#such a good book I’m definitely gonna reread it this year

[yugiohz]

[that-nerd-who-writes-fanfiction]

Hello....If you don't mind, can I ask, what are your top 10 (or top 7) favorite media (can be books/ manga/ anime/movies/tv series)? Why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before......Thanks....

I can’t remember if I’ve done this before but it’s changed again recently. Most of these are gonna be books because I’ve had way too much time sitting around lately so I’ve had enough time to actually enjoy books without destroying my sleep schedule for it.

1. BBC Merlin is my all time favourite, I don’t feel like I need to elaborate, it’s pretty much all I post about on here.

2. Song of Achilles is still my all time favourite book and number 2 behind Merlin. I think I’m nearing 20 rereads total for it by now. It’s never boring and keeps me interested every time. Cannot recommend enough. I’d give anything to be able to read it again for the first time.

3. I’ve been reading quite a few classics recently, I had a lot of free time. I met another Greek mythology nerd so Iliad and Odyssey make my top ten again because they’ve been on my mind a lot more than I care to admit. (I know it’s technically two books but I always read them together)

4. And I finally got around to reading Iron Heart (sequel to Crier’s war) and it’s amazing. One of the best books I’ve read recently. I’m gonna leave it at that or I’ll start ranting but I can’t recommend it enough so definitely go read that if you get a chance.

5. BBC Musketeers is also really good, I started watching that recently. I’m only on episode 6 but it’s great so far. Santiago Cabrera’s hair is fucking gender. Also the show got me researching 17th century weapons and now I know a fair amount about capes so that’s fun. BBC is still shit at historical accuracy, but no surprise there.

6. The Great Gatsby because I’m that kind of nerd and I’ve been mostly rereading recently. Everyone is such an arsehole in that book but it’s so interesting to analyse and annotate. I read it in year 7 and hated it, then again in college and it wasn’t bad but 3rd times a charm I guess. I found it really interesting from an analytical perspective, but I wouldn’t read it for light reading or fun.

7. I’ve been avoiding anything new other than musketeers, just because I haven’t felt like getting to know a new set of characters and a new world. That being said, I rewatched the first season of Good Omens, Crowleys still one of my all time favourite characters and the show is great.

8. I rewatched Stars Align, always a fun one. It’s a great show and the art style is really cool.

9. Seraph of the end because I love vampire stories. The plot is really interesting, I still need to read the manga but the anime is brilliant so I want to read that soon. Also no romance (ignoring shipping) which my aroace self appreciates.

10. The Tempest because my cousin was studying it in school and asked for help so I reread it for her and got a little bit hyper-fixated for a few days, now it’s still just sort of in the back of my mind and I’m a Shakespeare nerd so might as well add it.

Thanks for the ask!

[clover4found]

I’ve been rereading the Vampire Academy books and so far they’ve been just as amazing as when I read them before.

Although as I’m nearing 23 I find it so weird to think about finding a 16/17 year old attractive.

Another thing is that Rose is a lot of great things. But sometimes she just comes across as a huge complainer. And she really is soooooo stubborn.

There are times when I’m reading the book and I’m like girl why would you say that or do that? But that’s the difference in mind set with age.

Back when I read these books when I was like 18/19 I completely thought she was a 100% valid for everything. Except when she lead Adrian on. And then cheated on him. Adrian was so good to Rose and he definitely deserved better. Even if it would have made things uncomfortable and awkward she should have told Adrian that she still loved Dimitri and now that he was back from being Strigori, it was different.

And don’t get me wrong, I love that Dimitri and Rose end up together because they really do belong together. After all they went through and the fact that Rose was never gonna let him go makes it seem like no one would ever fill the void of Dimitri.

And I know that when your life is so crazy and busy that sometimes it hard to slow down and figure out how you actually feel about someone.

Except now that I’m older I understand that the 7 year difference was really creepy. And yet I also understand that Rose isn’t a normal teenager in the story. She could die at any time by Strigori and she knew that one day she would become a Guardian and might not have a life since she never wanted to part from Lissa. So in a way it makes sense how she rushed so many things.

And Dimitri, while I do love the way that he cared for her and showed up for her when she needed him. There was a power dynamic there. And he never should have had sex with her while she was a minor.

Anyways putting some of those things aside for now. I really disagree with some other things about how she handled stuff with Lissa. And her mom.

And I REALLY wish there had been a scene with Dimitri going back to Russia with Rose and seeing his family. Like that would have completed me inside to have known that he reconnected with them. But we didn’t get it.

Anyways all those things aside, the books are great. Even with my mindset change, I still found myself enjoying the books and relating to some of the thoughts and feelings that Rose had. And I’m glad she didn’t get stuck in a jail cell for life for a crime she didn’t commit.

Anyone else feel the same?

[buggiebite]

What's your favorite character from all across THG trilogy & TBOSAS?

Why do you like this character?

Favorite quote or moment from them?

Please state one (or more) thing which you don't like from them.

Thank you 😊

@curiousthg

I pray this isn’t basic, but Peeta and Lucy Gray!

Starting with THG: Peeta is such a complex character who I just adore. He wants nothing more than to be himself, even if it kills him. Willing to do anything to make others happy, but also not afraid to do the right thing. Then going through the journey of being himself after he is hijacked and learning that he’s someone completely different. Gets me every time. I just really align myself with Peeta.

TBOSAS: I read the book when it came out… so 2020. And being honest, it really went over my head at the time. I need to reread it. So based off the movie and my little recollection of the book, Lucy Gray. She’s a wildcard. Very connected to the natural world around her. That Covey way of life is so addicting. But, needless to say, I need to reread the book and maybe I will have a different answer. It’s been 4 years!

Quote: Movie and/or book

Peeta - definitely, “I don’t want them to change me in there. Turn me into some kind of monster that I’m not” / "If I'm gonna die, I wanna still be me”. I’m a sucker for things like this, being who you are, because that’s all you can be.

Lucy Gray - “People aren’t so bad. It's what the world does to them. Like what they do in the arena. I think there is a natural goodness born into us all.” Gagged me. I’m a personal believer in the whole: people aren’t born bad they become that way or choose to be.

One or more things I do not like about them:

Peeta - he doesn’t hold his life for value! Saying his family or anyone back home didn’t need him. Not his fault tho, I feel like his childhood trauma made him believe that..and rejection/confusion from his crush of eleven years. Also, some people say his life revolved around Katniss. I think people think this because all we see is Katniss’ side of the story. It’s her narrative. But I’m not Suzanne so 🤷🏻‍♀️

Lucy Gray - I don’t really think I can give an accurate answer to this. Given I am so uneducated on the TBOSAS lore and part of the fandom. Don’t get me wrong, I know about it, just not enough as I know the THG side. Reiterating: I need to reread TBOSAS! Then maybe I can give a better reply. But as for right now, I’d say her sporadicalness. It’s both my favorite and my least favorite thing about her. As of right now!

Thanks for the ask! -buggiebite

[danzinora-switch]

So in the span of just under two weeks I reread the entire Fablehaven series.

This was my all-time favorite series growing up, and I reread it multiple times. But, this was my first time as an adult reading it through, so here are my fresh takes. Hidden below for spoilers and length of post.

- Grandpa Sorenson is so stressed. Especially in the first book. His wife is a chicken, he’s got a preserve to run, and he’s just had two naive kids dumped on him during one of the most dangerous nights of the year. He’s struggling just to keep them ALIVE but one especially just keeps poking the hornet’s nest and gets himself transformed into a walrus. And then opens a window. And keeps sneaking into the woods. Honestly, I don’t blame him for having a small breakdown in book 3. He’s been under tremendous pressure and responsibility.

- Grandma Sorenson is a BADASS. Right out the gate when we meet her, fresh out of chicken form, she is immediately telling Muriel to gtfo her property and sets about planning a rescue for the others. She goes into the Forbidden Chapel with the crossbow because she intends to KILL if it comes down to using it. She’s decisive, one heck of a negotiator, and firm. Legend.

- Seth really matures over the series. Like, book 1 he’s a kid getting into trouble (painful, terrible, trouble). He’s young, reckless and stupid. But the seeds are planted. He opens the window because he thinks he’s saving a baby. In book 2, he’s tricked by several adults multiple times, but we really get to see him be truly courageous. Book 3 he’s starting to learn from his mistakes, and consider the future consequences of his actions (though not entirely in full, he insults centaurs into helping them but basically goes “yeah, we’ll cross that whole duel-to-the-death bridge when we get there”). Book 4 he’s ready for action, he’s ready to go on the offensive, and he takes /calculated/ risks that pay off. Book 5, yes. He was tricked into healing Graulus. But he takes responsibility and fixes his mess. He’s far more seasoned, and grown.

- Kendra grows in her own way. If Seth is the definition of “learning things the hard way” Kendra is bound by “doing the right thing, even if she hates hit.” Multiple times throughout the series she steps up for dangerous, deadly tasks, not because she wants to, but because there’s no other choice and she knows it. She also doesn’t take an easy out when presented. She fights to stay. Petitioning the Fairy Queen is dangerous, but it’s the only way she can save her family. Leading the climb up Lost Mesa is deadly, but she’s the only one who can see the trail. And so she insists they include her, even though she’s scared and would prefer to stay home. As the tasks get deadlier and deadlier, she’s still right there in thick of it, doing what she can. 

- Also on Kendra, one thing I really appreciated was that she really demonstrates that kind =/= nice. She can give as good as she gets. She and Seth banter and tease each other constantly, and she has some real sarcastic sass saved for members of the Society. But she remains so kind that the Fairy Queen picked her as her handmaiden. It’s brilliantly portrayed.

- Hugo.

- “Smart people learn from their mistakes. But the real sharp ones learn from the mistakes of others.” - Dale. This quote stuck with me the moment 11-year-old me first read it, and has had quite the influence on my life.

- Vanessa deserves more credit, even though she is the main driver behind the entire theme of trust issues the books explore.

- Tanu is the best. They would all be so dead many times over without him.

- Dale takes a look at people getting transformed into other beings or substances, magically imprisoned, or outright killed and goes ‘nope, not messing with any of that. I’m just gonna do my job and play it safe’. Warren looks at all those things and goes ‘let me fill my bingo card.’

- Most of my favorite guy names come from this series. Warren. Seth. Patton. Gavin. The exception is Tobias, which comes from the Animorphs. No offense to Bracken for not being included on the list, I just always think of the Warrior Cats, sorry.

- I didn’t like Coulter as a kid, but his rough edges make him feel more real. Vanessa is cool. Warren is awesome. Tanu is friendly. Coulter is like a cactus. But damn if I wasn’t tearing up at his death at the end. Sexism and caustic personality aside, he knew his trade and did his best to help. And, I’m not sure how much of it was just talk. In book 2 he straight up told Seth and Kendra that if it came down to it, he would save himself. But it did come down to it in the grove, and he saved Seth with the pod. He knew what to do whenever the chips were down.

- The staaaaakes. They just get realer and realer with each book.

- I wish we could have seen more of Laura, the caretaker of Obsidian Waste. This woman’s entire family is captured, held hostage by zombies, and she’s supposed to lead this team of Knights, none of whom she knows, to their doom. Instead, she stabs her protege and warns them of the trap, signing her family’s death warrants in the process. She commits sabotage all the way up until the final moment. RESPECT.

- I constantly wish I could eat the food in Fablehaven. Whether made by Lena, or the brownies, or magic, it just sounds sooo tasty.

- Death gets more real with each book. I mean, it practically opens recounting the death of Grandma and Grandpa Larsen on page 2. Errol Fisk is the first to truly die, and yeah he was a bad guy but it was surprisingly brutal. Then we start losing some ‘redshirts’ - Tammy, Neil, Javier, at Lost Mesa. But again, the method is still shocking. Tammy is straight up flung off a cliff. You don’t see it coming. Then Rosa off-screen. And then in book 4 we have to go through “Kendra’s” death, which feels real to Seth and the others. And Dougan, who is no longer a redshirt, we know him. And Gavin/Navarog. And then book 5. 

- As a kid I pretend to be a voice actor for a character from each book if they ever became movies. Book 1: Muriel, Book 2: The fairy guarding the Forgotten Chapel, Book 3: Chalize, Book 4: Nafia/Nyssa, Book 5: Civia. Plus the naiads in general.

- The Totem Wall is still so freaking cool. So are astrids.

- Raxtus being the best friend ever.

- “Some imagine the difference between heaven and hell to be a matter of geography. Not so. The difference is much more evident in the individuals who dwell there.” - Agad. MAN.

- I think, with more time and opportunity, Warren could be the next Patton. And I think Seth is in a league all on his own.

- The brownies booby-trapping the house forcing them all to flee is still one of my favorites sequences.

- Mull’s Eternals were eternalling before Marvel’s Eternals eternalled. I accept no criticism. 

- I still love this series so much. 10/10 will read again.

[theredponcho]

A Moment In Time

Donnie frowned as he looked at the hand written letter in his hands. Rereading it over and over once twice thrice making sure that nothing was out of place no careless errors or anything overlooked. After all he wouldn’t get a chance to look at it again once he was gone and it needed to be… no it had to be perfect. He had written and rewritten and rewrote this letter over an over till now and doing one final look over he gripped it firmly think to himself ‘OK! Ok think it’s as good as it’s gonna be…’

Mayyybe he should look at it once over just to be sure. No no he can’t stall forever he has other things he has to do and the letter is never going to be perfect enough for him so he should just man up and just leave it already!

It won’t matter anyway there’s a good chance that after he does this that everything will disappear anyway! This is just a procontionary measure and he won’t be around for much longer anyway so he shouldn’t have to think of the possible aftermath of what he’s about to do! He won’t even be around to confirm or denia his theory’s so who cares! It’s too late to turn back now he’s done to much and lost to much to chicken out now. So with a heavy heart  sigh he placed the letter in the envelope and placed it on his work table. He turned to Sheldon who was still hard at work drawing runes and looking back and forth from the book on the floor making sure all the runes looked right. He opened his mouth and called out to him.

“Sheldon.”

Sheldon looked up at Donnie and had stopped drawing to give him his full attention. “Yea dude what’s up?”

“ How long till we are ready to move forward with the plan.”

Sheldon looked down for a minute seemly calculating the time. He looked back at the book on the floor for a moment before turning to look back up at Donnie. “Probably a few more minutes I think it’s a good time for you to get your stuff ready.”

Donnie nodded and turned to go grab his bag and-

“Um dad.”

Donnie paused and turned back to Sheldon with a confused expression. Sheldon was looking down not meeting Donnie’s eyes before looking up with a slight concerned look on his face which confused Donnie even more an he raised eyebrow. Sheldon looked at him for one more moment and then spoke.

“You know um.. you can always still change your mind about this man. I know he wouldn’t blame you for-“

“NO!”

Sheldon flinched back at the yell. Donnie felt bad but his main emotion at that given moment was anger, that and also sheer annoyance! He couldn’t let him finish that sentence. He had already made up his mind and he had spent the last 2 years on this plan! If he stoped now would have all been a waste of time so no it’s far to late to go back now! He gave Sheldon a sharp glare before speaking his words with an inch of venom. He took a deep breath.

“Don’t speak for him. You don’t know what he would or wouldn’t have wanted cause your not him. I’m not doing this for him I’m doing this for my family. It’s far too late to turn back now Sheldon. So are you going to stop me or are you going to help me?”

Sheldon turned away from him with a sad expression looking down almost guilty. “ Alright dude I’m… I’m sorry.”

Donnies face softened a bit and walked back over to him and placed a hand on his robotic son’s shoulder. “ I’m… sorry for yell I know you mean well I’m just…” he sighed and met Sheldon’s eyes again. “ stressed I guess.” They were quite for a moment before he forced himself to add a up beat tone to his next sentence. “ Buuut at the end of the day this should all work out so theirs definitely no need to worry! Besides there’s a 50% chance that once I go through the portal this world will disappear like it never even existed in the first place! So why worry about the what ifs right! Says convincingly.”

Sheldon looked back at him skeptical for a long moment before shrugging. “I guess you have a point but just know I’m your ride or die man whatever you decide I’ll support you.” He smiled and patted Sheldon on the head before turning back to get his bag prepared. Everything will be fine! He wonder how long it would take for those words to stick in and actually MEAN it.

He grabbed all the things he been preparing and shoved them in his black duffle bag. The bag itself consisted of only what he deemed the most important for this mission. He had recreated that blue herbicide and had made a dozen more viles to stash in his bag. He also made a few smoke boom versions to stuff in for good measure. He found out a few months into researching and studying the Krang that they seemed to not handle electricity very well so when he was in the process of creating a new metal tech bow for the mission he made sure to stuff it full of electrical fire power options like taser, stung gun, extra extra. He had the new tech bow staff in the bag next to the med kit and basic necessity items (aka snacks, water bottles, and other stuff). He had a few fold up copies of some of his tech and some USB’s sticks containing all his research and important Sheldon files just in case the Sheldon part of the plan didn’t work or something went wrong.

He plucked out the important outlier of the USB’s sticks that was not like the others and had a different purpose. The only difference look wise was the color. Instead of being colored his signature purple it was green and across the top written in sharpie said watch me. He took the USB stick and walked over to wear he had the envelope sitting on the desk and delicate placed it next to it before moving on. 

He placed a few more last minute items before nodding to himself satisfied and zipped up the bag slinging it around his shoulder but then paused. He looked at the wall to find the final item he was suppose to grab… Leo’s sword. It had been hard to convince his family to let him take it from the dojo. He made up the lie that he wanted to study it to see if it had any of his brothers ninpo left behind on it to study which wasn’t a total lie but also not wasn’t full truth. They weren’t convinced at first and it took him promising he wouldn’t do anything reckless with it and saying that while he was at before returning it he would polish the sword. That made the others finally give into him taking it. He felt bad about break his promise with the sword but it was for the great or good and nothing bad was gonna happen to it. Besides they even get to keep it at the end! Plus technically speaking he had fulfilled the other side of the deal by polishing it with all the respect and precision he could. It would be fine. He wished he could believe himself…

He grabbed the sword carefully off his desk and saw his reflection staring back at him. He traced his thumb over the hilt and engravings on the sword before returning to his work. This was it. He was finally going to do it. All the positions are in place and the place is set and ready. It was all or nothing now. He took one last look at his lab possibly the final thing he was gonna see. He thought for a moment about what could happen if this doesn’t work. What he would lose what he still would have. How it would have all been for nothing.  He shook his head trying to dispelling all the worrying thoughts. After all worrying doesn’t give you results it only gives you problems. 

He walked over to Sheldon who was watching him intently. “Hey dude any last things you need to do before we start.” He did a once over look at the lab and thought for a minute before shaking his head. “Alright then let’s get started.”

Sheldon held out his hand readying to be handed the sword. Donnie looked at the sword for the final time before handing it over to Sheldon. Sheldon took it and then raised it high in the air before stabbing it in the little circle on the floor. The sword hummed and glowed with an all to familiar blue glow. He watched as the energy traveled up his left arm and his eyes start to glow the same blue glow. He watch as the runes started to light up and travel in a line till they reached the guint circle on the wall. It sparked once, twice before a warped sound admitted in the room and then a burst of glowing blue light. He had to cover his face but went he looked up he was shocked to see bright blue and lilac portal open up in front of him. He let out a small gasp. It had worked. IT HAD WORKED! Everything is going to plan! He’s actually gonna be able to do this.

He felt sheer excitement radiating off of him at the sight before his smile fell. It had work but… that ment it was finally time to do what he had been dreading. The last of his excitement fell at that and he turned his head to look out the door of his open lab as his heart fell a little. He took a small breath and said “ goodbye.” Nothing fancy nothing long just a simple goodbye that’s all he really needed right? He turned back to the glowing portal in front of him and sighed before taking a step and-

“DONNIE!”

…what? No no no no no no NO! NOBODY IS SUPOSE TO BE HERE WHY IS HE HERE!?! He wiped his head around to see that sure enough there was Raph panting at the door frame fear in his eyes gripping the wall like he had just done a 5 mile sprint and it was the only thing keeping him up. He could tell by the way he was looking at him and the portal that he knew what he was about to do but how!?! He had been so careful not to let anything slip and he hadn’t suspected a thing! He attended all the family theorpy sessions, he had told him everything was fine, so HOW!? HOW DID HE KNOW?! They paused just staring at each other the only sounds filling the room were Ralph’s breathing the portal and Sheldon counting down the amount of time before the portal will close.

Raph took a deep breath and managed to make a shaky smile at him. “ Hey Don. Can you step away from that portal for me buddy.” He didn’t move. He only stared at him wide eyed and mortified. Sheldon was still counting down thirty seconds on the clock. Thirty seconds till the portal closes. Thirty seconds till the last of his brothers ninpo was used. He only had thirty seconds. Raph waited to see if he would move away but he stood his ground. The fear and worry in Raph’s face returned but still tried to make his voice as calm and smooth as possible which sorta failed due to the slight stuttering and frantic undertone of his speech. “ Donnie I know.. I know what you are trying to do b-but but you don’t have to do this ok? You can step away and Raph promises… Raph won’t be mad ok?” 

He looked away from his face. If he looked any longer it would be tempting to give in and break down into a sobbing mess which he could not afford right now. He had to get into that portal no matter what. He had to do it at the right moment. Because if he left to early Raph could easily snatch him back or even worse follow him through the untested possible fatal portal. If he left to late he would miss his only opportunity to go through the portal and still be here. No he couldn’t afford to do any more risks he had to play this very. CARFULLY. 

He composed himself and looked back up at Raph. “ Raph I want to go with you.”

He looked hopeful at that tears pricking in his eyes. Don’t think about it.

“15” he heard Sheldon call in the background.

“ You can Donnie you can just take my hand it’ll all be ok!”

“14” he heard him call again.

“ If you come here we don’t have to go through with all this we can sit down on the coach and just have a good old movie night like the good old time yea!”

“13” 

“ Mikey will be there and we can order pizza and watch some Jupiter Jim o-or Lou Jitsu like we used to.”

“12” He heard in the background.

“ I know you want him back and I do to but I need you here Donnie.” No no no NO don’t think about it.

“11”

“ Raph know’s it’s been hard we all have been going through it but I can’t lose another brother so please.” He took another step forward. Time seemed to hold its breath. “ Don’t… do this.”

He doesn’t want to hurt him. Apart of him wants to cave but all of this would have been for nothing he can’t let this be for nothing. He’s nothing short of stubborn but the hesitation is still lingering… It would be nice it sounded nice to go with him. He wished he could and he still can. Just wants to fix his family. So he had to choose. So he chose. He takes a breath.

“Raph” 

“10” Sheldon called out in the background.

“ I don’t want to leave you or Mikey or dad. And that does… sound nice.” Raphs face looked hopeful.

“9”

“ It sounds really really nice.” His voice cracked a bit dame it. He was trying hard not to cry this was why he didn’t want him to be here. Raphs face sofend at the tone and held out his arms readying for a hug. 

… A hug he would never get.

“5”

“ But I can’t… I’m sorry. I’m going to fix this and I wish I can go with you.”

“4”

Raphs face fell he looked mortified. 

“3”

“I’m sorry hopefully one day you will forgive me. Hopefully you will forget all of this.”

“DONNIE!!” Raph sprinted toward him hand out stretch ready to grab him. It’s now or never.

“2” 

He ran into the portal… He heard Raph scream.

“1”

Just as Raph reached the portal it disappeared leaving only the reamanes to sweep across his hand as he fell down to the ground. The portal felt cold but not as cold as the shear chilling fear coursing through his vanes at that moment. He fell down to the ground a loud thud ring out through the entire lab. He could distinctly hear Sheldon in the background saying “ Portal was a success transferring data now.” Then he heard a distant loud metal thud from behind him but to be honest Raph could bearly hear anything besides his own heart beat, breathing, and the ringing in his ears that was getting louder every second. 

He took a breath… He chocked on a sob. And then… he screamed. And the lair felt a little more lonelier.

CHAPTER 1 END

[joshleyson]

JULY DUMP PT. 1 // Last July for me was a hectic, whirlwind kind of a month but in a good and a very refreshing way. I was fortunate enough to take paid time off for 3 weeks (imagine that!) to basically reconnect with my good old friends all the way in Zamboanga and also be able to do what I always love doing which is going to the beach trips and eat my heart out. Though I have to endure six flights in those three weeks going back and forth to Zamboanga - Boracay - Bohol and flying back to Manila in between, I feel like those days were like the longest days of my life.

I flew to Zamboanga and spent 3 days there attending a close friend’s wedding as one of the groom’s men and I’m so happy that I get to have a staycation with them. Keyword: Low maintenance friendships! My heart is full as we share our peaks and valleys and hear their stories in the eight years that we’ve never seen each other after we graduated college. It reminds me how important it is to surround yourself with the right people, especially in one of those crucial moments in your life that somehow plays a big factor that determines your destiny and the career that you want to achieve. Also, seeing my friend tie the knot reminds me how 8 years can sometimes feel like a snap of a finger.

☾

I went back to Manila just to unpack some of my things and flew right away back to Boracay. Going to the island in July is a hit or miss. Since it’s a rainy season, there’s a possibility that the weather could just ruin everything. But just like before when I also went to the island in the same month, I am so lucky that the sun was up and burning like a thousand fires that evoked an extended summer vibe. The blue waves, white sand and lush coconut trees never get old for me. I must say a legit chill place no matter how much some people would tag the island as somewhat overrated. I don’t care. LOL. This is like my 5th time on this island but I would say this one is quite special. I get to stay longer which is almost a week and I booked a 4-star hotel all for myself. A total self-care spree where I never really thought about work or anything from Manila but just me enjoying the beach and the scenery while also rereading a book called “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle which you may want to explore especially when you’re traveling like being stuck in an airport for example. Though the book has concepts and insights that I find myself to be resisting on, somehow it was a great companion guide in my trips as it talks about living in the now and being present more than ever.

☾

(Obligatory jump shot in Bohol’s man-made forest. I thought this was a park! But this is actually a public highway with highspeed vans and busses so take a pic at your own risk ⚠️ )

After a week in Boracay, I flew back to Manila to work for like 3 days and went straight to Bohol and also stayed there for a week in a very peaceful villa near Alona Beach in Panglao. Such a famous tourist destination but I have actually never been there before. But I’m gonna save my Bohol adventure in the next blog posts soon as I’m a bit of a slow burner and a slacker at the same time in terms of blogging things. This blog post was just made out of necessity as I have free time today. I still have a regular job that I need to attend to finance and to be able to do this again in the future! Come on! LOL I don’t have that much expectation when I went there as I was still in Boracay high with my already sunburnt skin but I enjoyed the trip so much. Seeing Chocolate hills and being able to drive an ATV around there was so much fun aside from frying my skin even more with their beautiful, blue-watered beaches. Definitely balik balik sa Bohol as what locals always say.

☾

I documented this 3-week adventure in a Kodak film camera and I’m very excited as well how they will turn out. I never felt so refreshed after wandering to these places and just being able to disconnect from the busy life in the Metro. It was truly another humbling experience and makes me want to work hard, even more, to be able to do this again! :) Oop. I think I wrote too much for what was supposed to be a quick proof of life update. I definitely don’t have time and the energy to proofread this so apologies for my incoherent relay of stream of consciousness. What you have just read is just me being grateful in summary. *Queue star-crossed album by Kacey Musgraves*

Sunburnt but still wearing my SPF 30s every day,

J. 

(Photos of cute and friendly local cats. Today is International Cats Day! 🐱 On the left is Colby from a local hostel bar in Boracay and on the right from Virgin Island in Bohol)

☾

Connect with me  IG & Twitter @joshleyson 

[mxtxfanatic]

I really liked your explanation of the difference between JC and LWJ when it came to how they were constrained by their personal issues. I feel like JC is often seen as "uwu fav uncle who did no wrong and just loved" but that's not true. All the characters may have fucked up, big or small, but it's the way in which they (WWX or LWJ) always try to do the right thing.

In what ways do you think LWJ held back in the ways he could have helped? Or was what you mentioned about talking and pressing the issue after the flower banquet the extent of that?

Man anon, you sure do know how to hone in on a point of conflict 😭 But seriously, I won’t answer this not because I have an issue with the question but because my thoughts on what Lan Wangji could/could not feasibly have done during wwx’s first life has actually changed quite a bit the farther I get from having read the book, and I realize that a lot of my opinions have been influenced by how much I didn’t like how the discourse on the topic was going. (Seriously, I hate the “well he could’ve died!” argument as to why it was “the right choice” for lwj not to side too much with wwx*, because wwx and the Wen remnants DID die, so what makes lwj so special????)

I was actually gonna revisit this when I did my reread (which will probably happen in April to celebrate my one-year anniversary for reading mdzs 🥳), so if you stick around, that’ll go up at some point.

*I’m speaking a little tongue-in-cheek here since the debate is about whether or not he sided with wwx as much as he could’ve at the time, but those previous discourses that pissed me off were definitely worded as “it was good for lwj not to publicly side with wwx because he could have died otherwise”

[rainbow-flavoured-skittles]

Terrorising the Neighborhood Cat and Other Sleepover Activities

the second part of the bruise childhood friends au. this is 2.5k words and Lilly is still alive in it but the angst will be coming soon. cross posted to Ao3

Waiting was extremely boring, Cole decided. He had been waiting for Jay to arrive for roughly two hours, forty minutes and twenty-seven seconds. 

“He’s not going to be here until 2:00, Pumpkin,” his mom said. 

“Yeah, but what if he gets here early?”

“Then he’ll ring the doorbell,” Lilly smiled fondly. “You still need to eat lunch anyway,”

“I don’t need to eat! Jay is coming and we’re gonna be too busy to eat!” Cole exclaimed. 

“Too busy even for cookies?”

Cole bit his lip. “Okay, maybe not too busy,”

“Well, come on then. There’s a sandwich with your name on it in the kitchen, and you and Jay can have dessert later,”

Cole pouted. “‘Kay,” he said. “Promise you’ll tell me when he arrives?”

“Yes,” Lilly followed Cole as he headed to the kitchen. 

Twenty minutes later, Cole had finished his sandwich and a glass of juice. But Jay still hadn’t arrived, which was disappointing.

“Mom, how much longer ‘till Jay gets here?” Cole groaned.

“A little more than an hour, sweetie,” Cole’s mom smiled gently. “You could pick out a game to play while we wait.”

“I don’t want to play Scrabble,” Cole said. “It’s boring,”

“It doesn’t have to be Scrabble,”

“But all the other games are boring too!” Cole flopped onto the couch.

Mom looked at him with a raised eyebrow, or at least, Cole assumed she was. That seemed like the most likely thing she was doing right now. “Cole, Jay will be here in an hour. Until then, you can do something like read a book, or watch TV.” she said, confirming his suspicions. She didn’t sound angry, but definitely a bit annoyed. 

“M’kay,” Cole’s voice was muffled from his position on the cushions. He dragged himself off the couch and up the stairs to his room, then threw himself onto the bed. His Superman bedsheets looked at him mockingly.

“Stupid waiting,” Cole mumbled. He looked around his room, but found nothing of interest. Nothing to entertain him for the next hour. Not unless he wanted to stare at the walls for sixty minutes.

Maybe his book collection would have something. Mom may have been onto something with that suggestion. Cole scanned over the titles; Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, Fritz Donnegan #15-20, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Narnia, and a whole bunch of others that he had already read. But there was nothing to do except read. Huffing a little, he pulled Percy Jackson off the shelf and started rereading. 

After what seemed like only a few moments, but was actually fifty minutes, Cole’s mom called him down. “Cole! Jay is here,”

That got Cole moving. He threw his book to the side, mentally apologising to it, then ran down the stairs. “JAY!” He grinned.

“Cole!” Jay barrelled into him, squeezing Cole in a hug. “I missed you! It feels like I haven’t seen you in a billion years!”

“I missed you too,”

“Wow! So this is your house? I’ve never been here before! It’s so big! And shiny! And colourful!” Jay was especially chatty today, Cole noted. He liked that about him — Jay would do all the talking while Cole listened. It was a good arrangement.

“Yeah,” Cole said, answering Jay’s (probably metaphorical) question. “This is where I live,”

“It’s so cool! I saw the garden outside, it’s so pretty! Did you grow it?”

“My mom did,”

Speaking of Cole’s mom, she had been standing off to the side, smiling at the scene unfolding before her. “I’m glad you like the garden, Jay,” she said. “But we should probably get inside. It’s a bit chilly today,”

“Oh!” Jay realised. “Sorry, Mrs. Hence.” He stepped inside and let Lilly close the door.

“No harm done,” she smiled. “Would you like some water or a snack?”

“No, thanks,” Jay said.

Cole tapped Jay’s arm. “Jay, do you wanna go upstairs? We can watch movies,” 

“Okay!”

“Come on!” Cole grabbed Jay’s hand and pulled him towards the stairs. “Mom, we’re going to use the upstairs TV in the sitting room. Is that okay?”

“Of course, sweetie. Just don’t be too loud, okay? And nothing over PG,”

“M’kay!” The two boys raced up the steps. 

Cole swung open the door to the sitting room. It was the family one — the one downstairs was for Dad’s work meetings. Cole wasn’t allowed in that one.

“So, what do you want to watch?” Cole asked Jay as he scrolled through Netflix. 

Jay hummed thoughtfully. “Coraline?” He suggested. “I’ve heard it’s good,”

“Yeah, okay,”

They managed to get through the first thirty minutes before quitting.

“That was way too scary,” Jay shuddered. 

“I’m gonna have nightmares for a week,” Cole agreed. 

“And we didn’t even make it to the end,” Jay said mournfully.

Cole paused for a moment. They would have to do something else now, since movies had been a bust. “Wanna do something else? We could bake cupcakes,” 

“That sounds good,” Jay said. He pulled himself off the couch and opened the door. Cole followed him downstairs. 

The kitchen was quite big for the average Ninjargan family. There were rows of spices and cooking utensils, pots and pans lining the walls, and a shelf filled with cookbooks. The windows let in early afternoon sunlight, bathing the room in a warm glow. It was Cole’s favourite place in the whole house, even more so than the garden.

He pulled one of the cookbooks off the shelf and looked for the cupcakes recipe. There were three of them. Cole frowned. “Hey, Jay, which of these do you want to make?” He pointed at the table of contents, which showed recipes for vanilla cupcakes, chocolate cupcakes, and red velvet ones. Cole hadn’t even heard of red velvet before.

Jay looked over Cole’s shoulder at the book. “Um, chocolate? Chocolate’s gotta be the best, right?”

“You’re right,” Cole said. “We need to get the ingredients before starting,” he went for the cupboards, where he knew Mom kept the bowls and other large containers. They would need those. He pulled out several metal bowls.

“Okay, so we’ve got the bowls, but what about ingredients?” Jay asked. 

“I think they’re in there,” Cole gestured towards  the pantry.

Jay went in and came out victorious with bags of flour, sugar, and cocoa powder. “I looked at the recipe,” he said. “We’ll need these.”

“Great,” Cole grinned. “Now we can start,”

Jay read over the recipe. “One-and-a-third cups flour,” he told Cole. 

One heaping cup of flour was dumped into the bowl, followed by another half cup. Cole figured it was close enough. “What next?” He said. 

“Cocoa powder and baking powder, plus salt.”

Those got tossed in as well, though the measurements were, much like the flour, not very accurate.

“Now you have to whisk it,” Jay instructed Cole. 

Cole mixed it with a spatula, as he had not been able to find the whisk. “Do you wanna mix now?” He asked Jay. 

“Okay!” Jay chirped. He took control of the spatula and continued mixing. 

“The recipe says to add butter and sugar now,” Cole said. “But we have to use a different bowl,”

“I don’t want to wash more dishes though,” Jay frowned. “Do you think we can just add it in here? Since it’ll be all mixed up anyways?”

Cole thought for a moment. “I don’t see why not,”

“We need the butter first,” Jay said.

“It’s still in the fridge. I’ll go get it,” Cole got the butter out of the fridge, then cut it into small chunks. He wasn’t supposed to use the big knives, so he used a small butter knife instead. 

Jay added the sugar into the mixture, then the butter. He tried stirring. “Uh, Cole?” He said nervously. “This stuff isn’t mixing in,”

Cole stared at the bowl. “Maybe it’s supposed to be like that?” 

“I thought cake batter was smooth,”

“It might be smooth later,”

“Maybe,” Jay bit his lip. “What do we add next?”

“Eggs, then vanilla.” 

Both ingredients were added into the mixture, which was beginning to resemble tar. 

“Now we add the flour and milk, but since the flour’s already in there we just add milk,” Jay said. He’d taken over reading the recipe again. 

“Yessir,” a good amount of milk was poured into the bowl. Then a bit more, just in case. Cole had given up on measurements a while ago.

“It can be scooped into the pan now,” Jay said. 

“It still looks awful,” Cole frowned. The batter resembled some sort of half formed goop monster.

“It might even out?” 

“Hopefully,”

Using a spoon, Cole scooped the batter into the individual cupcake wrappers. Jay helped by scraping off the excess. Then they put it into the oven.

“Is this thing on?” Jay poked the oven door. 

“…no,” Cole mumbled. “I’ll turn it on now,” he hit the button that said ‘bake’ and watched the light come on.

“We should clean up,” Jay commented. 

Cole looked at the mess they’d made. “Yeah, you’re right. I’ll wash the dishes, you dry them?”

“Sure,”

Thirty minutes later, they had finally finished cleaning. The countertops were practically sparkling, the dishes were washed and stacked, and all spills were gone. Cole walked around the room, proud of their work, but he could smell something burning.

Jay sniffed the air. “I think something’s on fire,” he said, in the way characters in a horror movie say “I think we’re being followed.”

Cole looked toward the oven. There was no outward sign of fire, but the smell was pretty strong. It was clear something in there was burning.

“MOM?” He called out. It was an emergency! Cole didn’t want the house to burn down, or for them to get hurt. “I THINK SOMETHING’S BURNING!”

Lilly was down in an instant. How did she do that? Cole wondered.

“Oh!” Lilly gasped, hurrying towards the oven. She took the cupcakes out and turned it off.

Cole tiptoed to see what had happened to the cupcakes. They didn’t look much like cupcakes. More like charcoal, or one of those poisonous moulds he’d read about. They certainly weren’t edible. 

“That didn’t turn out well,” Jay said, breaking the silence. 

“How exactly did this happen?” Cole’s mom looked at them in disbelief.

Cole looked down at the floor. It was much easier to look at than his mom’s face right now. “It was an accident,” he mumbled. “We just wanted to make cupcakes,”

“Oh, Cole,” Mom said. And that was how he knew she was mad. Mom almost never used his real name — it was always sweetie, or Pumpkin, or Coco. “You should have asked for help,”

“I know,”

Lilly sighed. “I’m just glad neither of you were hurt. Next time you want to bake please tell me.”

“Yes, Mom,” Cole said softly. “‘M sorry,”

“That’s alright,” she said. “You can go outside while I clean this up, okay?”

“Yeah,” Cole tapped Jay’s shoulder. “Come on, Jay,” he grabbed Jay and walked out the back door.

As soon as they were outside, Cole collapsed on the grass. It was soft and quite comfortable. Jay followed suit.

“I’m sorry for getting us into trouble,” Jay spoke, interrupting Cole’s moping. 

Cole shrugged. “It’s not your fault. It was my idea,”

“I helped,”

“It was both our faults.”

They sat in silence for a few more minutes before Jay got up.

“I’m gonna go walk around or something,” he said. 

Cole got up as well. “I’ll come,”

Cole counted the plants as they walked through the garden. One rose bush, two rose bushes, three rose — no, wait, that was a shrub.

“Do you think your mom’s really mad?” Jay asked. 

Cole thought for a moment. She’d seemed worried, but not angry. Maybe disappointed. “Nah,” he said. “Maybe a little, but she won’t never let you come back or anything,”

Jay rubbed his eyes. “O-okay,”

Cole decided to change the subject. “Um, there’s a cat around here somewhere, we could find it.”

“A cat?” Jay brightened up. 

“Yeah,” Cole looked around for it. “Her name is Coffee,”

“I didn’t know you had a cat,”

“We don’t, but she hangs around. She likes to eat the catnip,”

“That’s cool.”

Aha! Sure enough, near the catnip plants was a furry lump. Cole snuck behind it, then picked it up. Coffee meowed in protest. 

“Jay, this is Coffee. Coffee, this is my friend Jay.”

“She’s so cute! Can I pet her?” Jay looked excited, his previous dark mood forgotten.

“Yeah,”

Very, very, gently, Jay petted Coffee on the head. He giggled. “I love cats,” he said, “but my dad doesn’t want one. He says they’re too unfriendly,”

Cole scoffed at that. “Cats are really friendly!”

“I know, right? I don’t get it either,”

Coffee meowed, already tired of the attention, and wriggled out of Cole’s grasp. She ran off into the nearby bushes.

“Hey! C’mon, let’s follow her!” Jay ran after the cat. Cole followed.

The bushes were dark. And also prickly. Cole figured he’d gotten at least five new scratches from them. 

By the time they emerged from the plants, Coffee was nowhere to be seen. She’d probably ran over the fence by now.

“We lost her!” Jay exclaimed. “Will she come back?”

“Yeah,” Cole answered. He looked up at the sky — it was beginning to get dark. “But we should probably get back to the house now,”

“Oh, right,”

Cole skipped a little as they walked back to the house. It would take a couple of minutes. Jay kicked at a rock he’d found.

Lilly opened the door for them when they got back. She tutted at their various scrapes and put plasters on them, then served dinner.

“Thanks for dinner, Mrs. Hence,” Jay said when he was done. “It was really good,”

Cole’s mom smiled at that. “I’m glad you enjoyed,”

“I think we’re gonna play video games now,” Cole said.

“All right, sweetie,” 

Cole grabbed his controllers on the way to his room. Jay started flipping through the games, trying to find a suitable match for their tastes.

“Lava Zombie Smash?” He suggested. 

“Sure,” Cole plugged in the controllers and started the game. It had been a while since he’d played this one.

“No! We have to use the fire punch!” Jay’s avatar on screen died again. “Ugh! Why do we keep losing?”

“This game is supposed to be more fun with four people,” Cole said. “And probably easier too,”

“Well, we need to find two other friends then,”

“Is three friends a lot?” 

“I dunno, maybe?”

“It seems like a lot.”

“Three people is like, the best number for a group, right?” Jay mused. “There’s the three musketeers, three stooges, three blind mice…”

“There’s four Ninja Turtles,” Cole offered. 

“True,”

Cole’s mom knocked on the door. “Time for bed, you two,” she said. “Make sure to brush your teeth,”

Jay and Cole made eye contact. “Race you!” They said simultaneously, running towards the bathroom.

Jay snuggled into his sleeping bag. “I still think I won,” he said

Cole stuck his tongue out at him. “Nah, it was totally me,”

“Hmph,” Jay sniffed, but Cole could tell he didn’t mean it.

“Good night, my best friend,” Jay mumbled. 

“Night,” Cole said back as he drifted off.

[cadybear420]

Cadybear's Re-Reviews- Ride or Die

Welcome to the first of Cadybear’s RE-Reviews! In Re-Reviews, I of course reassess my original opinion of a story I’ve recently replayed. Maybe my opinion has changed, or maybe it still holds up and I have further thoughts. 

Today I will be re-reviewing Ride or Die, the seventeenth review I’ve done. The last time I played this story was 3 years ago, in May 2021. I last reviewed it in March 2024, putting it on the Wood Tier with a 3 stars out of 10 rating. As of my most recent replay however, I can comfortably put it on the Gold Tier at 8 stars out of possible 10.

Sooooo… My opinion on this story has changed VERY drastically as per my second replay. 

The first time around, I did not care for this book. The plot felt poorly paced to me, with too much happening at once. To the point where I said it caused me actual mental distress trying to keep up with it. And I found the whole mood and writing far too melodramatic for what I felt was supposed to be a shallow relationship between MC and the Mercy Park Crew. It was far from being one of the worst to me, but I still found myself speaking very harshly about it. And it shows in my original review. 

This time around, I had much more ease in following the plot. I don’t know why. But rereading it, it is a pretty solid story, and I actually found myself quite invested in what was gonna happen next. There were definitely some parts where I found myself tuning out a bit and had a bit of trouble following, but for the most part, it was a decent and enjoyable story. And because I could follow the story better this time, I could follow some of the more emotional themes of it.

I actually had quite a bit of fun with this MC. Even though she is often pushed as this ingenue/innocent type character, it’s not too overbearing, and she isn’t made to be outright spineless or passive. And they do have some flexibility in their character too– we get quite a bit of variety in how we behave towards the other characters, how we act in certain situations… and that’s something I always appreciate. 

There are even some choices that seem to directly affect the story, most notably the ones where you choose if you focus more on studying or more on spending time with the Crew (with premium options to allow you to combine the two things)– and if I’m not mistaken, it affects whether your MC becomes valedictorian or salutatorian. Though they don’t make it clear how much of your story’s outcomes are changed by your choices. Guess I’ll find out when I replay. 

And I actually found a lot of these characters very endearing. Toby and Ximena were very vibrant and charming and easily my favorite members of the crew. Riya and Darius… I remember being a tad more annoyed with them in my first playthrough, but this time I found them to be very interesting and pleasant characters. 

And by far, my favorite character is certainly MC’s Dad. Oh my God. Even in my first playthrough, I think I did always have a bit of a soft spot for him. He’s just such a sweetheart, and a lot of the interactions and scenes between him and MC were quite emotional to me, I will admit. It was definitely in those moments where I could buy the bittersweet feelings that people rave about. Even though the dad is a bit overprotective, it feels backed by understandable well-meaning intentions rather than some over-the-top “if anything happens to my daughter I got a .45 and a shovel” stereotype. 

I’d say it definitely puts a fair amount of twist on the stereotypical “goody two shoes good girl x immoral tough bad boy” trope. While Logan’s route definitely upstaged those of Colt and Mona (and I’ll get to that later), the story doesn’t revolve entirely around MC’s relationship with him (or any of the other LIs really). The dad was a very sympathetic character, and like I said before, his protectiveness felt well-intentioned and not over-the-top. And rather than a stereotypical “MC runs away with the bad boy and rebels against her evul oppressive father” ending, she’s instead allowed to grow and change to independence through her experience while still sticking true to her academic and family values. 

Of course, there are still a fair amount of problems with it. 

For one, I do still think this book is pointlessly genderlocked. The storyline with MC wanting independence and Dad being overprotective could still work with a male MC, to be honest. And Logan’s character I think would have also still worked as a woman if he was GOC. 

For second, the handling of the LIs– which is probably my biggest problem with the story. I did find Logan a lot more interesting of a character in my replay, but my God, is he a screentime hog. Although the seemingly forced attraction between him and MC isn’t quite as pushed in the first couple of chapters, the story is still blatantly biased towards him and it’s clear they want us to see him and MC as inherently romantic. 

All of the options for MC to choose between her studies/school friends vs driving lessons/the crew involve Logan, and often are given romantic connotations (eg. “study date with Logan”, “double date between you/Logan and Riya/Darius”). And by the halfway point of the book, we’ve only gotten one premium scene option with Mona, two with Colt, but plenty with Logan. 

Now, in my first review, I said that I don’t understand why Logan is so god damned special and why he of all the LIs was the main LI. But here, I think I would phrase that a bit differently: I don’t get why Logan is far more special or important than the other two LIs. 

This time around, I was able to follow Logan’s special reason for taking interest in MC. Quite simply, he was employed to be a sort of “honey trap”. He and Teppei Kaneko knew that MC’s dad was a cop and had been assigned to track down the MPC, and so Kaneko had Logan charm MC and lure her into their group, in order to possibly manipulate the Dad and his case. He calls the cops on Brent’s party so that he can save MC and get on her good side. This is obviously all well and good narrative-wise, but it doesn’t justify him getting this many more scenes than Mona and Colt. 

Personally, I still found Colt the most compelling and developed of the LIs, due to the whole conflict between him and his dad. And Mona is an interesting character too, in that she was once a straight-A’s “good girl” like MC but had gone down a bad path and ended up being stuck as a criminal. These are genuinely interesting character types! Yet for some reason, the story acts like these are much less important and significant than Logan’s character, so much so that they have far fewer premium scenes. Seriously, Mona is given so few interactions with MC and premium scene options, that it’s honestly hard to feel for any relationship between the two of them. So it still feels 100% like she’s just the token f!LI (and the story’s subtitle still isn’t helping matters). 

I mean, I get it. I can understand to some extent why Logan might have a little more focus than the others– he’s the tool that’s meant to bring MC into the crew and keep her there, in order to disrupt her dad’s investigation. But it sort of cheapens the impact of any connection MC could have with Mona or Colt. 

As I mentioned before, Mona’s whole backstory is that she was once like MC– a straight-A goody-two-shoes student, who suddenly gets roped in by “a beautiful girl with a beautiful car” and now lives her life as a criminal away from her old identity and life. This is fine and all, but the “I was roped in by a beautiful girl with a beautiful car” thing ends up feeling rather Logan-centric due to how few romantic opportunities we get with Mona in the first half of the book. Logan’s the one who ropes MC in and gets all the interactions with MC that are meant to keep her interest in being in the crew, whereas Mona has very little presence in that regard. 

Logan may be the one manipulating MC into being part of the crew, but they should have allowed room for intrigue in any of the other LIs to be a bigger factor in what keeps her in. If that makes sense. 

And even all that aside, I do think the romance aspect is a bit melodramatic, kind of? Like, MC and these LIs have only known each other for, what, a month? Three months? Yet they try to push the LIs as having these deep feelings of love for the MC and make it seem tragic when they eventually have to go their separate ways. Like, they have the LI outright say “I love you” to MC at prom. 

I understand that MC and the crew did have a major impact in each others’ lives, but it was hard for me to buy it or feel it was earned or organic when Colt confessed his love for MC. I do like that they allow MC to not return the feelings and point out that they don’t know each other as well, and ultimately treat their romantic interactions as just a small thing. Frankly, I think the romance is better when played that way, as a brief fling that was never meant to last or become deeper. Not all relationships get to develop or have a happy ending. 

I’m fine with a story’s romance routes being more shallow and fling-y, but the story itself needs to treat them as such. ROD somewhat does that, but at times it does also try to frame it the same way of regular more developed Choices romance routes, and that does take me out of the story a bit. LI and MC saying “I love you” to each other in HSS:CA might not have quite been earned either, but at least in that, it is played out as a more cutesy thing. Whereas in ROD, it’s played out as 100% serious, so it doesn’t feel quite right. If they kept it at more of a “I like the idea of dating you” or “You’re important to me and I’ve come to deeply respect and value you” type of thing, I’d feel for it a bit better. 

I also think it’s weird that they have MC still care about the group even after learning that both Colt and Logan had essentially manipulated her. I mean, Mona, Ximena, and Toby, I can kind of get why MC would still care about them. But with Logan and Colt… I don’t fully buy MC still being that eager to help them. Logan manipulated MC, Colt lied to MC about stealing another human being, and Mona ended up betraying her whole group. MC can get angry at them, but still acts weirdly sentimental towards them near the end of the story. Speaking of which…

The story’s ending. I was okay with it before, but I can honestly appreciate it much better now. I’d said in my previous review that even if I did like the story, I probably would not have wanted a sequel for it. And… that still holds true. I like the story, but I don’t think it needs a sequel. MC not getting a happily ever after with her LI is certainly different from the usual Choices ending (again, why couldn’t books like TNA, FCL, Surrender, and TBB have this), but I like that outcome not just because it was “different”, but primarily because it felt appropriate to the storyline and MC’s experience with the crew. 

It makes much more sense for MC’s relationship with the crew to be more like a short-lived fling that was never meant to become deep, which is why I felt it was better to play the romances as such. In the end, it allowed MC to break free from her usual studious and family-focused routine and a taste of adrenaline-fueled independence, and now she gets to move on and start a new adventure as someone who is still studious and cares about her family but is also more independent. 

And unlike other books that got their sequels suddenly canceled like ATV or Hero, the note that this story ended on was fairly conclusive, and it doesn’t really need a continuation. I still wouldn’t have been against the sequel idea (MC being targeted and having to bring the group together again after graduating college) that was revealed in Storyloom, as I do think it’s an interesting idea to explore (as long as there would be a choice for the ending where we don’t get back with our LI)– but it does work just fine without. 

Of course, I still don’t quite get why people have praised this as one of the bests/most legendary of Choices. In my original review, I said that even if I did like this book, I wouldn’t consider it quite one of Choices’ bests. And I do think that opinion still holds true. As of now, I do like this story well enough. I find it fun, action-packed, with a solid coming-of-age narrative and even some strong emotional moments. It does do a fair amount of things differently, but… it wasn’t quite enough to really stand out and *wow* me. It goes with COP and ID in my category of “It’s good, but it’s not that good” stories. 

Overall, I’m glad I gave this story a second chance.

[little-peril-stories]

2024

It's the time of year where many of us think about the future and what's to come. I don't really do New Year's resolutions, and I've never done a real list of goals before. But as I'm thinking about what 2024 will bring, I'm feeling for the first time the desire to lay out my goals - or, at the very least, create a to-do list.

It might be interesting to see how much I overestimated my ability to get stuff done next year. 😅

No pressure to read this, it's largely for myself!

The Queen of Lies

Continue posting semi-regularly. Given the way the first half of the school year has gone, I figure that's probably the best I can do.

Rewrite Act 3. I'm actually so excited for this, and it's all planned out! But it's still not written, even if a lot of the juicy dialogue is sandwiched between bullet points of what happens.

Edit it...eventually. Perhaps in the latter half of the year. Or perhaps that's a 2025 job. Who knows?

angsty heist wip

Reveal the title. Coming sooner than you think.

Post the WIP intro early. TPOT's came when it was about half posted, and TQOL's came only a day before Chapter 1. I think I'll mix it up for angsty heist wip. Nobody peek on my drafts and see how long the wip intro has been chilling there. 😅

FINISH WRITING THIS DAMN BOOK. It's just got to happen. I've hit 2/4 POV character's midpoints, and the delicious confrontation/finale still needs to be written. It's all the good stuff!

Figure out posting plans. It's not coming until TQOL is done, so this is a very vague and fluid goal.

Book 1

Review beta feedback thoroughly.

Make a concrete plan for what I actually want to change and what I don't.

Apply feedback.

Reread and edit for typos/little things.

Do a second beta round.

Start preparing query materials in earnest.

Book 2

lol. start it again? postpone to 2025? who knows. low priority.

The Prince of Thieves -- the journey to self-publishing

Okay, real talk: the list below is long. I've never done any of this before, so I have NO clue of what's realistic and what's not. Is all of this possible in the year 2024? Maybe not. Is that okay? It's gonna have to be! The point of it isn't to marry myself to this list or else I've FAILED, but to have a clear idea of what commonly needs to be done in order to self-publish a novel. If some of the stuff doesn't happen, well, so be it! I’m also quite aware that the list below is not exhaustive. There are probably a million things I haven’t thought of!!

DONE - ISBN account made and approved

DONE - decide on pen name. Finally!

Beta stuff! Send it off, wait for feedback, review feedback, and then apply it. I'm almost there.

Attempt cover design. I am 73% confident in my ability to do it well. With an artist AND a graphic designer/marketer in my family, I think I've got a team who can help me with the technical/Photoshop stuff.

Hire cover designer if failure. (Definitely a possibility.)

Decide on book format/interior design elements. Pretty confident I can do this myself. 96% sure.

Make an author website. For realsies. (aaahhhhhhhhh)

Increase social media presence. Try not to cry about the existence of TikTok. Try not to get in my own head about this. The truth is the thought kind of makes my skin crawl but I also understand how it is is pretty much a necessity.

Learn marketing and create a marketing plan. I got this. probably. maybe. ennnhhhh.

Consider character/scene art commissions. I am uncertain about this one. Finances will determine whether this happens or not.

Cry a lot and be okay with that. I think I'm going to struggle a lot with this whole process. And you know what? That's all right. I will learn a lot. And even if it's scary...well, that will make it all the more rewarding in the end. 💕

[spacepunksupreme]

What is some good vampire media i. Like just came to the realization that I don’t know much. Finishing Dracula and watching the movie soon, watched the Netflix castlevania and i wanna watch iwtv soon (both of them)! I ask because I trust ur taste :-]

AH Hi! Feeling very honored that you trust my taste aha

I hope you enjoy Interviw with The Vampire and whichever Dracula movie youre watching! There is certainly no shortage of Dracula movies out there for one, both actual attempts at adapting the book and otherwise. There is literally (at least) one for every year from 1969-1979 lol so if you dig 70s stuff that’s certainly something to explore.

Obviously there’s vampire stuff out there in a range of aesthetics and subgenres, so I’m gonna try to cover a little variety of vibes off the top of my head, and hopefully one of these things is in your preferred flavor of vampire :) 

unorganized list with brief synonsis’ under the cut

As for serious vampire series the only thing that comes to mind rn are some anime/manga. Vampire Hunter D is a light novel series with two anime film adaptations. The newer one, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (2000) is like an all-time favorite animated movie for mine. D is an angsty half-vampire vampire hunter, and it’s also set in a post-apocalyptic sci-fi/fantasy world. Really good mix of more traditional vampire lore with science fiction elements. Vampirism is implied to be the effects of a plague that swept earth as well as like a magical affliction in this.

Trinity Blood is a similar post-apocalyptic hard sci-fi/fantasy mix. Leaning more on the gothic fantasy side. It’s set in a world where we’ve gone back to the Catholic church being the dominate like governing force, so the main character Abel is (again an angsty half-vampire vampire hunter) a funny little priest man. The vampires are like really demon/angel vibes in this, but are also implied to be the result of intermingling with an alien species that humanity fought pre-apocalypse, if I remember correctly. I havn’t read or watched any of this since high school so it might suck now lol

The Hellsing manga/Hellsing Ultimate OVA. An all time fav of mine, but I also havnt reread any since high school so, again, it may suck now lol. This one is more modern than anything traditional fantasy. It’s set in the 90s and centered around Abraham Van Helsing’s (great?) granddaughter, Integra, running a vampire-hunting organization, with thee Dracula now calling himself Alucard (lol) as her weird devoted man-slave. The villains are undead nazis who have come back to take over the world after scientifically achieving vampirism in the pursuit of immortality. So it’s basically like Dracula and his cool lesbian boss fight vampire nazis … with guns. It’s good stupid fun. And Alucard is a really good example of vampire character who is both a gleeful killing machine and a miserable “I regret the loss of my humanity and the fact that I can never die” poor little meow meow type.

And in non-serious and non-anime (lol) there’s also the What We Do in The Shadows TV show which I’ve seen best described as “what if vampires were gay and stupid”, pokes good fun a lot of common vampire media tropes. And the characters are great. The 2014 movie is the same premise, but different characters. 

Some other movies I might recommend are Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1974) cheesy 70s movie but has some really great exploration of lesser-discussed vampire lore; the main vampire antagonist doesn’t drink blood but drains youth with a kiss, can have their hypnotic power projected back at them with a reflected surface, and causes dead animals to come back to life when passing over them in the ground, etc. It’s also got fantasic sword fighting scenes, and really fun characters. Kronos in particular is definitely supposed to be a mysterious badass type, but he really just comes off as a socially awkward loveable weirdo. He’s super strange and he smokes weed lol. Set in like a mid-19th century fantasy germanic country. 

Lost Boys (1987) or Blade (1998) for more edgy modern vampires. Both movies are stupid. Lost Boys is fun for the vamp characters which are southern Californian teenage biker gang members (gay). and Blade is fun because it’s just so bad it’s good, it’s a movie to be watched for laughs, with vampires who are just like goths that go to blood raves and sit around in suits in fancy rooms. Blade himself is also another angsty half-vampire vampire hunter (I’m realizing I’m fond of this type of character lol). 

And finally if you’re looking for something more similar to the Dracula novel, I think I can only recommend Le Fanu’s Carmilla. Older and shorter than Dracula and perhaps a little less exciting, but a solid classic in vampire literature (and lesbian literature), and has a lot of its own adaptations ranging from serious to silly as well. 

[samyazaz]

What's your favourite fandom and why?💛

I guess the answer depends on whether you’d consider a fandom of three in which no one else can every truly experience the canon to be a fandom or not. Because if your answer is yes, then the answer is Five Dragons, our first home d&d game, and the place where my fic-writing heart has lived for the last several years.

If not, then definitely Les Mis! Nell and Sovin and I have been rereading our and each other’s older fics for the past several months as a book club kind of thing, and it’s been a delight, and such a great reminder of all that I loved and still love about the fandom.

The why, I think, is a little trickier to answer. For Les Mis, I’ve loved it for going on twenty years, ever since my college roommate put the 10th anniversary concert on and sat me in front of it and then patiently explained all the plot that the concert edition doesn’t. I love a musical, and it’s a hell of a musical, though I didn’t get fannish about it until Nell opened my eyes to an appreciation of Les Amis, and e/R in particular. And like, I’m a sucker for pining, and e/R has such good, strong dynamics to work with, and I’m a sucker for a Complete Disaster, but ultimately I think what helped me latch onto it so firmly and for so many years is (1) the large cast with many different types of dynamics between them, so there are always characters or ships who are likely to fit no matter what you may be in the mood for, and (2) the fact that I think the Amis strike a balance of distinctive character traits and limited screen/page time that means there’s something to build off of but there’s also lots of room for flexibility and for play, and they’re great for AUing, and we all know AUs are my very favorite ;)

As for Five Dragons…I mean. ;) It’s got my character, who I love, and the characters of my best friends, who I also love, because they’re incredible RPers, and there’s a delightful, sweet, often-domestic threesome feat. my girl, which is so much my jam. And, again, there are enough characters and character dynamics that there’s always gonna be something to fit a mood, whether I’m yearning for sailor/mermaid lesbians, or Old Married Couple gays, or Absolute Trash Can Men or Jock/Walking Disaster teens. And, inherently, there’s already a huge emotional connection to these characters and this works and the stories we told with them, which is why it’s where my heart has lived for the last several years.

[hummingbirdsaltimolockia]

read more for breeze-by reviews of the books films and shows I read/watched in 2022

books

a tree grows in brooklyn (reread) - 5/5 cemented as one of my favorite books. reading it at 25 was very different from reading it at 18

lord of the flies - oof 5/5 v chilling

the neverending story - 2/5 the whole movie is in the first seven chapters and it just drags on from there and bastian was annoying

an absolutely remarkable thing - 3/5 interesting story that I wouldn’t usually read and it ended kinda ambiguously. the main character was a little annoying but it was good for the story

the curious incident of the dog in the night time - 2/5 kinda overrated in my opinion and was kinda a bummer overall

their eyes were watching god - 4/5 kinda a bummer too but v beautiful

walk two moons - 3/5 a little overly Solemn in my opinion

shadow of a bull - 2/5 a little boring and anti climatic

hooked - 5/5 sutton foster has been one of my favorite performers for years and I really enjoyed getting a closer look at her life

the women in the castle - 5/5 a very chewy read. not a book you can dismiss easily

the hearts of horses - 4/5 v unfortunately titled and covered, but v enjoyable slice of life read. actually related to the main character, and the horses were written realistically.

jack and jill - 3/5 very slice of life w Moral Lessons, and I didn’t really agree with the moral lesson

the boy who harnessed the wind -4/5 more memoir-y then I thought it would be but I liked it like that

wink: - 3/5 finished on 1/1/23 but I’m counting it. definitely worth the read but could’ve been better

films

red riding hood - 2/5 pretty silly plot but gary oldman was acting his pants off

the prestige - 3/5 v captivating but left me feeling ick

a monster calls - 4/5 almost as good as the book

atonement - 2/5 v pretty but. betrayled

gladiator - 5/5 v refreshing to see this type of movie, 2000s style

encanto - 3/5 not enough recovery time

moulin rouge - 3/5 wild but it could be deep

the caddy - 3/5 jerry lewis is the basis of my sense of humor

logan - 5/5 really liked seeing such a grounded superhero film

hanna - 3/5 underdeveloped as whole. woulda worked better as a mini series

last christmas - 3/5 liked the characters, well acted and written, didn’t like the twist

school of rock - 5/5 there is nothing wrong with this movie

to all the boys p.s i still love you - 3/5 silly conflict. girl just go to school

if I stay - 4/5 much deeper than I thought it was gonna be

sing - 3/5 loved the littel chameleon creature

the fantastic mr fox - 4/5 v strange but a little long

the exception - 1/5 left me feeling v ick

winter’s bone - 4/5 different from what I expected. v grounded and unsensational

beastly - 2/5 lol v v 2011 black cover ya book feeling. v silly

the giver - 3/5 better than I thought it would be. rushed through in favor of a more dramatic ending

the addams family - 5/5 enjoyed everything about this

the addams family values - 4/5 not as sharp as the first one but joan cusack is in it

nope - 5/5 sooo good. loved the concept of an animal like alien and everything was set up so well. does rely on the “don’t look a horse in the eye or it will go berserk” thing which is just. not true. (literally just be chill and the horse will be chill. it’s more about approaching them from the side than directly in front). but on the whole the horse portrayal was pretty good

vengeance - 3/5 got v tense after the twist. went some places. left me feeling hmm

good will hunting - 4/5 literally heard of this movie my whole life. it’s good

rampage - 2/5 I love big scary animal monsters but this got too big and silly

potc: on stranger tides - 3/5 the story was better than I thought it would be, but overall it wasn’t made with the same care as the og trilogy

potc: dead men tell no tales - 2/5 almost just stupid

spiderman: no way home - 4/5 everyone was acting their pants off and it was great

black panther: wakanda forever - 4/5 ran a little long but loved all the choices and visuals

weird - 3/5 what it says on the can. bizarre and funny

the princess switch 2 - 2/5

the princess switch 3 - 3/5 unexpected pathos???

hildago - 3/5 honestly think I would’ve liked it better if he shot the horse at the end :/ which is a horrible thing to say but

falling for christmas - 2/5 I did it for you miss lohan

disenchanted - 2/5 and one of those is solely for idina menzel singing

jojo rabbit - 5/5 tonally brilliant and surprisingly full despite being under two hours

glass onion - 5/5 v fun and v engaging from beginning to end

tv shows

attack on titan s4 pt 2 - 3/5 not enough levi. also can we just finish this dam story

stranger things s4 - 4/5 a lot of crunchy plot stuff happened, v curious to see how it will end

only murders in the building s2 - 4/5 not as strong as s1 but still v enjoyable

derry girls s3 - 5/5 no notes

kenobi - 3/5 not bad but also pretty unnecessary

this is us s6 - 3/5 pretty likely end to the series but the more I thought about it the more I didn’t like it

abbott elementary - 5/5 no notes. most enjoyable mockumentary I’ve seen

rutherford falls - haven’t finished the first season yet so reserving final judgement but so far so good

[anthony-sharma]

Six of Crows Reread - Ch. 12

Now another Inej chapter!

_

Chapter 12: Inej

“The view from above was disturbing. The Dregs were outnumbered, and there were men working their way around their left and right flanks. Kaz had been right to keep their real point of departure a secret from the others. Someone had talked. Inej had tried to keep tabs on the team, but someone else in the gang could have been snooping. Kaz had said it himself: Everything in Ketterdam leaked, including the Slat and the Crow Club.”

Yeah, unfortunately for Inej, it was one person from their own team who leaked information...

“The cargo containers were stacked like a pyramid here. If she could make it up just one, she could hide herself on the first level. Just one. She could climb or she could stand there and die.

She willed her mind to clarity and hopped up, fingertips latching onto the top of the crate. Climb, Inej. She dragged herself over the edge onto the tin roof of the container.”

Damn, my girl’s willpower is certainly something! It would be so easy to just lie there and let herself die. Of course, Kaz wouldn’t let her just die, but you get the point. 

“Just one more. But she couldn’t. Couldn’t push to her knees, couldn’t reach, couldn’t even roll. It hurt too much. Climb, Inej.

“I can’t, Papa,” she whispered. Even now she hated to disappoint him.”

I love how present her parents are to her, even though she hasn’t seen them in quite a while. They’re still present in the decisions she makes and in how she decides to conduct herself in the books. I think it’s also part of the reason why she sticks to her ideals so strongly.

“The rasp of stone on stone. Her eyes flew open. Kaz.”

He bundled her into his arms and leaped down from the crates, landing roughly, his bad leg buckling.”

I’ve seen in fics and I think maybe in headcanons too that the “raspiness” of Kaz’s voice is a sideeffect from the pox that he and Jordie suffered as a child, but I don’t remember if that is ever confirmed in canon or if that’s just something the fans came up with. If any of you guys know, please, drop a comment about it. 

But also...OMG, he bundles her into his arms? Like, I know this is a life or death kind of situation but still? Inej being so tiny and being bundled into Kaz’s arms? I’m screaming!!?

“I don’t want to die.”

“I’ll do my best to make other arrangements for you.”

She closed her eyes.

“Keep talking, Wraith. Don’t slip away from me.”

“But it’s what I do best.”

He clutched her tighter. “Just make it to the schooner. Open your damn eyes, Inej.”

She tried. Her vision was blurring, but she could make out a pale, shiny scar on Kaz’s neck, right beneath his jaw. She remembered the first time she’d seen him at the Menagerie. He paid Tante Heleen for information – stock tips, political pillow talk, anything the Menagerie’s clients blabbed about when drunk or giddy on bliss. He never visited Heleen’s girls, though plenty would have been happy to take him up to their rooms. They claimed he gave them the shivers, that his hands were permanently stained with blood beneath those black gloves, but she’d recognised the eagerness in their voices and the way they tracked him with their eyes.”

Omg, I know we get his POV later in the book about how he felt in this moment, but I can just imagine him carrying Inej to the boat and being so freaking terrified that he’s gonna lose her because of Jesper that, although I do not condone how he treats Jesper later on, I definitely understand where he’s coming from. 

Also, can we just appreciate how people in the Menagerie (but I am sure not only them) have the hots for Kaz Brekker? Like, we get throughout the books remarks about his haircut from Nina and about how he’s a “demon” from Matthias, but really, he just seems to be a good-looking 17 year old who a lot of people have the hots for. 

“Talk to me, Wraith.”

“You came back for me.”

“I protect my investments.”

Investments. “I’m glad I’m bleeding all over your shirt.”

Oh Kaz, not the investment thing again! Of course, the poor guy is so emotionally constipated that he’s not capable to admit his feelings for her, but daaamn, that’s cold. But also, I appreciate how Inej is in the verge of dying and can still manage to be sassy with still sasses Kaz. 

On another note, there’s this tiny thing here that reinforces what the book mentions later, where it says that Inej is always trying to salvage little pieces of humanity from Kaz and making him seen decent. By saying “you came back for me”, it’s almost like a “you care enough about me to come back” and then he’s like “Nah, you’re an investment” and it’s like damn it, Kaz! You can stop being an asshole for a second. That’s allowed, you know?

Anyway, that’s it for chapter 12. Next up, we get into Kaz’s thoughts once more!

[ilosttrackofthings]

I’ve decided to reread Harry Potter for the first time in a decade for Halloween (because reasons I guess) and here are my thoughts/observations as of finishing CoS.

I continue to hate Dumbledore. I’m definitely seeing him as more fleshed out, but that doesn’t make him better. Like, he’s really good with the kids, he clearly still understands what it’s like to be young and sympathizes with them in ways adults tend not to, it’s easy to see why Harry hero worships him. But that’s just the problem because understanding the kids also means he’s better at manipulating them.

It’s even addressed! Someone brings up that it almost seems like Dumbledore arranged everything in PS so Harry would face Voldemort and Harry, being an eleven year-old, defends him by saying that Dumbledore just knew he needed the chance to face him. Which makes sense because he’s ELEVEN, but anyone with critical thinking skills should be like “ummmmm...” So yeah. I still hate Dumbledore.

And guys it’s so obvious he was always gay! He wears a flower bonnet at Christmas! It’s S U B T E X T

The centaurs so clearly already know Harry’s gonna die and the first time it reads like they know he’s in danger or like he circumvents fate but NO it’s the future-future and my HEART

I never appreciated before how witty Snape is. His protection for the stone is a riddle and his final for the first years is to brew a forgetfulness potion from memory. And when Ginny’s taken to the Chamber, he’s the one who steps in and gets Lockhart out of the way. And he’s a jerk to the kids but we also see him being at least decent to his coworkers. If he could’ve just gotten over Lily, he could’ve had his own child to send to Hogwarts to torment Harry instead of having to work through Draco (who, frankly, is a little shit. I still love him but man does he make it rough).

The Improper Use of Magic office sends Harry a reminder that Muggles shouldn’t be exposed to magic via an owl that drops the letter on a Muggle’s head. Nice.

Dumbledore says in PS that he’s leaving Harry with the Dursleys in part because it will be better for his development; he won’t grow up knowing he’s this famous figure and get a big head or something. (Obviously this is a complete lie, there’s plenty of meta out there about this being not only because of the Lily’s blood thing but also because it’s a great way for Dumbledore to make himself a heroic figure in Harry’s life; regardless I’m still gonna tear it apart.) Except that Harry winds up with no idea how to handle his own fame. If he’d grown up knowing about it, he could’ve developed mechanisms to deal with awkward moments and people taking him off guard and all that uncomfortable stuff we see him struggling over throughout the books.

In CoS we see the teachers suddenly giving out points like Mardi Gras beads. In PS the kids had to do something exceptional to earn points but now they’re getting them just for throwing out answers in class. Which makes me think the teachers, after six years of Slytherin wins, were being stingy with the points to try to hold them back from a seventh year win.

Am I still bitter the House Cup was stolen from them in PS? A little less tbh. There’s an argument to be made Harry and co earned those points (even if it’s obnoxiously obvious that Dumbledore gave them just enough to put them over) but should they have been awarded at the feast already being held in Slytherin’s honor? This wasn’t like CoS where the feast was an impromptu thing immediately after the climactic battle. There was plenty of time in between to dole out those points without embarrassing Slytherin.

After spending a year blindly buying into Lockhart’s bullshit, Hermione will go on to out Lupin as a werewolf. I know Snape basically fed her all the info, but I really think the shame of being so utterly wrong about Lockhart (especially when the boys were right) really stuck with her.

Listen, I am trying to like Dobby here, he’s enduring terrible punishments and risking worse just to protect this child he’s never met, but his speech pattern is sooo much like Gollum’s and that is not helping.

Speaking of, based on everything that happens there’s no reason to assume Dobby doesn’t see Petunia take a swing at Harry with a frying pan and he still goes through with his “stay with the Dursleys” plan. Because that wouldn’t kill him.

Back in PS, after sending Norbert off to Charlie, Harry and Hermione are caught coming down from the Astronomy Tower by McGonagall. (Ron is absent because he was bitten by Norbert and needed medical treatment to avoid losing his hand.) In CoS, when Hermione’s petrified and McGonagall is taking Harry aside to tell him, Ron is almost an afterthought, only being brought along because he shows up. I’m just saying, McGonagall thought Harry and Hermione were making out on the Astronomy Tower and that they’re an adorable tween couple.

Tom: “You think I was going to use my filthy Muggle father’s name forever?” But... But it’s there, Tom. It’s right there. In your new name. ‘Cause you made it out of the letters of your old name. You’re still carrying him around, Tom.

As I’m reading I’m mentally comparing these to what I remember of the films (I haven’t watched them since even before my last reread so I don’t remember much) and imagining a more faithful netflix series version. The only thing so far that I’d want changed from the way it plays out in the books is the Percy/Penelope revelation. He should’ve gotten a big reunion with her at the feast.