe.

he often uses gaming and internet terms in his speech, especially in his “casual/gamer” mode.

to him, mankai is where he can truly be himself.  

KAZUNARI MIYOSHI

voted most likely to quote vines irl. a literal influencer. always on top of the latest trends

a member of the summer troupe, he assumes he’s friends with everyone he meets--no questions asked, even if they come off rather abrasive. great social skills! he talks to anyone and everyone like he’s known them for years, so he’s easy to get along with.

a graphic design student, he makes the fliers for mankai. his skill is in illustration, and he has just as much passion for it as he does with acting.

you literally can NOT say he isn’t fashionable. that’s his shtick.

lowkey (but highkey) flirty with anyone he’s interested in. you know. casual.

despite his carefree attitude, he chooses his words carefully to leave those he meets with the best impression of him. he thinks so long as he befriends people, things are fine, even if a lot of those friendships are shallow at their best.

you get a nickname! and YOU get a nickname! and yo-

updates his social media daily and often. instagram, twitter, line, etc.

MASUMI USUI

a member of the spring troupe, he only joined up with mankai because he fell in love with the director in a moment of “love at first sight”. obviously, this isn’t requited. he does everything he can to try and impress her, despite having little interest in acting itself.

a bit of a “bad boy” trope, a rebel and troublemaker. he’s standoffish and rude to practically everyone else.  comes across as cold and indifferent.

good at memorization! this comes in handy with their scripts.

his parents travel abroad often, so his family life is ... questionable, he has little restrictions at home and lives a carefree lifestyle, which feeds into his indifference

has a lot of female fans AND a fanclub at school thanks to his looks. he doesnt care for that shit at all tbqh.

he flirts ... a lot ... if he’s interested in you romantically ... but so far that’s only directed AT the director herself and it’s embarrassing. lovesick puppy.

i’m so sorry for him and anyone that tries to talk to him he’s kind of a dick.

MISUMI IKARUGA

honestly the definition of “bro i am just vibing.”

hard to understand, just a generally confusing person. not much is known about him or his past! he just sort of...showed up one day, crashing in the mankai dorms and becoming a member of the summer troupe shortly after.

his physical capabilities are really impressive, up to and including scaling walls and running up to ceilings. he took to acting really easily as well, and his skill in it surprised almost everyone. his wide range in characters and how easily he shifts into them implies past experience.

constantly thinking about triangles, and collects everything in a triangle shape, eats triangle food...you know how it is. the local children have dubbed him the “triangle-alien!”

enthusiastic and eccentric are the best words to describe him.

he just kind of does whatever he feels like doing, seemingly without much thought. this includes: trespassing, and stealing stuff from others (usually food). just right out of your hands.

really good at communicating with animals! it seems they have a mutual understanding.

hardcore parkour

MUKU SAKISAKA

baby (professionally diagnosed).

his motto is deadass “do one good deed each day” he is a BABY

memorizes and treasures shoujo manga, taking the male figures as inspirations. he deeply admires princes and wants to become prince-like one day.

modest, kind, and easily flustered when it comes to praise. also a lot of anxiety? he thought one of the other summer troupe members was a ghost out to get him when it was first suggested and he really thought it was because he left a single grain of rice on his plate when he was five. he’s just like this.

persecution complex.

just really...pure...

he used to do track and field, but he wasn’t passionate about it despite being the team’s ace. he only joined because he read a manga where the protagonist was on track, so he followed in his footsteps. he only quit after an injury he sustained that forever kept him from performing at his best ever again.

can recite fairytales from memory!

SAKUYA SAKUMA

sunshine embodied, the leader of mankai’s spring troupe! he was the first member of mankai, and despite his lack of skill he’s incredibly passionate about acting. he puts all of himself in everything he does. super ambitious!! 

:) auditioned because of family issues, you know how it goes. ( he’s an orphan, and his new family was only really interested in what mankai could bring them, rather than his own interests.)

open and honest to a fault, he also tends to be a bit naive. he’s trying his best to be a little more independent, but that’s a long process. otherwise enthusiastic, easygoing, and positive, gets along well with pretty much everyone!

naturally lucky! give him your phone for gacha pulls.

skilled at remembering faces and names!

he still carries the script for romeo & julius, the first play the mankai company ever performed. he looks at it if he ever feels lonely, as the company feels like a family to him.

would really like to play a ruthless villain in the future, because that’s so different from what he actually is.

TAICHI NANAO

i assign you with “puppy”. a member of the autumn troupe, he has a very hyperactive personality! one of his biggest aspirations is to be popular and liked/noticed by others.

a prime example of this are his yo-yo skills and hyper origami, at the peak of their popularity he took to trying to master both, but by the time he had no one was interested anymore, and he felt horribly defeated.

his first dose of minor fame came from a minor acting role with his classmates, whose admiration he gained for his skill. ever since, he’s been trying to get this level of attention back ever since.

very in-the-know when it comes to the latest trends, because of this! fashion, past times, you name it.

needs recognition as a way to validate himself, to an unhealthy degree. he’s easily discouraged when met with criticism or when given a role he has little confidence in.

noisy and generally upbeat, and maintains an optimistic attitude despite his own lack of self-confidence.

TENMA SUMERAGI

essentially raised in the world of acting, he’s a former child prodigy who still stars in programs outside of the company.

because both of his parents are movie stars, and because of his own past, he has great faith in his abilities and hates to lose. high confidence to the point of being a bit egotistical.

“oresama” trope. his cocky attitude has gotten him into a bit of trouble with his fellow actors. as a result, prior to joining the mankai company, he didn’t have a lot of friends.

leader of the summer troupe, becoming a part of the troupe has forced him to learn to humble himself and learn to empathize. at the same time, he joined the company to overcome his weakness in performing in front of live audiences. in film, the mistakes can be edited, live? there’s a chance to disappoint the audience, and worse yet, his parents. he wants to overcome this fear and grow to be a better actor.

no sense of direction, despite his protests. also easily frightened when it comes to “scary things.” think of the classics: ghosts, abandoned places, etc.

really wants to play the role of a “bad guy” to expand his horizons, he’s often placed in cool or suave roles on tv.

TSUMUGI TSUKIOKA

the gentle, soft-spoken leader of the winter troupe! he’s said to take on his grandmother’s personality, often playing the mediator when it comes to conflict and holds a great desire for harmony

extremely!! empathetic!! to a fault, because of his empathy and sensibility, it seeps into his confidence, making him doubt himself and his own abilities--especially with acting. he’s not all that assertive either, as a result.

the mankai company is helping him grow, nowadays, he has a little more faith in himself, though he’s still rather shy.

dabbled in acting before back in university before reigniting the spark with mankai. he withdrew after intense criticism and watching his fellow theater students pass by him in ability, and it led to an intense falling out with a childhood friend (said friend is now also a part of the winter troupe)

psychology major and part-time tutor

really fucking good at rock paper scissors

he has a passion for gardening, thanks to his grandmother. he understands the language of flowers and often takes care of them.

[tanyaryanmusic]

To All the Buttholes I’ve Loved Before.

I’m so glad I had the opportunity to date so many buttholes. 

Buttholes are such an important part of the self-development process. They highlight all the areas in that we lack. If you have trouble drawing boundaries - no problem! A butthole will come a take advantage of you until you figure it out. 

You struggle with being a constant people-pleaser? You will eventually come across the forever un-pleaseable butthole. 

Doesn’t matter what the goal of your personal journey into self discovery; overcoming your issues with confrontation, temper, drama, perfectionism, your value and/or self worth. There’s a butthole for that. 

Of course I didn’t always see it this way. I went through a stretch of disliking, and in some cases, loathing these people for a period of time. I would relive and replay all the ways they had wronged me, hurt me or taken advantage of me. Then that got kind of boring so I decided to reflect on their impact. I was able to take away valuable and insightful lessons that helped me to understand myself and the world a little bit better. And even if in most cases I learned maybe a little too late, I still learned. 

I’m not sure who coined the term serial monogamist, but I think that would describe my dating habits as well as any. I have dated enough to fully emerge myself in the experiences of various nuances of men on the butthole spectrum: 

There was the one that was so sweet and sensitive but turned out that his ‘sensitivity’ was actually a stealthy form of manipulation, and for bonus points, he was also a low-key misogynist racist. NBD. Then there was the passive aggressive who wanted time, love and attention but could not request this directly so he used the silent treatment to get his way and to avoid conversations he didn’t want to have. Then the ‘I-can’t-live-without-you, you’re-my-whole-world’ one that slowly got me to do everything for him because he needed me and I was ‘always so much better at it’ than he was. That was actually super clever. Well done. 

And then there was that one guy that when we broke up he called my home phone number 28 times in the middle of the night. And my cell phone 16 times. (No exaggeration here people. I’ve never seen anything like it.) And he left voicemails and texts that rom-coms base their desperate post-breakup characters off of - calling the first time just sad… the second one was more desperate. Then it was fiercely angry with horrendous name-calling. Then apologetic. Then sad again. And so on. I am absolutely one to indulge in the occasional hyperbole, but this was legit what happened. I suspect there are some deeper issues there. 

Anyway. If you get the chance to reflect on these experiences in an objective manner, you get to pull out all the skillsets that they left you with. In many of my own experiences it came down to me learning to honour my value, draw boundaries, and have more self-respect. 

If you get really keen on being objective, reflective and learning; you can also take away how you, yourself were a butthole. I am fully aware of the level 10 butthole I have been in certain circumstances (none of which will be listed today, because I know you think I’m perfect and I would hate to disillusion you). I also see the miscommunications that happened, and how things sort of got muttled, and therefore people got hurt unnecessarily. But hey, we’re all a little tougher now with a better sense of humour. Right? Or perhaps, the less desirable outcome, in which we’re all a little more jaded with a bitter sense of humour. Either way.

Each of the experiences with these buttholes (and my being the occasional butthole) really helped me to identify the man I chose to marry. They created this metaphorical checklist that I was able to go through. 

Oh, you do that thing where you twist everything up and have no responsibility for anything? … nah. No thanks. 

Ah yes, I am familiar with this technique. This is the avoid-it-until-she-gives-up technique. Nope. Next!

Hm, I am noticing how defensive and mean I get around you. I don’t like this version of me. Peace mofo, I’m out.   

As awful as it sounds, there was a period of time when I was dating the man that became my husband that I was practically waiting for him to do something ignorant. But he just never really did… Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like he’s perfect. It’s more that he’s accountable. He has his moments, and he’s the first to tell me he’s sorry, or that it’s not my fault or that he just needs a bit of time to figure something out. If he’s been a bit insensitive or I have felt hurt, I tell him. He listens to me and he always apologizes. (And he doesn’t say dumb stuff like: “I’m sorry you feel that way.” Or “Calm down it was only two fries!”)

My husband respects the shit out of me. It kills me that his mother has passed away because I always want to thank her for whatever she did to make him the man he is today (I do regularly thank his dad), and I want to take notes so I can one day raise a human to be so considerate and kind. 

He cherishes me. He makes me feel important to him. I feel valued, trusted and loved. 

I once told him about my insanely unreasonable fear of getting locked out of the house. That day (THAT DAY) he went to Home Depot and changed the deadbolt out for a mechanical deadbolt so I didn’t have to worry about losing my key. I didn’t ask him to do that, he just did. ‘Cause he’s awesome. 

He always cleans the kitchen if I cook. And often will help me clean the kitchen if he’s cooked. He does the laundry, he plans dates, and buys my favourite snacks when I’m PMS-y.  He also buys me flowers every time he comes home from a long stint at work. 

But most importantly, I can be all the weirdest versions of myself. He supports me with my experimenting, pushing boundaries and trying new  things. I am allowed to feel all my feelings, and I feel truly safe knowing that he’s not threatened by my experiencing emotions. My favourite part of our relationship is that neither of us holds the other one to blame when we are sad, upset or hurt. Even if it was their doing… we don’t say “You hurt me” … it’s “I’m hurt.” 

I know that we’ve only been together for a short time but this isn’t the first time I’ve been in a relationship for 2 years, and this one is different. At this point in previous relationships I am usually acutely aware of things that are making me feel stifled and uncomfortable, and simultaneously naively optimistic that all that garbage will get sorted out - and then it doesn’t, and maybe it lasts a few months more until it inevitably comes to a strained end. I’m just really grateful to be this far in and there’s no garbage. There’s effort, communication, and the occasional disagreement. But it’s pretty mellow. And I love that.

There’s a Buddhist quote that discusses finding your person, I’m going to paraphrase it because I can’t remember it and Google was NO help. It says something along the lines of: when you meet your life-partner it won’t be all sweaty palms, heart pounding and fireworks, instead, it will be this noticeable sense of calm. AKA it won’t be this dramatic hot/cold soap opera. I think we base our expectations of love on movies, TV and storybooks - which is a distorted adaptation of reality. It’s not to say you won’t get butterflies or nervous - sometimes I still do with Brin! But mostly he makes me feel ease. And it was like that from day one. Easy.

There are many people with a long dating history of failed relationships that will tell you there aren’t many good ones left. They’re the first to tell me that I really lucked out with how awesome Brinley is. Don’t worry all, I am well aware that my husband is straight-up the tits. But I want to get across something I feel is very important. I truly feel that I was able to identify my husband as someone to spend my life with because I reflected and learned from my past relationships. I was willing to look myself in the face and acknowledge where I needed to adjust and shift for my own personal growth; and I was able to very distinctly know what I wanted in the human being that would become my life-partner. I became so clear on this that I had decided I would rather be alone and happy by myself, than to settle for a relationship that only filled me up part way. 

Before I met Brinley I made a list. A list of qualities and traits that were all inspired by the previous relationships that I had experienced. It was a pretty detailed list. When I completed my list, I read through it, and my first thought was: “Wow. If this person exists. He’s a pretty remarkable person.” It made me reflect. If I find this incredible person, then I ought to be the most incredible version of myself that I can be. I ought to be willing to return these same qualities. It’s not terribly fair to ask someone for this level of investment if you’re not willing to come to the table with similar value. So I started doing my best to develop in my own areas, asking myself harder questions: Are you ready for your person? Truly. The person that you know you want. The one that is going to treat you the way you deserve to be treated. Are you taking care of yourself? Are you comfortable being all of yourself? Are you responsible with your money? Are you brave enough to own your feelings and your mistakes? Are you able to stand up for yourself?  All of this inquiry gave me the motivation to invest in myself. To hold myself accountable to rise and expand on who I am. To acknowledge my value and observe my deficits with kindness and patience. 

So thank you, Buttholes. You were the reasons I was able to make that list. The reasons I knew exactly what I appreciated in a long-term relationship and the reasons I knew exactly what I didn’t need. You helped motivate me to step back and evaluate myself and acknowledge my various strengths and the I’m-working-on-them parts. You helped me to understand and appreciate what a truly incredible person Brinley is. Without the contrasting experiences of your Butthole-ism I may never have been able to fully appreciate the gift that my husband is. 

Thanks Buttholes. I only hope I was able to do the same for you. 

[atypicality]

Edye, Kira, Clovette, Vix, and Rufion

Edye

Full Name: okay so none of my OCs have last names,, embarrassing i know. he’s named after a neopet as that’s how i formed his character (this is progressively getting more embarrassing). his name is pronounced “eddie,” and an interesting fact about his name is that the part “dye” (pronounced “die”) is a nickname for dionysus, a god that has definitely influenced his character.

Gender and Sexuality: male, he’s bisexual

Pronouns: he/him

Ethnicity/Species: he’s latino and he’s human(??)

Birthplace and Birthdate: i literally have no idea (i feel like i should look into astrology and choose his birthday according to his personality…he’s probably a leo or a gemini and he was clearly born somewhere in latin america. i was thinking ecuador but i’m biased bc i lived there lmao),, he’s 22 though

Guilty Pleasures: reality t.v. and romcoms

Phobias: (i’m not putting the names of each phobia bc no one knows what that means) emotional intimacy, being buried alive, and abandonment

What They Would Be Famous For: i could see him being an actor with a horrible reputation

What They Would Get Arrested For: anything ranging from drug dealing to kidnapping (he was supposed to return vera to the shadow realm, for example). i wouldn’t put much past him

OC You Ship Them With: aliah and rufion (i like him with vera platonically)

OC Most Likely To Murder Them: nora bc she has to deal with his bullshit

Favorite Movie/Book Genre: action and comedy

Least Favorite Movie/Book Cliche: pointless sacrifices. they died, dammit! let that count for something!

Talents and/or Powers: he’s an illusionist, meaning he can warp reality (or one’s perception of reality) and trick people. he can also make portals and fly/hover to some extent.

Why Someone Might Love Them: he’s a party animal and he’s fun to be around. he’s also pretty loyal to the people he cares about.

Why Someone Might Hate Them: he’s a no strings attached kind of person. he can be very apathetic and insensitive.

How They Change: he goes from being a villain to being the sidekick of the MC (vera),, i’m so proud of him

Why You Love Them: he’s the classic asshole/misunderstood bad boy turned good…he’s a huge loser that accidentally became cursed and now has a cult following and he’s just hilarious to think about.

here’s a mix i made for him

and his three shipping mixes lmao (aliah)(rufion)(vera)

here’s the cult mix if you want to listen to that  😂😂😂

alsoo i have a sidekick mix

and i’m literally developing two more for him (villain / hero arc, respectively)

can you tell that he’s my favorite

Kira

Full Name: just kira (hi, just. i’m nina)

Gender and Sexuality: female, heterosexual

Pronouns: she/her

Ethnicity/Species: she’s mixed: japanese and black. she’s a human

Birthplace and Birthdate: she was born in japan (city whomst) and she’s 27. probably a gemini or a scorpio

Guilty Pleasures: chocolate/sweets in general and creeping on social media if that counts

Phobias: she suffers from body dysmorphic disorder and suffers from fears that accompany that, such as not being good enough, etc. she also hates bugs, especially spiders.

What They Would Be Famous For: despite her bdd, she’d definitely become famous for being a beauty vlogger/youtuber. her ‘mask’ (aka whatever it is people with bdd do to help themselves cope with their body’s appearance/perceived flaw) would be makeup and she uses her powers to give herself the illusion that she’s someone else (in terms of appearance, if that makes any sense).

What They Would Get Arrested For: shoplifting (idk if you can be arrested for this but it’s the only thing she would do)

OC You Ship Them With: will a lil bit tbh. they’re the mom-dad pair

OC Most Likely To Murder Them: no one lmao

Favorite Movie/Book Genre: romcoms and horror

Least Favorite Movie/Book Cliche: white people doing stupid things in horror movies, the most aggravating definitely being having sex/making out while danger is imminent

Talents and/or Powers: she’s an illusionist and can make portals like edye. she’s also a makeup artist

Why Someone Might Love Them: she’s super sweet and a good listener.

Why Someone Might Hate Them: people misinterpret her as shallow

How They Change: she betrays the Good Guys for her benefit but is forgiven. she also seeks help for her bdd and stops using her powers to alter her appearance (her makeup still serves as a mask though, her insecurities and anxiety don’t disappear overnight)

Why You Love Them: her struggle with self-love is so heartbreaking and she’s so strong and admirable.

Clovette

Full Name: clovette. some people call her clover. she’s also a neopet.

Gender and Sexuality: female, pansexual

Pronouns: she/her

Ethnicity/Species: she’s asian and a human

Birthplace and Birthdate: she was born somewhere in southeast asia. she’s 20 and probably an aquarius

Guilty Pleasures: sleeping in and staying home all day

Phobias: she has a fear of flying and the ocean. she suffers from social anxiety and is afraid of large crowds.

What They Would Be Famous For: she’d be a kickass video game developer

What They Would Get Arrested For: probably doing something illegal online (piracy maybe?)

OC You Ship Them With: maybe with nora

OC Most Likely To Murder Them: no one!!!

Favorite Movie/Book Genre: science fiction and fantasy

Least Favorite Movie/Book Cliche: white savior trope

Talents and/or Powers: she doesn’t have any powers but she’s great at coding and game design and she’s a talented artist.

Why Someone Might Love Them: she’s really funny when you get to know her.

Why Someone Might Hate Them: she comes off as judgmental but she’s really not

How They Change: she’s initially scared of travelling from her island (boats? Horrifying. airplanes? Terrifying.) but then she’s forced to move and has to face that fear plus the fear that comes when you don’t know anyone and have to form new relationships.

Why You Love Them: she has so much potential for growth and she’s so cute and inspiring

Vix

Full Name: i have to pick out a really basic white girl name for her but she goes by vix and vixen is her villain name (edye doesn’t deserve a villain name).

Gender and Sexuality: female, heterosexual but the kind of straight girl that will kiss other girls for male attention.

Pronouns: she/her

Ethnicity/Species: she’s white and a human

Birthplace and Birthdate: she was born in paris, she’s 21, and she’s probably a pisces.

Guilty Pleasures: kissing girls uwu, eating way too many tubs of cookie dough ice cream, and erotica.

Phobias: she’s scared of birds and the deep sea. she’ll enjoy going to the beach but she won’t go in the water because then she thinks of sea monsters and other unknown terrors hidden in the unexplored ocean. she’ll go to a pool, though.

What They Would Be Famous For: she’d be an actress or a journalist

What They Would Get Arrested For: robbery, possibly arson

OC You Ship Them With: no one

OC Most Likely To Murder Them: edye

Favorite Movie/Book Genre: film noir and slasher films/thrillers

Least Favorite Movie/Book Cliche: love triangles

Talents and/or Powers: she uses love magic and mental manipulation.

Why Someone Might Love Them: she’s clever and really determined.

Why Someone Might Hate Them: she’s a bitch.

How They Change: she’s initially shy, awkward, trying to make her way through life. then she falls in love with someone (*coughs* edye *coughs*) and gives herself a makeover. she goes from innocent civilian investigating something to villainess and cult leader. 10/10 transformation

Why You Love Them: i don’t lmao. i like that she fits the femme fatale archetype. she’s a really interesting character. she also unironically calls herself vixen, so there’s that.

here’s her mix

Rufion

Full Name: rufion (pronounced rough-ee-an). he’s also a neopet (he looks so ugly rn because he’s my lab rat).

Gender and Sexuality: male, homosexual

Pronouns: he/him and they/them

Ethnicity/Species: honestly i have not thought about where he’s from at all but he’s brown (we love ethnically ambiguous characters in this house! /s). he’s a human.

Birthplace and Birthdate: [me seeing birthplace: owo what’s this?] he’s 23 and he’s probably a capricorn.

Guilty Pleasures: does ordering a lot of takeout food count? he stays up all night playing video games and loves reading comic books. he also really likes baking sweets (he’d probably be a really good cook but tbh he’s too lazy)

Phobias: he’s scared he’s going to die in his sleep and stays up all night as a result. if someone told him the effects of lack of sleep on his health he would definitely panic

What They Would Be Famous For: he would definitely be in a band. fuck

What They Would Get Arrested For: He Would Never Be Arrested. Next 

OC You Ship Them With: edye

OC Most Likely To Murder Them: vix

Favorite Movie/Book Genre: he doesn’t really like watching tv/movies but superhero films

Least Favorite Movie/Book Cliche: bury your gays

Talents and/or Powers: he’s good at fighting.

Why Someone Might Love Them: he’s really nice, super optimistic, and honest. he’s hard working and responsible. he’s a huge nerd basically

Why Someone Might Hate Them: people might view him as naive and annoying.

How They Change: he’s a sort of private investigator but then he takes a…peculiar case and then………………..he catches feelings lmfao. there’s definitely some side-switching/ambiguity in his future

Why You Love Them: he’s just trying his best honestly. idk how to articulate it but he’s kind of like xD as a human being.

[nohriantomatoes]

Yoooo I like this headcanon!

My original thoughts on the royal kids is that they're the "best"/no-war versions of their father. It's not a 1:1 obviously, since Forrest being super shy and Leo being super snarky are the sort of things that are just character traits rather than having to be tied to trauma or a lack of it.

Ryoma was stated to act almost exactly like Shiro before his father was killed and he was forced to grow up too quick and adopt this "perfect" persona that, in my opinion, has completely stifled his personality and ability to think like a real human. Shiro can't stand his dad bc of his expectations and Ryoma tries to warn Shiro that his reckless behavior is dangerous since he learned he couldn't act like that as a crown prince himself.

Xander's love for his father blinded him to any issues Garon was having, to the point that in Rev his siblings all had to leave or threaten leaving (Leo) before he'd consider anything could possibly be wrong. He's incredibly stubborn about his ideals as he tries to emulate this perfect prince, but we know in canon that Xander really has terrible social anxiety and hates having to be so imposing to everyone all the time, traits that are plainly visible in Siegbert.

While we don't know a ton about Takumi's behavior as a kid, we do know that he's always been very "all or nothing" in his love and protectiveness for those he deems friends and family, and even though he's now constantly comparing himself to Ryoma, he was always considered a quick study and very smart when it came to both history and sword-skills, something he only dropped bc of the war and not wanting to compete with Ryoma.

Kiragi is deceptively yandere, only seen in a few canon convos and some of the japanese-only mother-child convos (I know Camilla and I think Oboro?). He's got an incredibly one-track mind like his father and really doesn't want to learn about anything he's not interested in, but is willing to do so if it makes those he loves happy (people pleasing, like Takumi is prone to). The biggest difference here is that Takumi is exceptionally pessimistic and Kiragi is naively optimistic, which causes a bit of tension between them.

Leo and Forrest are once again the biggest stretch and the hardest to analyze for me, just bc I don't really remember much of Forrests personality and Leo is just a very different person from his son.

I do believe he (Leo) has some Canon convos about hating to be seen as feminine in any way, shape, or form, to the point that he's willing to estrange his own son for following that kind of lifestyle. That reads as someone who was thoroughly traumatized as a child for having any "feminine" behaviors (and also is one huge reason why I think Leo should be canonically bi/gay), which likely only would have happened if he had been expressing those behaviors around his shitface mom or literally-evil dad.

One could theorize that if Leo's life hadn't been ruined by politics and a child-genocide happening around him that he could have been allowed to embrace this side of himself, meaning he would have more overtly feminine attributes, be out of the closet, and/or not be so detached and smartass as a way to protect himself from criticism.

I just realized something

You know how Siegbert looks most like Xander. Forrest looks most like Elise. And Shiro & Kiragi look just like their fathers. I was thinking about the fact they act almost exactly like how the four royals died/before they died in the other routes.

Siegbert being depressed/stressed and wants to please his father + is close/protective of Forrest. Xander in Birthright is depressed/stressed and wants to please his father to where it becomes his downfall. Xander used to be super close and protective of Elise.

Shiro being stubborn and doesn’t like losing with a burning passion. Ryoma in Conquest being extremely stubborn and doesn’t like losing to the point of killing himself.

Kiragi is passionate and has a good skill set but is unaware or is unwilling to face his shortcomings. Takumi being a nightmare to deal with in Conquest because of his burning hatred for the Nohrians with a passion and has a terrifying skill set of he isn’t on your side. He is also becomes so lost in his own hatred that it allows him to get possessed.

Now onto my weakest connection. Forrest and Elise. Xander and Elise were close. Xander was protective of Elise, but his slip in not noticing she was gone until it was too late causing her death. Forrest was kidnapped because of Leo having a lapse in his attention span nearly getting Forrest killed, but thankfully wasn’t too late to save him.

[frankenfawn]

bruno and clementine? :D

AHHH!! Thank you Cloods, ily. 

Full Name: Bruno DominguezGender and Sexuality: male and biPronouns: he/himEthnicity/Species: LatinoBirthplace and Birthdate: Born in Brooklyn, February 29thGuilty Pleasures: listening to really bad erotic audio booksPhobias: being alone, getting lost, needlesWhat They Would Be Famous For: being able to to tell someone’s entire past by knowing them for about two minutesWhat They Would Get Arrested For: knowing too much, the amount of times he was able to bribe someone into buying him free shitOC You Ship Them With: Davis, TamaraOC Most Likely To Murder Them: TamaraFavorite Movie/Book Genre: Romance and historical fictionLeast Favorite Movie/Book Cliche: when a character has a great effing potential and a cool ass backstory only to be filed away or killed off within one episode of seeing them, or the writer doing them so wrong. Talents and/or Powers: He’s a big foodie, knows everything their is to know about food, very good about remembering tiny details, and if he touches an inanimate object or an article of clothing with his bare hands he gets flashes of that items past and owners, etc. Also pretty good at chess!Why Someone Might Love Them: charming af, super polite and nice, great with kids, good listenerWhy Someone Might Hate Them: He will eat your leftover food in the fridge, also will criticize the food you make him if it isn’t just quite right, sometimes forgets what personal/emotional space is, stubborn, can be narcissistic How They Change: He has a really hard time accepting any sort of help/ thinks he’s somehow better than other people but after a while he mellows out when he figures out his problems are not the only problems and that he’s not always the center of everyone’s universe.Why You Love Them: Yo Bruno’s got great hair. He works really well relationship wise with his cast of characters and he can be such a smart ass and I love him very much.  

Full Name: Clementine KellyGender and Sexuality: ??? whatever honestly, and women/demisexualPronouns: they/sheEthnicity/Species: Her dad is from Pakistan and her mom is white, she’s kinda high key dead now so Birthplace and Birthdate: Seattle and August 3rdGuilty Pleasures: she’s highly allergic to peaches, like she gets super bad and painful hives but she eats them anyway bc she loves them Phobias: dogs, bees, crowds, and public speakingWhat They Would Be Famous For: being one of the only people to die of a coyote attack in the middle of canada, having their art shown in a famous gallery when she was like eight, she is one of the most successful reapers in the UnderworldWhat They Would Get Arrested For: shoplifting, loitering OC You Ship Them With: TansyOC Most Likely To Murder Them: Laurel, GrimFavorite Movie/Book Genre: Fantasy, ScifiLeast Favorite Movie/Book Cliche: she HATES when girl characters try and change themselves for men so they arent friendzonedTalents and/or Powers: Very great at color theory, painting, can tell the slightest shades apart, running, calming people down, reapingWhy Someone Might Love Them: happiest ray of sunshine in the world, will make you smile, committed, optimistic, will protecWhy Someone Might Hate Them: She will inadvertently steal your shit, maintains eye contact for more time than is socially acceptable, will talk your ear off about art history until you die, social cues?? who??How They Change: Clem is super naive and too nice to everyone and horrible when i comes to being fucking social or making a name for herself. After she dies, she reflects on the short life she has and does her best to build herself up in a way that she knows will work and learns to do no harm, take no shit. Why You Love Them: my little ray of sunshine. a child that needs to be protected. she loves her sister more than herself and shes a sweet kid.  

for every name you get in your askbox, you must fill out the following character profile for said oc  

Ask me!!

[mermaidsirennikita]

February 2018 Book Roundup

I’d that this was a pretty diverse month for me in terms of reading.  Sure, there was plenty of my traditional fantasy in there, but I also went through a biography, some contemporary YA, a historical fiction novel about Eleanor Roosevelt, alt-history, and some very silly (but very enjoyable) contemporary romance.  My favorite book of the month was probably Purple Hearts, the conclusion of Michael Grant’s Front Lines trilogy--but I’d be lying if I said that one of those romance novels didn’t rival it.  Unfortunately, my least favorite book was that aforementioned Eleanor Roosevelt book.  But hey, I tried it.

Purple Hearts by Michael Grant.  4/5.  The final book in Grant’s Front Lines/Soldier Girls trilogy, Purple Hearts sees Silver Star recipients Rio, Rainy, and Frangie return to the European front in World War II.  Rio is battle-hardened and growing increasingly fearful--not of what she faces at war, but how she, a girl very good at soldiering, will adjust to life afterwards.  Rainy is undercover and subjected to horrors that have a deeply personal ring as she deals with the guilt of surviving, killing, and becoming even colder than she already was.  Frangie is struggling with her faith, saving many as a medic but losing more--in ways that she wouldn’t have imagined.  This series--a take on World War II with the premise that girls were allowed to enlist and be drafted in America--really was way better and far more realistic than it had a right to be.  There were clumsy moments, largely because Grant is (I assume) a guy trying to be as inclusive as possible.  But you know--even when certain scenes came off as a bit awkward, I appreciated the diversity.  And the fact is that you have different reasons to bond with each of our leads, and the people they care about.  I’ll always have a soft spot for Rio most of all, because she embodies that “naive innocent turned into a battle-hardened killer” character type I love so much.  But Frangie goes through so fucking much in this book (they all do, but Frangie seemed like such an optimist at first) and even Rainy, the heroine I had the most difficulty connecting with, finally opens up and becomes a fully-realized character.  “Purple Hearts” struck me as the most brutal book in the trilogy, and there are a lot of horrific scenes throughout.  But it was ultimately very satisfying, and a great end to the series.

Empress of the East by Leslie Peirce.  4/5.  Hurrem Sultan, also known as Roxelana, was the first woman in centuries to legally wed an Ottoman sultan, thus becoming an essential empress.  However, like any concubine, she began life as a slave before catching the eye of Suleyman the Magnificent and beginning one of history’s greatest love affairs--that would result in six children and a fundamental change in Ottoman politics.  Peirce has to make a lot of assumptions when writing this book--little is known about Hurrem, referred to by the name Roxelana in this biography.  But she sticks to accuracy whenever possible, and none of her assumptions are all that out there to me.  I’d call this more popular than academic history, but if you’re looking to get into the history of Hurrem and the Ottoman Empire, I think it’s a great start.

Shadowsong by S. Jae-Jones.  4/5.  Six months after leaving her husband, the Goblin King, behind in the Underground, Liesl is attempting to make something out of her life.  Yet her brother Josef, a gifted musician, hasn’t responded to any of her letters and she finds herself unable to compose.  After receiving a proposal from a mysterious benefactor, Liesl goes to further her career in Vienna, only to realize that the boundaries between our world and the Goblin King’s are deteriorating at an alarming rate, and something is seriously wrong with her brother.  Liesl must return to the Underground to figure out what’s going on--but can she do so without losing her sanity?  This book... is a lot.  It’s beautifully written, incredibly dark at points, and takes a pretty bold turn.  Liesl’s story in “Wintersong” was really of self-discovery and sexual awakening, whereas here the story revolves--fairy stuff aside--around her mental condition and her relationship with Josef.  Along with a bit of Goblin King backstory for good measure.  And for the most part, I’d say it’s successful.  Yes, there were points where I was like “honestly Liesl should probably do something rather than thinking about how bad shit is” but... “Wintersong” wasn’t a very plot-driven book either, so I can’t say that I felt that plot was meant to be a priority in the sequel.  It’s all sort of delightfully eerie and morally ambiguous, holdovers from “Wintersong”. But it was missing the Goblin King.  Again, I feel that this book was very ambitious and super interesting and enjoyable, but it was missing something that made me absolutely adore “Wintersong”.  And I’m not ashamed to admit that that something was the Goblin King and all the emo sex he had with Liesl.  There were definitely points where I almost felt like Jones was trying to push back against the fact that most of the praise surrounding “Wintersong” was around how hot her male “hero” (................ ish) was, but I’ve got to say that that story did seem a bit more effortless to read.  Basically, I wouldn’t change the plot of “Shadowsong”, I think it’s a really good book and followup, but I would add more Goblin King and I’m not ashamed to admit it.  Still, I really loved it and was overall satisfied with the book.

Immortal Reign by Morgan Rhodes.  4/5.  I’m not going to bother on a summary for this because it’s the conclusion to a 6 (?) book series that is all very convoluted.  Essentially, Immortal Reign takes all of the characters we’ve followed and concludes their stories in the expected ways, and while I wouldn’t say that the Falling Kingdoms series is good, exactly... it does what it came here to do.  It’s a very trope-y Game of Thrones for teens type thing with a feisty princess and a brooding dark prince at the center taking up the actual plot (which involves some elemental gods or whatever) with their arranged marriage angsty sexual tension shenanigans and honestly?  It’s fun.  All’s well that ends well.

Anatomy of a Scandal by Sarah Vaughan.  2/5.  Sophie, a cossetted politician’s wife, is shocked when her husband James revealed that he had an affair with a young employee.  James is charismatic and prominent, and though Sophie can believe that the affair happened, she doesn’t believe what comes next--the reveal that James allegedly raped the woman he was sleeping with.  Kate, an experienced lawyer, is ready to prosecute James, completely convinced of his guilt.  But which woman is right?  I honestly debated doing one or two stars here, and I think I went with two because I get what the author is going for.  But like... here’s the thing.  We know which woman is right.  We know from the start, especially after James’s perspective is introduced (side note: the way the POVs were handled seemed wonky).  I’m all about the issue of rape being handled in fiction, especially when we’re talking about charismatic politicians.  It’s very relevant.  But the thing is that there is room for doubt in some cases; a very, very small amount, sure.  However, there’s a reason why trials happen in rape cases.  (Unfortunately, those trials often don’t end as they should, but that’s another issue.)  There should have been doubt in a book that touted itself as a thriller, but all I got was preachiness and a “twist” that... did not... impress me.  Kate’s perspective was incredibly holier than thou--so even though I agreed with her beliefs, I felt like I was being *told* how to feel rather than convinced through the story or writing.  Like, obviously I should agree with everything Kate says.  Obviously.  Also, the writing just wasn’t great--slow and strange at times.  The descriptions of people were weird.  Like, way to take your novel about a feminist issue and describe the evil defense attorney in a way that is suggestive of her weight--she’s described as a “weighty” woman who “plumps” herself down.  Which... whatever.  Good idea, downright unintelligent and uninspired execution that probably would have been more interesting if we focused solely on Sophie’s point of view.

White Houses by Amy Bloom.  2/5.  Lorena Hickock tells the story of her decades-long love affair with first lady Eleanor Roosevelt.  Though American history has never been my jam, I was intrigued because the existence of Eleanor’s affair with “Hick” is debated to this day, despite a lot of evidence towards the fact that Eleanor was a) interested in women and b) in love with Hick, and vice versa.  And this should have been so interesting.  Not only is there the inherent interest factor of a first lady having an affair--and with another woman in the early twentieth century, at that--but Eleanor was a multi-dimensional, controversial woman married to a controversial man (who had plenty of affairs of his own).  But Amy Bloom’s writing style and characterization of Hick (who had a horrific childhood that was handled... I don’t know, rather coldly, by the writing style) just sucked the life out of everything.  I won’t say that there weren’t some pretty moments and I feel like the approach to depicting a long relationship was good, but this was too boring.

Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann.  3/5.  Alice has recently suffered yet another bad breakup--and the reason why her girlfriend dumped her is especially painful.  Biromantic and asexual, Alice struggles to communicate to her partners how she feels, and how her romantic attraction to them doesn’t mean that she experiences sexual attraction.  Right after proclaiming that she’s done with dating, Alice meets the handsome, kind Takumi, and is immediately head over heels.  But does she dare tell him about her feelings--and her sexuality?  This book was definitely hard for me to rate, because in all honesty...  I didn’t really like it.  I didn’t really hate it, either.  It was fine.  The representation is so important that I feel like I can’t not recommend it--Alice is black, biromantic, and asexual.  That’s huge.  I don’t know if the author is asexual or not--I know she’s black--so I can’t speak to how the book handles asexuality (another reason why I wasn’t sure how to rate it) but I did appreciate that race wasn’t ignored in the book.  The thing is that while Takumi was very cute, much of the book felt more like a Tumblr spiel than a story.  Alice has a right to have her feelings hurt by the fact that her girlfriend doesn’t want to be with her; but I also felt like the girlfriend was a bit demonized for wanting to feel sexually desired, and the fact is that... that’s okay.  Alice’s friends seem to say the right things a bit too often, especially considering how little the average person knows about asexuality.  Alice herself annoyed the shit out of me, for reasons that had nothing to do with her sexuality--she was just so fucking cutesy, and in all honesty I had a hard time believing that a girl her age thought the way she did.  It also felt as if that fed into the perception of ace people as these fairy-like unicorn types who love all things soft and cute, which...  I don’t know.  Maybe an ace person would read this and say otherwise.  I’m not ace, so I have no idea. Basically: good idea, not so sure about the execution, great rep.  Important, but perhaps a little too After School Special for me.

The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden.  3/5.  Following the events of The Bear and the Nightingale, Vasya is left with two choices: marry, or join a convent.  Spirited--and still being mentored on some level by the frost demon Morozko--Vasya is quickly gains the esteem of the Prince of Moscow after a battle with bandits.  But that leaves her disguising her gender, an d in more danger than ever before.  I remember liking The Bear and the Nightingale--but I’m not sure that it left a huge impression on me, because I felt like I was going into this book blind.  I remember the characters--it’s a big cast--but I wasn’t excited about anything but Vasya and Morozko.  I don’t know, it all came off as a bit slow to me.  Beautifully written and interesting, but slow.  I plan on giving it another shot at some point.

From Lukov with Love by Mariana Zapata.  4/5.  At twenty-six, Jasmine is past her prime as a figure skater, and her pairs partner’s abrupt departure has caused her to miss a season.  She should be thrilled to be asked to partner last-minute with Ivan Lukov, the current world champion--but Ivan is also her best friend’s older brother, and her arch nemesis since she was a teenager.  He’s arrogant and stuck-up; she’s got a chip on her shoulder.  It’s a romance novel.  We know what’s going to happen.  But this was one of the most fun love/hate romance novels I’ve read in a while.  Honestly, there’s nothing INCREDIBLY deep going on here--the stakes are relatively low, there aren’t any major obstacles or even a last minute shocking reveal~.  Ivan and Jasmine really just need to stop being assholes to each other and fucking skate.  Also, make out.  But it’s such a fun book.  Like, the writing is nothing spectacular--there’s some repetition and awkward descriptions--but the leads’ chemistry keeps it together and I pretty much wolfed the book down.

The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata.  3/5.  For two years, Vanessa has been the long-suffering personal, assistant of football star Aiden Graves, who acts as if she doesn’t exist.  Fed up with being taken for granted, Vanessa quits--only to have Aiden show up on her doorstep, asking her to marry him.  A Canadian, Aiden is in danger of having his visa expire, and the easiest way for him to stay in the U.S.--the only way he’ll accept--is through marriage, and Vanessa is the best potential (fake) wife.  After Aiden promises to pay off her student loans and buy her a house, she agrees--but can she keep her real feelings at bay?  Another cheesy but charming romance from Zapata, but this one I found a good bit less compelling.  It was likable, sure, but I didn’t feel the chemistry between Aiden and Vanessa on the same level that I did Ivan and Jasmine’s in the above book.  For that matter, while Aiden wasn’t as nasty to Vanessa as Ivan was to Jasmine--well, Jasmine dished it as well as she took it.  Vanessa, on the other hand, was just a doormat as Aiden had her wash his sheets, cook for him, basically handle everything an adult should handle... while acting like she didn’t exist.  It certainly diminished Aiden’s appeal, though I didn’t hate him.  Again, it was fun, but not nearly as good as From Lukov with Love.

[hexvens-fxllen-stxr]

Get to know the Muse

Tagged by: @crxwly

Tagging: @huntingbrothrrs, @charliebradburyrp, @thekingsparty, and everyone 

Wealth —

$ FINANCIAL. // wealthy / moderate / poor / in poverty /

--wealthy by hell standards since he’s practically their god, but has as much money as his vessel 

✚ MEDICAL. // fit / moderate / sickly / disadvantaged / disabled / not applicable

✪ CLASS. // upper / middle-working / poor / slave / unsure  

--either royalty or god-tier

✔ EDUCATION. // qualified / unqualified / studying / other 

--knows pretty much everything about the world, heaven, and hell; learning about humans and their culture currently

✖ CRIMINAL RECORD. // yes, for major crimes (?) / yes, for minor crimes / no / has committed (major) crimes, but has not been caught yet

family —

◒ CHILDREN. // has had one or more children / has no children / wants children /  verse dependent  / unable to bear children  

◑ RELATIONSHIP WITH FAMILY. // close with sibling(s) / not close with sibling(s) / has no sibling(s) / sibling(s) are deceased  

--very close to family before the fall, sort of a love/hate relationship. they want him dead but still miss him and regret losing him, he wants to go back to them but thinks they leave him no choice, etc.

◔ AFFILIATION. // orphaned / adopted / disowned / raised by birth parent(s) / raised by a family member / not applicable  

--he was kicked out of heaven, i’d call that pretty disowned.

♡ ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP. // single / dating / engaged / married / it’s complicated / divorced / verse dependent

traits + tendencies —

♦ extrovert //  introvert // in between ♦ disorganized // organized // in between ♦ close-minded // open-minded // in between ♦ calm // anxious //  in between  ♦ disagreeable // agreeable // in between

--depends on how badly you piss him off

♦ cautious // reckless // in between ♦ patient // impatient // in between ♦ outspoken //  reserved // in between

--speaks his mind, but is always calm and relaxed about it

♦ leader // follower // in between ♦ empathetic  // indifferent // in between 

--could be super empathic to one person but not even blink as he kills another, so...

♦ optimistic // pessimistic // in between ♦ traditional // modern // in between ♦ hardworking // lazy // in between ♦ cultured // uncultured // in between ♦ loyal // disloyal // in between ♦ faithful // unfaithful // in between

beliefs —

★ FAITH. // monotheist / polytheist / atheist / agnostic / it’s complicated / antitheist

☆ BELIEF IN GHOSTS OR SPIRITS. // yes / no / don’t know / don’t care

✮ BELIEF IN AN AFTERLIFE. // yes / no / don’t know / don’t care

✯ BELIEF IN REINCARNATION. // yes / no / don’t know / don’t care

❃ BELIEF IN ALIENS. //  yes / no / don’t know / don’t care

❀ PHILOSOPHICAL. // yes / no / sometimes

sexuality & romantic inclination —

❤ SEXUALITY. / heterosexual / homosexual / bisexual / asexual / demisexual / questioning**bi/panromantic

❥ SEX. // sex repulsed / sex neutral / sex favorable

♥ ROMANCE. // romance repulsed / romance neutral / romance favorable

❣ SEXUALLY. // adventurous / experienced / naive / inexperienced / curious / inhibited

⚧ POTENTIAL SEXUAL PARTNERS. // male / female / other / none / all

⚧ POTENTIAL ROMANTIC PARTNERS. // male / female / other / none / all

--heavily selective and very rarely

abilities —

☠ COMBAT SKILLS. // excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

≡ LITERACY SKILLS. // excellent / good  / moderate / poor / none

✍ ARTISTIC SKILLS. // excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

✂ TECHNICAL SKILLS. // excellent / good /  moderate  / poor / none 

habits —

☕ DRINKING ALCOHOL. // never / sometimes / frequently / to excess

☁ SMOKING. // never / sometimes / frequently / to excess

✿ OTHER NARCOTICS. // never / sometimes / frequently / to excess

✌ MEDICINAL DRUGS. // never / sometimes / frequently / to excess

☻ INDULGENT IN FOOD. // never / sometimes / frequently / to excess

--doesn’t need to eat

$ SPLURGE SPENDING. // never / sometimes / frequently / to excess

♣ GAMBLING. // never / sometimes / frequently / to excess

--taking risks but not at casinos

[inloveandwords]

I read a total of 14 books between June 14 & June 27 and there were so many great ones!

All of the books I mention in this video can be found and purchased on my storefront here.

  Quiet Girl in a noisy world by Debbie Tung

4 stars

This is a graphic novel that is basically a series of scenarios that will be very relatable to true introverts. I am much more of an extroverted introvert, so there were some things that I didn’t fully relate to, but I totally understood. The illustrations were adorable and I read this book within an hour. I think this book would make a great gift for your introvert friends who don’t get enough love in this noisy world.

Can I Come Over by Whitney G

4 Stars

I saw that a friend of mine on bookstagram was reading a couple of Whitney G novels and this was one of them. It definitely inspired me to pick it up since it was my birthday and her novels tend to be short and sweet – like a little treat on a day of relaxation.

This book had so many great romance tropes happening in it. First of all, the heroine, not unlike Whitney G, is a successful author of short, self-published, steamy romance novels. She joins this sort of pen pal ish service that is supposed to be strictly platonic and starts talking to this guy. At first he’s a douche, but then they work things out. Turns out he is her dad’s good friend. So there is a forbidden and age gap scenario.

I have to be honest, I didn’t love this at first. I really didn’t like the way the hero was talking to our heroine at all and I worried he wouldn’t redeem himself.

He did and I ended up really enjoying this. Whitney G does what few authors can when it comes to steamy novellas: she builds chemistry quickly and crafts a believable romance in otherwise outlandish settings. Her and Katee Robert are my two very favorite short, steamy, romance writers for that reason.

When a Scot Ties the Knot by Tessa Dare

5 Stars

I finally did it! I read a Tessa Dare novel and everyone was right. I freaking loved it.

This book is about a woman who is incredibly introverted and to avoid having to do the typical coming out in society thing, she makes up a pretend boyfriend. A Scottish soldier who, it turns out, actually exists.

He has been receiving her letters and learns all about her from them, so when he shows up unexpectedly at the house she inherited because of her fake engagement to him, she’s obviously surprised.

For those who don’t normally like historical romances, I think Tessa Dare is the perfect place to ease your way into the genre. Her heroines aren’t annoyingly innocent and naive. Her books feel modern even though they are not.

This had so many elements of a great romance: fake dating, a little bit of enemies-to-lovers, and an adorable meetcute.

I can’t wait to read more Tessa Dare!

The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta

5 Stars

This is a coming-of-age memoir about a mixed-race gay teen who eventually finds himself when he discovers drag, written in verse. Obviously I can’t personally speak for the rep in this novel, but I can tell you that it was beautifully written.

I’m a big fan of modern poetry and though I connected a little more with the poetry in The Poet X a little more, I still really liked this one. While I loved the audiobook, I have seen a few pages of the book and I wish I had it as I was reading as well.

I feel like this book is so important for young people to read, to help them see outside of their boxes – or to help them find themselves on page. To help them not feel so alone.

Cherry Magic

4 stars

My very first official manga was gifted to me by my sweet friend, @genkireader, for my birthday. There was definitely a learning curve when it came to reading this. I was messaging her on Instagram with questions like, “Wait, this book is backwards, where do I start? Do I read right to left or left to right?” It was surprisingly more difficult than I expected, but I REALLY enjoyed this book. So much so that I ended up buying a few more of her favorites.

This book was quirky and cute. It’s about a guy who has developed the power to read people’s mind through touch and he thinks it is because he’s a 30yo virgin. He ends up reading the mind of a charasmatic, good-looking guy in his office and discovers that he is attracted to him. So many adorable moments ensue, a ton of over-thinking and awkwardness, but also super sweet, swoony moments, too. I feel like this will speak to any of us who overthink every little thing when we are falling for someone. Especially when it is unexpected.

Thank you, De’Siree for this gift, it was like you gifted me a piece of yourself because I know how much you love these stories. Lovelovelovelovelove.

Rafe by Rebekah Weatherspoon

3 Stars

This is a cute romance between a buff, tattooed nanny who begins working for a savant young surgeon and mother of two girls.

This book was fine, though I didn’t see anything special about it. Maybe I gave in a little to the hype surrounding it and that was the issue, but mostly the romance was just ok. I felt like it was a little rushed, I wished there was more pining and more of a forbidden aspect to this, but it seemed like they both gave in pretty quickly.

Loving Mr. Daniels by Brittany C Cherry

5 stars

This was a super angsty, emotional story about a girl and a guy who are both dealing with terrible tragedy and find solace in each other. The first night they meet is filled with unbelievable chemistry, it’s almost too good to be true.

And it turns out to be. Because it turns out he is her high school teacher.

The heroine was held back in school because of a medical condition, so she is 19 years old and a senior. He is a young teacher, in his early twenties, so the age gap isn’t really a thing, but it doesn’t make it any less forbidden.

When they realize the situation, it’s heartbreaking because of how intense their first meeting was. A series of super angsty things happen and it’s all very intense, but in the best epic love kind of way.

I was rooting for this couple the entire time, but not only that, I loved the heroine’s relationship with her step siblings even with all that drama.

All American Boys by Jason Reynolds

5 Stars

This is a super relevant fictional story that is somewhat reminiscent of The Hating Game.

This is about a boy in the ROTC in high school who is falsely accused of stealing by a racist, hateful police officer who ends up beating him until he is unconscious which stirs protests in his town that is sick of this constantly happening.

Sound familiar?

What’s interesting about this story is how it follows the perspective both of the victim and a white boy that goes to his school who is linked to the police officer.

I was completely invested in this story, while also cautious. I was super curious about how this book would end. Would it be far too optimistic or would it be realistic?

When I finally came to the end, I very much appreciated it. It was hopeful without being naive. It left questions that we still need answers to, but it didn’t feel too unresolved that it leaves you unsettled. I almost took it as… let’s let current events tell us how this story is going to end.

The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang

5 Stars

I read this sweet, heartwarming graphic novel with my girls. They adored it from the very first night we read it before bed.

This story is about a prince who likes to wear dresses and hires, in secret, a dressmaker to make him custom dresses.

I didn’t tell them what it was about, I wanted them to discover it on their own and ask questions as they came up.

Books are an essential parenting tool for me.

The girls begged me every night to keep going. They loved the characters in this book and they were excited to see what was going to happen.

This entire book, but especially the ending was so adorable. I absolutely loved it and can’t wait to read more from this author. Especially if I can share the experience with my girls.

Addicted series books 1 & 1.5 by Krista and Becca Ritchie

5 stars and 4 stars

A lot of my friends have read and loved this series, between that and the premise, I’ve been super excited to read it.

This is about a woman who is a sex addict and her best friend she’s in a fake relationship with who is an alcoholic.

This is a super angsty, dark, gritty series so far with such a strong romance. These are extremely troubled characters who are using their relationship and each other to hide their addictions.

I found this book, ironically enough, addicting to read and I can’t wait to read on in the series.

The second book did seem to drag on a bit, I feel like it could’ve been half as long as it was, but I know it was necessary.

Take a Hint Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert

5 Stars

I am absolutely LOVING these Brown sisters books! Chloe’s book was fantastic, but I think this one might be my favorite so far.⁣

⁣

Dani is a smart, independent savvy woman who is not interested in a long term relationship. Zaf is basically the complete opposite.⁣

⁣

The two of them have not had much more than a nice rapport – he’s the security guard at the school she teaches at, until Dani gets trapped in an elevator and Zaf rescues her. This wouldn’t be a big deal if the entire rescue didn’t get caught on film and go viral.⁣

⁣

The “going viral” thing seems to be really popular lately and it’s not normally something I would gravitate towed. Honestly, I tend to prefer if romance novels just pretend that social media didn’t exist. I think it’s tricky including anything involving technology in contemporary romance novels only because things change so rapidly, it’s easy to become outdated.⁣

⁣

However, I didn’t care what this book was about, I knew I was going to read it and fully expected to love it … and I was right.⁣

⁣

As always, Talia’s steamy scenes are SO on point, but more than anything, she writes sweet heroes SO well. I adored Zaf with everything I am. I can’t handle how much I love his side job and that despite being a big guy, he’s a big softie. ⁣

⁣

And, of course, I adored Dani. I love how badass and confident and independent she is, even if it does complicate her relationships.⁣

Becoming by Michelle Obama

5 Stars

I borrowed this on a whim from my library. I’ve been reading a few nonfiction books lately and have enjoyed all that I’ve picked up.⁣

⁣

I have to admit, though, I loved this one the most.⁣

⁣

I didn’t realize Michelle’s father had MS. As soon as she mentioned his symptoms, my stomach dropped and I just KNEW it. It’s always hard for me to read about people who have Multiple Sclerosis, especially nonfiction because I’m always wondering if that will be me and when.⁣⁣

⁣

As a romance reader, I adored Michelle and Obama’s romance. I officially ship them SO hard. Watching their relationship unfold was so satisfying and adorable.⁣

⁣

I’m not a big crier while reading, but I got choked up so many times. When she talked about visiting the VA, when she talked about Sandy Hook… it wasn’t overly dramatic, but it was enough to have me covering my mouth with my hand trying not to cry.⁣

⁣

I’ve always admired this woman, but even more now than I did before learning more about her. ⁣

  Recent Reads: June 14-27 I read a total of 14 books between June 14 & June 27 and there were so many great ones!

[jesseoftheorder]

I'M SO GLAD YOU ASKED.

Also I feel like I should preface that song ideas are more vague concepts because as it turns out, writing songs is HARD. Also parts of the story are currently more fleshed out than others but I think about this often so that may change.

SO. It's set in a high fantasy sort of world. There's a king of this country, he's pretty decent as far as people say, doing his best to protect the country during this war or whatever. Most people don't particularly LOVES this king, but they don't really hate him or anything either.

So act 1 follows a young knight in the service of this okay-ish king. He knows things aren't perfect and the war is taking it's toll on the people, but this knight is young and eager and just really wants to help people (to a bit of a naive extent, but also in a sweet and charming kind of way.)

So while he's off being the sunnily optimistic knight he is, he meets young woman and he falls hard for her. He's super awkward about it, but she thinks it's cute and even though she has a much more realistic outlook on life, she falls for him too. So they have a love ballad, very sweet and full of hope, and probably a little bit cheesy.

Throughout the first act the knight moves up through the ranks as his love warns him to be careful about putting his trust so wholeheartedly in what might be the wrong people. At some point we start meeting the King's advisor who happens to be a wizard. He has a cool staff and Weird Vibe.

So towards the end of the act the knight accidentally finds out that the king and his advisor and Very Much Bad Guys, and the whole war they are fighting was orchestrated by them for greedy purposes and with 0 care about the people's lives their paying for it with. He tries to more or less start a revolution about it.

The wizard takes his lover as a bargaining chip, and during the confrontation, the knight gets killed. The knights love loses it and the wizards cool magic staff reacts to this, and everyone but the young woman are blown back. She runs to the knight and realizes he is fully gone, and this is where we have the reprise of the earlier love song, but now it's broken and full of grief.

Then this woman realizes that she did real magic, so while everyone else is out cold, she picks up the cool staff and realizes she could use this, and she is angry. This is her villain origin story. Cue song about how she's going to make them pay which ends with her on the throne, curtains on act one.

So act 2 is much less fleshed out, but the main characters switch to 2 lesbians gfs who would've been supporting characters in act 1. One of then wants an adventure, the other one wants to be a hero, they hear about this witch who deposed the king, they're gonna go take her down.

Plot happens, they get there they find out the truth of why did what she did, she tells them to kill her and put an end to the mess and also her suffering. They aren't sure about All That, so she goads them into fighting her they have no choice but to kill her anyway. The lesbeans come out of it looking like total heroes, even if they're the only ones who know the full truth of the story. The finale is probably their wedding because reasons.

But just before/during the finale, there is one more reprise of the act 1 love song, this time it's the knight meeting his love again and guiding her into the afterlife.

Anyway this ended up being WAY longer than I thought it would be but I'm not mad about it.

So have you invented the plot of a fictional musical, complete with song ideas, because one of your OCs is a theater major or are you normal?

[furederiko]

Meet the Rider of Science, and his power of... Exposition!!! Yeah, it's a full review for Kamen Rider Build episode 1...

NOTE: After long consideration, I've decided to upgrade my First Impression into a full review. This doesn't necessarily mean I'll be doing the same for the following episodes. That part is... still undecided for now. If anything, I might end up doing a batch review for several episodes in each new post. Probably once a month, or at least a bi-weekly (2 episodes) release. Assuming I continue watching, of course! Also, don't expect this to be as thorough/detailed as my recap-view for "Kamen Rider Ghost". To be honest, that ended up being a bit taxing to produce... LOL. For this one in particular, I've already offered some points before, so I'm just going to expand on those. Let's start!

- Like I've pointed out before, the Pandora's Box mystery is intriguing. Sure, it's basically another plot-generating macguffin, but what is it really? Of course, after a few days, I've realized one thing: TOEI seems to have a thing with cubes lately! Remember "Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger"? And also that recent 'odd' anime series, "Sekaisuru KADO". I'm so glad "Uchu Sentai Kyuranger" has the... balls to be different. LOL. - The interesting part about this item though, is that it gave clear confirmation to the series' time setting. Much like Kyuranger, this show is being set in the future, albeit not as distant as that current Super Hero Time counterpart (after all, Kyuranger takes place more than 300 years after humanity's first space exploration). This first episode began around 10 years after the elusive Box was discovered. And that occured during humanity's first landing on Mars! - As for the "Romance of Three Kingdom" angle I said before? That's due to what the Box created: the "Skywall Disaster". When the macguffin was triggered during the Martian Exploration's homecoming ceremony, it unleashed a mysterious impenetrable Skywall that divided Japan into... yes, THREE areas. Namely, Hokuto (blue, the social welfare), Seito red, the economic recovery), and Touto (green, the traditional pacifist). The last is where this series is set (for now, at least). We have three confirmed Kamen Riders as well, so I'm guessing they will represent the Rulers/Leaders for each area. Not unlike Liu Bei, Cao Cao, and Sun Quan, right? - Oh, one more thing... that mysterious worker who conveniently activated the Box and instigated the tragedy? I could be wrong, but I think it's quite obvious enough that he's none other than our protagonist. His amnesiac state and strange obsession curiosity to the Box that was shown afterwards, strongly supported this theory. - Protagonist Sentou Kiryuu (played by yet another JUNON Super Boy winner Atsuhiro Inukai) is still grating on my nerves. Yes, I HAVE warmed up to him after 3rd viewing (kind of... sort of...), but I'm still having trouble liking this guy. He's what you get if the duo of "Kamen Rider W" had a child together: the cocky side of Shoutarou Hidari, and the naive curiosity of Philip/Raito Sonozaki. Calling himself genius and self-praising his own invention? Yikes! That's Shoutarou's bad-side all right. Also... Spada Spada Spada!!! Sentou's body language reminds me of Kyuranger's Spada. But he's far from being as likeable. For now, that is. - Inspite of that, I do like the questions surrounding his 'forgotten past'. That creepy human-experimentation nightmare? Yeah, it's a strong nod to Shouwa Riders, with "Kamen Rider Black" being a great example. It doesn't take a genius to guess, that it's how he ended up becoming Kamen Rider Build. Introduced via the nightmares, was 'Bat-Man'.... I mean the bat-themed Faust leader Night Rogue. It seems this mysterious figure is pulling the strings behind these experimentations. - Speaking of experiments... Ryuuga Banjou (played by Eiji Akaso) is the recent in its long line of victim. This stupid 23 years old is easily my second favorite character so far. His actor have proven his ability to showcase emotions in "Kamen Rider Amazons S2" (I hated his character at first, but he evolved into a compelling audience-surrogate later on). So he's another strong talent for the protagonist side. He also shared that Shouwa Rider-esque backstory, which comfortably placed him on route to become the 2nd Rider, Kamen Rider Claws. But if, and only if, this show is indeed going through the Sangokuden path, will he end up becoming Sun Quan to Sentou's Liu Bei? Hmmmm.... that would be a heartbreaking twist, considering how heavily he's being shipped with Sentou right now. Then again, don't forget Shadowmoon... - If Ryuuga's second, who's my favorite character then? The answer is of course... Gentoku Himuro (played by Kensei Mikai). Contrary to my First Impression, he's not that ambiguous. He's a sleek-haired corporate-level douchebag, as evidenced by his sleazy move towards the lady journalist. He might look cool and tough, but at several occasions, he's acting like a spoiled brat! That's probably why I liked him even more! LOL. I admit, he's currently present to deliver exposition dump regarding the Pandora's Box. But he also had his own mystery, which means future potentials. Gentoku's one of the three bigwigs who experienced the Skywall disaster first hand. Yet in contrast to his words, he looked okay, and seemingly hasn't aged in 10 years. What's the deal with him then? What about those other two, the lady in white and middle-aged man? Are they the leaders of the two other areas now? Why is the buttons on his gray uniform is on the left, and not right side? If I do end up following this series, getting answers to those will probably be one of the few reasons. - There's more. These past few days, many have been connecting Gentoku with the supposed-antagonist Night Rogue. A nice theory, but a little too obvious one if you ask me. Unless of course, TOEI is going the exact same route to "Kamen Rider Ex-Aid". Which makes sense, since Gentoku shares MANY similarities to Kuroto Dan! Both are played by crowd-pleasing really-good-looking (I can't really argue that, can I... ;D) 30-something actors, both are corporate businessmen who somehow got involved with the protagonist, and they exuded a strong "I'm a villain" vibe from the very start of the show. Two of a kind! But that's also the reason why it's too obvious. I doubt TOEI is going to rehash the same twist so soon. - Personally, I'm currently suspecting his assistant Nariaki Utsumi (played by Yuki Ochi) to be the real face behind Night Rogue. Going back to my Sangokuden theory, there's a likelihood that Gentoku will serve as the show's Cao Cao. But remember, it wasn't Cao Cao who ended up becoming the bigger challenge to Liu Bei. It was Sima Yi, who was his right hand and also personal advisor. I hope you're getting my point here... - Misora Isurugi (played by Kaho Takada) is obviously the official sidekick for Sentou. I sincerely hope we'll see a development in her character soon, because for now, her listless attitude... is sucking the joy out of this series. Think of it, like grumpy Koyomi in "Kamen Rider Wizard". She made me abandoned that series! For some reason, Misora has the power to cleanse evil. That means she might end up becoming a key character later on. That's a story for another day though. She's just part of Sentou's glaring exposition dump now. - Freelance journalist Sawa Takigawa (played by Yukari Taki and Cafe Nascita owner Souichi Isurugi (played by Yasuyuki Maekawa) are also exposition tools! Their main contribution to the episode was to deliver explanations, such as: the unidentified life forms Smash, how Build could extract their Essence to turn them back into human, how Misora could purify the Essence to be used by Build later on, why Sentou ended up living in Nascita's hidden basement/bunker, Build's goals in this series, as well as about Ryuuga's criminal background. Sawa served as the first damsel-in-distress, while Souichi as... Spada, Spada, Spada (that use of Italian? duh...)... a comic relief support. He was NOT funny though. AT ALL. Generally annoying for my taste. - Aaah yes, the flat dry jokes just did NOT work. It's said that third time's the charm, but definitely not for this one. None of the humor made me laugh, not even once. Aside from being weak in materials and relies too much on slapstick, the comedic timing was also off. The optimist in me would say, "Better luck next episode", but the pessimist half is saying, "Cut the crap, and just focus on being serious!!!". - If there's one thing I easily enjoyed about this episode, it's the design and concept. I could be biased due to my love to "Kamen Rider W", but Build certainly emitted Double's flair of style. Likely due to Ryuta Tasaki being the director. The dual-elements is a such a neat concept, combining biological and technological, though it seems these will not be limited to those categories (we'll be getting elementals like Diamonds, Fire, and more). Yes, the whole Full Bottles gimmick is basically an excuse to promote toy collectibles/figures. But at least it allows a variety of combinations, or as the Build Driver say... "BEST MATCH". The fact that it's created using purified Smash's essence (Hedgehog is the example) is equally intriguing. That means every Smash serves a purpose to become a new power-base! What will happen if Build accidentally uses an evil one, then? Will he turn evil too? Hmmm... - Build's transformation scene feels very SCIENCEy with all those physics equations. All those metallurgy angle... I really dig that! Sadly, the finishing move "VOLTECH FINISH" is a complete opposite. It's meant to look cool, but for me it's cheesy because the use of Physics felt unnatural/forced. Really, I don't think it's possible for anyone to move that way. To sum up, the Science approach in this episode was a hit or miss for me. - Last but not least, the nicely choreographed action, helped elevate the episode's second half into something that was genuinely entertaining. The motorcycle chase against the Touto armed forces in particular, was a highlight. It's over the top, but exciting. Like many had said, it felt like a Kamen Rider show once again.

As far as first episode go, this was... okay to good. Not great, due to many reasons I've pointed out above. Unlike Kyuranger that instantly stole my attention and sped off with it, this one didn't accomplish as much. It's clearly handholding its audience with thorough explanations here and there, so the bulk of it was merely expositions. Just to be fair, it can't really be helped nor blamed, considering this IS only the first episode. I do however, hope things will 'build up' with more... 'natural' flow in the next one. That's probably when I can properly decide whether to pick this series up or not. So yeah, allow me to reiterate: this post does NOT mean I'll be following the series from now on. There are some nitpick-ish parts I still need to... 'shake off' first, but I do have some good enough reasons to give it a chance, at least until around the 5th-6th episode. Here's hoping the next ones will be able to convince me even more... Next Episode: Is Ryuuga a real killer? Time for a murder investigation...

Episode 01 Score: 7,3 out of 10

All images are screencaptured from the series, provided by the FanSubber Over-Time. "Kamen Rider Build" is produced by TOEI, and airs every Sunday on TV-Asahi. Credits and copyrights belong to their respective owners.