#whats his seret

[sadboyhrs]

Will solos ur favs

[writeblrfantasy]

lila's 2021 writing wrapped!! (i don't use spotify and i felt a little left out lmao) this has been my best and favorite year for writing, and i want to go over what i've written this year as well as tell yall what i have planned for next year. though we know thats very subject to change, since i can't stick to projects for shit and new ideas pop up like weeds.

projects i finished this year:

gold king, blue king (86k) the book i wrote and finished so i could query! i also did all the research/put together the querying materials this year. super, super proud of myself for that. it's very hard to keep going, but i'm trying.

a council of golden swords (96k) a book i had a sudden idea for while doing chores and decided to drop everything and commit. three months later, it was done as one of my proudest projects. this includes the in book short cyril's hell, which to this day is one of my favorite pieces i've ever written.

the order trilogy: order of the sun (72k), order of the ice (82k), and order of the phantom (81k) i wrote all three of these in about two months and it might be my proudest achievement of the year. i hit new personal bests for word counts in a day (my new record is now 11k!, and i wrote 25k in one weekend) and i learned so much about my process. just another project that proved nothing is beyond my reach.

when the witches call (112k and counting) am still editing this but i count it since i wrote 60k of it for nano. i know with more work i can make it exactly what i dream it is in my head, but i'm so proud of where it's at right now anyway.

brenin (44k) which i have been trying to finish for two years. i finished this literally in the first days of january but i'm still very proud.

i want it to be you, (23k) the camp nano project i honestly forgot about until now lmao

i also edited my first completed novel the ruby savior (113k) which included tense and style changes, and am halfway through editing the second and third books of that series up to my current standards

other things i wrote this year:

30k of of blood drawn, the third book in the revolution of nimath. also came up with the ideas and plot for those six books.

shorts for the adventures of the existential three (bailed on that but it's fine)

10k of queen artura and the knights of arrinshire, the queer king arthur retelling i've been trying to write for two years

11k of a game of golden wind, the wlw fantasy sports rivalry novel set in the acogs universe. very excited to eventually get back to this!!

a 6k short for the death of seret ashling, which i also kinda bailed on. endlessly proud of this too.

various thousands of words for the last three eingard series books

projects for next year:

edgelia and other poetry, a wlw tragedy inspired by the song of achilles and @aelenko's he called me finch

as the sea horn blares, a mlm romance with a side of crime family plot in which a traumatized crime boss falls in love with his therapist

the daughter of esla, book 5 of the eingard series. realllly hoping to finish at least one tes book next year. it's been a year and a half since i finished the 4th book, and i really want to see this series through.

queen artura

whatever else buckwild ideas hit me!

a massive, MASSIVE thank you to @magic-is-something-we-create for being the best friend one could have, fundamentally changing the way i create for the better, drawing my freakin characters like WHAT, listening to my endless fandom and writing rambles, reading my books, letting me read your book, and the everyday conversations. i love you dearly <3

another huge shoutout to @aelenko for answering all my querying questions and being an incredible force in the writing community, and for being partly the reason EAOP exists. your projects are incredible and you are endlessly inspiring. thank you <3

other huge thanks go to: @ashen-crest @47crayons @ettawritesnstudies @ren-c-leyn @worldbuildng @faithfire and so many more for supporting me as i write, loving my projects, and being wonderful pillars in writeblr yourselves. i love everyone in my little writeblr family so much. i am also about to hit 2 years on this hellsite, so i might have to do Something for that

speaking of, i also hit 1000 followers this year, and i just hit 1300 like yesterday, so thank you all so much for supporting me and reading my stuff!!

i talk about what i read this year under the cut, if you're interested in that!

this year i read (only including the ones i really loved):

pax's absolutely stunning book firebreathers, now one of my favorite books

the stormlight archive, which easily made it into my top 10 books ever

the first mistborn book

any way the wind blows by rainbow rowell, the incredible and mindblowing end to one of my favorite trilogies

one last stop by casey mcquiston, which had everything i loved about rwrb and was wonderful

rule of wolves by leigh bardugo

return of the thief by meghan whalen turner, the final book in my tied for favorite series ever. it was an incredible, tear jerking end

blood of elves, which met expectations in all the weirdest ways

empress of salt and fortune & when the tiger came down the mountain by nghi vo, a wonderful queer read!!

if you made it this far, lol hi! i also caved and made an spn sideblog this year, @devastatingly-handsome-friend if there are any spn friends here who want to follow! i don't have anything there yet, but eventually i will get around to writing fic and reblogging stuff. just been a bit busy <3

[the-writings-of-kaos]

The galactic crossing program finality.

It had been a few... rest periods? She wasn’t quite sure how much time had passed, so she asked W.I.N.G her now silently angry Ai. 

Freyith: “Hey uhh, wing?”

W.I.N.G: “What?”

Freyith: “How log have I been on this miner?”

W.I.N.G only sighed into Freyith’s ear piece as she quickly ran diagnostics.

W.I.N.G: “Its only been 4 seret (8.9 hours), and you still have not reconsidered leaving the deathworlders miner.”

Freyith: “Hush, they are doing something.”

W.I.N.G went silent as the deathworlder stopped the miner, stood up from their seat, and simply began to prepare some food stuffs. They had done this before, suddenly open their fang filled maw in a silent if not calming groan of sleepiness, before getting up and preforming some other task. Although they seemed to enjoy preparing different food items to eat every one of their three daily eating periods, they always surprised Freyith with the different confections and roasted succulent meats. This time it had taken out a large packet of freeze dried meat, primitive runes marked onto it with a foal smelling drawing material. It pried open the package and neatly placed the thin strips of fatty meat on a uniquely rectangular devise. It behaved similarly to the food prep surface that mysteriously erupted with heat each time it was needed to heat a meal, instead it needed to be attached to what Freyith originally suspected to be some sort of water dispenser. But it was in actuality a power outlet it seems, for a number of lights on the devise blinked to life as the similar sense of heat began to roil out of the rectangular heating surface. As the deathworlder coated the thin strips of meat with a sweet smelling semi liquid that had come out from a cylindrical container, the heat made the meal sizzle with the all too familiar sound of the deathworlders odd food preparation technique. While the meat cooked, the deathworlder looked to me and gestured to the storage that contained the platters. It had done this before as well, it was a request it seemed. Freyith stood up and retrieved the two platters and handed them to the deathworlder, the deathworlder taking them and serving a generous helping of the thin strips of meat. It had prepared a soft white grain that was place beneath the sweet meat, this one she enjoyed. It didn’t seem to bother her digestive system, and the deathworlder possessed a great deal of it. It didn’t spoil easily, and seemly the deathworlder enjoyed it as much as she did.

The deathworlder handed out the eating utensils, as it had begun to eat its meal. Once it had finished it merely put away the plater and it’s utensils into the cleaner devise, and simply went back to its station. It had done that... three times now... eaten, cleaned, and then back to work. Work periods averaging out at 8 Quib (5 and a half hours), but what did she except. Suddenly, the miner stopped, as the deathworlder tapped on a number of data pads. Suddenly, a massive meteoroid landed off in the distance, it looked as if it would cause a massive creator, and all the work these deathworlders were doing. But... thrusters... and sheets of metal, appeared. The thrusters pushing up from the bottom, and the sheets of metal catching atmosphere from the top. Once the meteoroid landed, the deathworlder for the first time got up from its post without needing to eat. And pulled a sitting station out from the wall, and sat in it. Offering the seat on the back of said sitting station. W.I.N.G: “Freyith, think about this, a massive rock fell out of the sky and that means something to the deathworlder. What if it has just been fattening you up for later this whole time?” Freyith: “Then it would have force fed me that fatty meat. Cmon, it’ll be fine.” Freyith sat down in the seat and allowed the deathworlder to secure her to it, before it got into the forward seat. Metal plates folded out from the wall and surrounded the two of them, and the feeling of falling graced Freyith for a moment, before a comfortable landing followed by a light bouncing up and down. W.I.N.G: “We are on a... ground transport?” Freyith: “It would seem so.” Looking out from a window in the protective plates, Freyith could see the massive miner she had been in all this time with the deathworlder. It was massive, and rather worm like. She could see another terrain vehicle that had folded itself into the side of the miner. And based off of the deathworlders love of symmetry, there was likely two more on the other side. As the transport neared the meteoroid, Freyith could see other similar ground transport vehicles, each one with one or two passengers. The transport stopped, and the plates folded away. Freyith unsecured herself and stood up, slowly. She could noticed the widened, frightened eyes, of the other deathworlders. Her deathworlder seemed to take the lead, standing next to the massive meteoroid. It seemed taller than the miner was long. The other deathworlders seemed to be arguing, but her deathworlder called their attention forward. A taller, stronger looking deathworlder with a darker skin pigment walked to their trans port and pulled from it a large shiny metal weapon. W.I.N.G: “WHY AREN”T YOU RUNNING?” Freyith: “I’ll just fly away at the first sign of trouble, relax.” Her deathworlder took the metal weapon in hand, and brought a remote controlling devise up from their clothing storage pockets. And pressed something on it. A plate of stone on the side of the meteoroid folded away, as a large cylinder extended out of it. It was much larger than the little deathworlder, but despite this her deathworlder ran up to it. Her deathworlder brought up the metal weapon, and brought it down on the end of the cylinder. And the weapon stuck in with a large dent. Her deathworlder made a gesture above his head, before running to the transport. All the other deathworlders did the same, so Freyith quickly secured herself into her seat. As her deathworlder hopped in, the metal plates came over her and it. And sealed with a hum. The transport was moving fast now, Freyith kept her eyes fixed on the meteoroid. The transport reattached itself to the miner, and the plates folded away. The deathworlder jumped up quickly, tapping the data pad a few times as all the room was cover with projections and screens. Thousand of optical eyes fixed on one thing. The meteoroid. Suddenly, it began to... inflate? No it was bursting! The rock folded down, out of the way. Revealing a massive mesh holding thousands of transparent spheres. The mesh began to snap and fall away, as the spheres all rolled into the many rivers the deathworlders had been digging. Her deathworlder was jumping around celebrating, they raced to their pilot helm, the miner drove itself out of the river bed with the help of the deathworlder. And backed up the back end up above the wall of earth, that divided the river bed from the deep lake. And with one ‘thunk’ the wall was gone, the dirt settled, and the spheres began to pop, actually pop! As thousands of units of liquid began to flow down the river, what's more many many tiny water creatures were swimming in the what my implant realized was water! They filled the lake and river! All the rivers were filled with water, as was the lake, and all were filled with thousands of aquatic creatures!  Her deathworlder was celebrating, they looked as though they would burst with excitement. It was happy, so happy. Freyith couldn’t help feeling happy too.

--------

 Over the next few days, Freyith witnessed the first rain to occur on that planet, she witnessed the first plants grow without a greenhouse on the planet, she watched as the deathworlders retrieved the metallic weapon used to set life loose on the planet. And used it to harvest the first trunk of a dying “oak tree”, to grow on that planet. These humans, they changed the world, only a crew of 300 of them there, and 200 more operators back at their home world. And within 2 of there standard year cycles they managed to make that world into an arboreal paradise, they live there in the millions now, only 100 of their standard years cycles later. And in that time they have funded and terraformed 30 other planets. Humans... they change worlds. The adorable changers of worlds. 

And they come in peace. _______ Authors note: Hey everyone, sorry for my late submission, school has started up again and I’ve been shoulder deep in studies. Best of wishes to my fellow authors, prompters, and commenters for their inspiration for this piece.

[wildwoodmage]

Hi Im your secret santa (your or someone who shares your name and icon I guess ) ^^' (im using anon feature cuz anonimity is part of the fun right ? )sorry for bothering you but one of the promts I like has been already selected as purchased by someone else and im not sure if that means I can still use them ( I know it's propably a stupid question but I don't want to leave you with a gift you can't like ) I you don't mind knowing who's the seret santa I could send you the desing for sonic's armor I did . If you want to see it but also prefer not to know I can maybe ask a friend to sent it to you to keep the anonimity . (sorry if this is word salad I neither a native speaker or good at writing in general )

Hi there! I can’t see what prompts have been ‘purchased’ or not, but I’m pretty sure that means someone else has started writing/drawing based on them. I say don’t worry about it, and I certainly won’t complain if that means I get multiple gifts! :) I’d recommend confirming with @sonadowsecretsanta mods just in case. Either way, I’m very curious but don’t want to see any WIPs just yet: the surprise is half the fun!

[secret-time-is-here]

The King and his Aid

Chapter 9: “I’m here.“

I hope you enjoy this, towards the end my hands started cracking (I have eczema on my hands) so put on some lotion and they were burning the last hundred or so words. BUT I FINISHED IT :’D

Previous - First (Season 1) - First (Season 2) - Next

His body shivered as the cold licked and bit at his bones. Despite the freezing and depressing aura the house held, he moved forward automatically, walking through calmly when his Father and friend couldn’t even brave it. All of this felt so familiar, but he’s never done this before. Never dared to make it through to the villain’s lair. At least in this life.

Were they even a villain? If what everything his family has told him about Neil is True, then he’s far from.

“An angel.” A voice in the back of his head provided, “So amazing that he wears his imperfections not as barriers or blocks, but as advantages, the traits that make him, him.”

His pace through the house slowed, why would he ever think about Neil like that?

“You may not think of him like that openly,” He started to stutter on what to say, deny the voice in his head, and blush. “However, I nearly always have.” The voice spoke further, seeming more self-aware than the preassumed simple voice of conscience.

Was someone there with him?

He began to turn his head from each side look everywhere he could, even to see if some small being was hiding in the beams of the self-made log cabin. The voice continued: “It only took me months of knowing him to realize that I love him and that in the eyes of society, our kind is wrong.”

He gulped, thinking of the different punishments and convictions you could be given for simply being different. He wasn’t just scared for himself, he was scared for the voice in his head as well.

“That in the eyes of society, it is wrong for me as a man to like another man. That it is wrong for a woman to like another woman. That it’s wrong to like someone of the same gender. That it’s wrong for anyone to be different than the path laid before us.”

Gene stopped just a yard away from Neil’s bedroom door, not in fear of the pools of negativity that oozed out from under the door and into the weak fabric of his shoes, threatening that if he were to not be careful they would stain his pants as well. He stood in confusion.

“Edwin?” Gene spoke aloud, hoping that he wasn’t going crazy.

“Yes, I’ve been here with you the whole time. Just waiting for you to accept how we are.”

“Why did you show up now and not earlier?” His expression still held confusion, but the dark droplets of anger started to spread, overtaking him with anger.“So i wouldn’t have to deal with all of this?” He gestured, getting more frustrated, “The mess that you left behind?! I’m supposed to be a kid! I don’t want to deal with these problems...” The anger left as soon as it came, “Why?”

“If I showed up before you solved your personal problems, I wouldn’t have been able to put all of this to rest.”

“What...” His gaze dropped to the floor, hunched over, defensive. Worry began to spread and the tension left his body, leaving his head hanging, and mouth dry as he asked: “...What are you suggesting?” He had only been able to hear a few stories about Edwin and was still unsure about him.

“We merge our lives, our memories, live as one being.” Gene just stared at the floor, contemplative, “I can tell you care for him just as much as I do.”

“My mental age doesn’t help, though.” Gene sighed opting to sit on the floor, frustratingly puffed cheeks resting on his fists as he continued to stare at the ground, “I’ve only known him for a few weeks- how- why… is he so amazing?? And cute?? And handsome??”

“He’s naturally obviously quirky and goes out of his way to make the people he cares about happy, even when he doesn’t realize it. Even when his soul was physically cracking and he was stuck to bed rest, he tried his best to make me happy.” Gene’s frown curved into a smile, he wanted to be able to remember what Edwin could, to know for himself how caring Neil could be, “If we merged, we could live happily with him.”

“...Is he a good lover?” Edwin laughed as if he heard the funniest joke. “It’s an honest question!”

“Yes, he’s an amazing lover, he’s treated us like royalty over the years. Which is fitting considering that: If the world was different, Neil and I would be married and sitting on thrones right now.” He could practically feel Edwin’s smile, “I still hope, one day the world will change, and we can truly have our wedding.”

A silence fell, and he could feel Edwin’s smile drop as well.

“...I need to get back to him.” Gene raised a brow, once again confused, “We’ve lived nearly our entire lives side by side. Acquaintances to friends to best friends to secret lovers. It’s always been the two of us. Even when Neil was forced to marry Cecil. It was still just the King and his Aid.”

Gene moved his eyes from the floor back to the door, letting his soul hear the desperate call of Neil’s.

“We have family. More family and friends that are strongly trusted to keep our secret.” Gene perked up at this, “Neil’s brother Dean, and his husband Cecil, they share a seret similar to ours.”

“What do you mean?”

“He is stuck in a female body. He doesn’t like being a princess. Like our situation. Stuck in a body that does fit how we mentally are.” Gene nodded in understanding, “They have a son, Martin, they’ve been raising him to treat everyone, no matter their sexuality, gender identity, or romantic preference, with respect. Our friends have learned of both of our secrets, and are secretly pulling strings in the castle as we speak.”

“...you have friends that… that accept us being, you know?” Gene questioned, genuinely surprised by the information.

“The different heads of departments, and Dean’s own personal guards. Even the head of Heads, and now Head of the court as well, Ian is on our side. When we were thrown in a cell, before Neil came to save us, he visited. Bringing food and questions. He left with answers and a different train of thought. It took time, but Cecil confided in all of them too, we write to each other as much as we can.”

“Alright, I’ll do it.”

“Then this will be the last time we can talk. Just know, we will live happily...”

“One last thing, though.” Gene shyly spoke up, “Why was our connection gone? Why didn’t all the memories stay?”

“We aren’t allowed to exist together, but don’t worry, when I do this, we will be one and the same. One life. One person.”

-----

He was a monster.

There was no question.

The shivering winter frost keeping him rooted. Seas of corruption and the pure negativity his soul was made of pouring from him. His bones were nearly melting from the sheer amount of it. His jaw long since hanging. Eyes covered by the goop. Feeling lost in his arms. The only senses left were hearing and smell. The two most useless ones when you’re alone.

The weight of the silence fell onto him like a piano. Any small noise cutting through him with a weapon of fear. It could be an animal or the police coming to jail him for suspicions of being homosexual. Either seemed to be a logical option at this point.

Then, the muffled sound of a voice. He couldn’t tell who it was. The sound echoed and distorted through the door and the pools of runny liquid.

A whimper escaped him. It was hopeless. The police were here, his life would be uprooted. He would either be sent back home and likely thrown into a secluded cell or religious place or kept in America to do the same things. It was a coin toss and he didn’t like either choice.

Then, a pair of muscular arms surrounded him and his nasal cavity was filled with the smell of parchment and flowers. The smell of plants and books. The smell of his lover. The feel of his lover.

The negativity stopped flowing from his body. One of his eyes was uncovered.

A teary-eyed Edwin looked at him happily.

“It’s okay.” He was carefully pulled into Edwin’s lap, and an arm moved to caress his cheekbone, moving his jaw back into place “Emotions are fine. You’re safe. You don’t have to hide anything with me.” His arms were pulled around his lover’s neck, and Edwin moved his skull to nuzzle Neil’s neck, “Shhhh, I’m here.”

He really is.

“I’m so sorry it had to last this long. I had to let Gene handle his problems before we could live happily again.”

“S-shut up, glitch-fest,” Neil hiccuped, squeezing his arms tighter around the other, “P-please, I just need to cuddle you right now. Just know that… that you’re really here.” Neil’s soul glowed as he spoke, and Edwin carefully pulled it out with his own, letting them drift next to one and other, Edwin exchanging his magic to the nearly shattered soul. For some time, he would need to heal, but, they would do it together.

Geno and Error belongs to @loverofpiggies

Ink belongs to @comyet

Ccino belongs to @black-nyanko

Dream and Nightmare belong to the fandom

[male-readers-like-kpop-idols-too]

Could you do a Stray Kids reaction to finding your trans stuff (like binder/packer/T/etc.) before you come out and tell them about it?

Im sorry this has taken so long and its only half of the members. 

I hope I made the wait worth itBang-chan

He was cleaning up the room he shared with 3 other men. 4 at the moment as his boyfriend was visiting and they shared a bed. (Y/n) had tried to keep everything of his in a bag. That bag tipped over when Chan was cleaning and he sighed when Chan saw what he had done. He saw the (Y/n)’s toiletries and a few shirts. Chan picked up the bag of toiletries and picked up a shirt by the hem. He heard something drop and sat down on the ground. Chan had laid his eyes on a fake penis. The first thing that went through his mind was, “What?” His boyfriend would masturbate when he was right there if he did want to, (Y/n) had a penis so why did he have a fake one? Chan built up the courage and picked it up. It was rubbery and a little soft. Not hard enough for a sex toy. He saw a label on the testicles on pulled out his phone to search it. Chan was shocked that it was a packer for transgender people. He felt kind of bad that his own boyfriend couldn’t trust him to tell him. Chan would want to bring it up but didn’t want to make (Y/n) uncomfortable. He would most likely wait for (Y/n) to feel like he wanted to tell Chan instead of forcing him. 

Woojin

Woojin stayed the night at (Y/n)’s and was coming out of the shower the first night. He looked underneath the bathroom cabinet for his own facial care. A red bin with a biohazard sign on it. Woojin freaked out and ran to (Y/n). It wouldn’t cross his mind that his boyfriend had medical problems like diabetes or a disease that needed needles. He would wonder why there was a biohazard bin. (Y/n) had to sit him down and explain. (Y/n) had to tell him that he was transgender right then and there. (Y/n) broke down crying knowing that he couldn’t hide from the truth. (Y/n) showed him his own scars and his testosterone shots. Woojin felt horrible at making his boyfriend cry and hugged him and tried everything to make him feel comfortable. Woojin would whisper comforting words like, “You’re still a real man.”, “ I love you.”, “You’re so brave.”

Minho

His boyfriend would occasionally join Minho in dancing with him but it seemed like (Y/n) ran out of breath easily. He also had trouble breathing when doing sports. Minho just thought that he had a lung problem or a breathing problem. He started to grow curious when he saw a tight crop top type of thing. Minho didn’t look at them very closely at first but one day, this day, he was going to pick one of them up and inspect them. He was putting away laundry and got tired of the curiosity chewing at him. Minho pulled it out and saw a tag ‘gc2b’. He pulled out his phone and quickly typed it out. Why would (Y/n) need to wear these? Unless he was transgender. It all seemed to click, why his posture was more masculine, why he had never seen him wear the binders, and why his voice changed. (Y/n) was a transgender guy. Minho would let (Y/n) come out in his own time, knowing that forcing it wouldn’t be good. 

Changbin

It was a Friday movie night. A movie was one of Jisung’s request, it was his turn. (Y/n) and Changbin were on the couch cuddled up to each other under a blanket. Changbin was resting on (Y/n)’s chest and felt bumps like an undershirt. He thought nothing of it even if he had never seen it. But why did (Y/n) wear one in the heat of summer? Changbin let it go as the movie progressed. It was in the back of his mind and wanted to talk to (Y/n) after the movie was over. After the movie ended, Changbin made sure to ask him when they were alone in the bedroom. “Why are you wearing an undershirt in the middle of summer?” (Y/n) froze and felt the stillness of the room. He was debating between telling the truth or lying. He couldn’t lie to Changbin and sat down on his bed. Changbin followed (Y/n) and sat down on the bed. “Changbin, I need to tell you something, and I understand if you want to break up” He had all attention on what (Y/n) was saying and his eyes showed uncertainty. “I’m transgender Changbin, I was born female and the undershirt you felt. Is a binder and it makes my chest smaller.” Changbin stared at his shoes, just taking it in. “(Y/n), I’m not going to break up with you. I love you for who you are and you being transgender isn’t going to change anything. I want you to take your binder off and cuddle with me.” He hugged (Y/n) to show his support for his boyfriend. He went to the bathroom and saw that (Y/n) changed into a large shirt. He had his binder in his hand and Changbin smiled when it was black. 

Hyunjin

He was often kind and didnt want to pry in other peoples busniess, that doesnt mean hes not curoius. It was abig step when they moved in together. He noticed that (Y/n) was very seretive of the bottom drawer. Like most people would do, Hyunjin waited until (Y/n) was out of the house and looked in the drawer. He was so confused, why were there fake penises and medical injections ready to use? Hyunjin picked up one of the shots and read everything. Why did (Y/n) need testosterone? Maybe (Y/n) was naturally low, but why did he hide it? and that doesn’t explain the fake penises. Hyunjin heard the door open and tried to pretend that he was cleaning. (Y/n) walked in and saw Hyunjin flustered. He was too curious and asked about the injections and the penises. He just couldn’t contain it. Hyunjin felt bad but tried to be acceptable for (Y/n)’s reason.

[teababe27]

Notes From the 2019 Myanimelist.net Challenges - Part 2: Manga

This post will be talking about the Manga Reading Challenge. As with Part 1, this post will be talking about some of my favorite manga I read for this challenge, as well as some others I had thoughts about.

Let’s do this.

Honorable Mentions/Other Notables:

My Girlfriend’s a Geek - completed for the task “Read a comedy or Slice of Life manga”

College student Taiga mainly wants two things: money and a hot older girlfriend. When Taiga applies for a part-time job, he falls right away for his senpai, Yuiko. They eventually get to know each other. When Taiga asks Yuiko to be his girlfriend, she has a confession: she’s a fujoshi. Not knowing what that means, Taiga says he doesn’t care what she is and they get into a relationship.

I thought this was heartwarming and funny at times (reminded me of when I had to tell my mom what yaoi meant - don’t ask), but I feel like the premise kinda wore thin after a while and some of the jokes fell flat near the end.

If I had to pick, this would be the Worst of the Challenge this year.

Arisa - completed for the task “Read a manga with less than 10,000 completed members”

Tsubasa and Arisa are twin sisters who haven’t seen each other in a while. Tsubasa has a reputation of being a fighter and has mainly guy friends. Arisa is more of a girly girl and is the popular girl in her class. Tsubasa just wants to be more like Arisa. When they reconnect one day, Arisa suggests, for fun, that Tsubasa take her place at school for one day. Tsubasa later learns some dark serets about Arisa’s school life and plans to get to the bottom of things.

This may look shoujo-y, but is more of a psychological mystery/thriller, which I like. Generic at times, but fun. I feel like the ending had some problems, though.

Othello - completed for the task “Read a manga ranked below #1000 in the database”

Yaya is shy, naive, trusting, and afraid to speak up for herself, which makes her an easy target. Her “friends” are huge dicks, call her names like “Yaya the cry-ya”, and take advantage of her and play pranks on her. She has a crush on a classmate, she dreams of being a singer, she cosplays occasionally; pretty average things.

Little does anyone - including Yaya herself - know, she has a split personality who is Yaya’s opposite in every way. Nana is loud, bold, brash, fashionable, and not afraid to speak up and dispense justice against Yaya’s “friends.”

This manga was actually pretty fun. I was worried it would be kinda repetitive from the first volume or two (Yaya gets tricked --> Nana comes out and dispenses justice --> Yaya’s crush is curious, etc.), but it got a little deeper into some of Yaya’s psyche. Seeing Nana dispense justice was also pretty fun, even though it could be a little unrealistic at times.

Hana and Hina After School - completed for the task “Read a manga with a cast consisting of mostly one gender”

Hana and Hina are two girls working a part-time job at a toy store. Hana is small and shy. Hina is tall, fashionable, and secretly a model on the side. They get off on the wrong foot at first, but they eventually become friends. Since their school doesn’t allow part-time jobs, they help each other keep their secret and their feelings eventually grow past friendship.

This manga was ADORABLE!!!

I find it good to read yuri/shoujo ai written by a woman rather than a man. The progression of their relationship, while seeming a little fast, was so nice to see. So pure, cinnamon rolls too good for this world. Especially when the manga shows each girl laying in bed thinking about how cute the other one is. A heartwarming ending as well.

Beach Stars - completed for the task “Read a Sports or Games manga”

Nanase Iruka is a short tomboy who loves volleyball. When her school’s volleyball club is shut down, Iruka is pretty upset. When her club-mates try to cheer her up, Iruka discovers beach volleyball. She forms a beach volleyball club at her school with a goal of winning against the local volleyball champion.

A bit fanservice-y at times, but I had fun with this one. It was fun to see Iruka and her friends compete and succeed. I also liked the growing friendship of a couple freshmen who come into the story several chapters in.

Favorites from the Challenge:

Koi Dano Ai Dano - completed for the task “Read a prequel/sequel to a manga that you’ve already read”

The cast from The Secret Notes of Lady Kanoko is back, and now they’re in high school!

Kanoko and Tsubaki are now attending the same high school. They end up getting recruited into their school’s newspaper club by one of their senpais. Kanoko becomes the Chief Strategist and helps the club out in their rivalry against other clubs, including the Broadcasting Club. Also, Kanoko is oblivious to Tsubaki’s growing crush on her.

Pretty much everything I liked about Lady Kanoko makes an appearance here. I still love Kanoko. She has a good head on her shoulders. These characters are not typical shoujo characters. I also love Tsubaki and Kanoko’s chemistry together. Comedy, romance, and a little suspense. Good mix.

The Embalmer - completed for the task “Read a manga serialized in a josei magazine”

Mamiya is an embalmer, a profession treated with disdain in Japan. He seems okay with being an outcast, though. Throughout the manga, we learn why he chose his career, what goes through his mind, and stories from his job.

This manga really made me think. I did not know until now that embalming wasn’t really appreciated everywhere as it is in the US. I honestly did not expect this (pretty sad at times) meditation on love, loss, and grief, but I appreciate it all the same.

Annarasumanara - completed for the task “Read a manhua or manhwa”

There are rumors in town of a magician at a tent in the abandoned theme park. He always starts his show by asking “Do you believe in magic?”

Yoon Ah-ee, a student who is living in poverty, has a chance encounter with this magician that changes her life forever.

The art in this one is pretty unique and cool. The plot was very interesting and the characters had some depth. This is another manga from the challenge that made me think. Thumbs up.

Alice 19th - completed for the task “Read a manga by a female author/artist”

Alice has always been jealous of her older sister, Mayura. Mayura is good at everything she does and is popular at school. Alice is bullied at school and is afraid to stand up for herself. She also has a crush on Kyo, who starts dating Mayura.

One day, Alice encounters a bunny, who turns out to be a magical girl named Nyozeka. Nyozeka tells Alice that she is destined to learn the Lotis Words and become a Lotis Master. When Mayura disappears during an argument with Alice, Alice becomes determined to learn the Lotis Words and get her sister back.

This manga was great. I feel like this should get an anime adaptation. The art is great. The story is pretty cool, with magic focusing on words being something I hadn’t read before, or at least in a while. It’s pretty shoujo-y, but not too cliche.

Kasane - completed for the task “Read a manga that started serialization before 2015″

Kasane Fuchi has inherited her actress mother’s talent, but not her good looks. No one will give her a chance because she is so ugly. Fortunately for her, she has something her mother left her: a lipstick that allows her to swap faces with whoever she kisses for 12 hours.

One day, a talent agent who knew her mother ropes her into being the body double for Nina Tanazawa, a struggling actress. Things go downhill from there.

This wins Best of the Challenge this year on the manga side for me. This manga blew my mind a few times while I was reading it. The story is interesting and unpredictable with plenty of twists and turns. Everyone basically crosses the Moral Event Horizon at some point. An interesting psychological manga. Highly recommended.

[anastasiaskarsgard]

so theres my masterlist for previous chapters. Here is the newest part of 

HIS QUEEN

4

NSFW 18 + mention of death, butchering, sex, some stuff that may freak ya out. its Roman Godfrey 

DESCRIPTION***** Briana could tell Roman Godfrey was trouble from the start, but he eventually got under her skin and broke her heart. Just when she feels like she’s moved on, his lawyers show up and tell her shes his sole beneficiary. with pryce and the board dead too, what serets does the white tower hold?

                                                         4 The reality of the shit show that apparently had gone down in the past month in Hemlock Grove,  was starting to sink in as they made their way down to the underground levels. The Godfrey Institute without any Godfreys', and no Dr Pryce, seemed an impossibility. Bri had a lot of respect for the late doctor, but the man was ruthless, with little to no sympathy for the dead. A lot of people said they were afraid of him, but she felt that wasn't the proper emotion dr pryce inspired. Fear wasn't the right word if she were honest. He was charming and charismatic, but it was all superficial. Uneasy was the best way to describe how he made her feel, even though she had counted him as a friend.

The doors opened to Basement three which was the lowest level of the underground floors, and was essentially an enormous freezer. When you stepped out of the elevators there was a great hallway stretching to your left and right, as well as straight ahead. There were five aisles of freezers, each varying levels of cold storage from near freezing temperatures for keeping medications and organs, freezing temps for cadavers of people and animals, all the way down to a cryogenic freezer cooled with pure liquid helium. The fact it even existed was mind boggling to Bri.

This wasn't the first time she had been down there. she'd been down there several times, but she never had turned right, so when Blitzkey turned right and proceeded all the way down to the furthest aisle, she was elated. She'd never been allowed to go right, and she'd always been curious what was so forbidden, especially when she thought about the crazy things she'd been allowed to see.

Dr Pryce had some deal with a few hospitals to get the bodies that are given up for science by family members, or those that were never claimed. It was actually shocking the amount of cadavers they processed and were used in Dr Pryces' controversial macabre experiments. Bri often wondered if the families of these corpses would be mortified if they discovered what had happened to them. She couldn't refer to them as loved ones, or even people or she felt sick.

She had to figure that out after a few times dealing with "processing." She'd always been very respectful of the dead. Handling them with extra care and consideration, because they had once had hopes and dreams. They had family and friends somewhere that were most likely mourning them, the least she could do, was be reverent. Since the bodies they received weren't ever going to be seen again, and there was little to no accountability with how they were treated, they would be hacked to pieces like a cow in a  butcher shop. Sometimes they might only need a certain part, and send the rest through the shredder. There'd also been more than one occasion where the deceased was obviously murdered but showed no signs of an autopsy. That was what had lead Bri to discover Romans secret.

From the first day she met Roman, she had known there was something about him that wasn't human. She was thinking it was a severe personality disorder like psychopathy or he was one of those people that had special genes that made them have  super powers. She had read that some people only require two or three hours of sleep a night, or there are people that have unbreakable bones, or even those that have super hearing or eyesight. She thought Roman was super attractive, and it just fucked up his personality somehow.

       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dr Pryce had mysteriously received a body quite late in the day, and asked her and a lab teh to take it down. Bri was shocked when she touched the person and they were still warm, but she rolled the body to the elevators, keeping an eye out to avoid Roman. She'd asked her partner to warn her if she spotted him so she could hide. She felt ridiculous, but she knew he was trouble, because for whatever reason if he wanted to talk to her, she couldn't say no. even when he asked her out, over and over and she said no, for some reason, she couldn't walk away until he had given up. her partner spotted him when they got down to the freezers, so in Bri's panic, she hid on the shelf under the bed they were rolling, hidden by the hanging sheet. Roman walked right up and offered to take the body from there. Bri found it entirely unusual for the spoiled CEO to be so helpful, but was reassured business was as usual when her partner tried to refuse, and he called her a fuckwit and made her go back upstairs. Bri wasn't freaked out, but more annoyed with what an asshole he had been, but she figured she would just climb out from under there, when he left.

When he rolled the body in the freezer, she assumed he would leave, except he didnt. He closed the door and removed the sheet, now leaving her totally visible if he were to step away and look below.  She was trying to think of a reasonable explanation, when she heard a grotesque chomping, wet slurping sound. The possible causes of these sounds raced through her brain, and none of them made any sense. Her fear melted away, transforming into morbid curiosity so she crawled out from under the bed and turned to see what he was up to.

The breath in her lungs hitched and her stomach did back flips when she beheld Roman Godfrey, the Beautiful Boy Billionaire sucking someones blood. His eyes were closed, so he hadn't noticed her yet, as he was clamped down on this persons neck and sucking the blood out. It was the most puzzling amazing thing she had ever seen. He was absolutely drinking this persons blood and she had so many questions.

Romans bright green eyes lazily opened, before noticing a figure standing in front of him, causing him to leap back in complete panic;  eyes wild, blood dripping down his chin, frantically back peddalling until slamming into the far wall.

Bri glanced at the body and then carefully approached Roman, avoiding looking in his eyes since she read that you don't do that to predators. And there was something funny about what happened when he wanted her to do something.

"Its not what it looks like," he whined.

"Oh Roman, it's exactly what it looks like. Are you a vampire?"

"Are you a fucktard? There's no such thing as vampires."

"I did notice that you ate raw pork once and you didn't get ill. I found that strange. All the meat you eat is raw, and I wondered how you never appeared to fall ill."

"Look me in the eye Bri."

"oh no no Dracula. I finally get how you somehow talk me into shit that I don't want to do! You have that vampire razzle dazzle bullshit."

"are you hearing yourself right now?" Roman scoffed as he walked over to Bri,

She tried to appear confident and was surprised that she felt no fear, but somehow she KNEW he would not hurt her. He put his finger under her chin, attempting to make her look at him, but she shut her eyes. "Just answer some of my questions Roman. for science for fuck's sake!"

"You are so weird. Aren't you afraid I'll eat you if I am a vampire?" he spit with such venom, that Bri just started swinging, with her eyes shut. "what the hell? your eyes aren't even open!"

"I don't like your bitch ass tone!" she steamed

If she had had her eyes open, she would of seen the big grin on Roman's face.

"How are you still a brat? Most people would be having a fucking shit fit, but you wanna play twenty questions."

"Oh my fucking god, I get twenty!? Ok ok ok. I'm ready!"

"I don't mean literally twenty questions, that's an expression. Why should I answer any questions for you, what do I get out of it?"

"I will go out with you, but you have to promise to be honest or I will be able to tell and I'll never speak to you again."

"What makes you think you'll even leave this room if I'm a vampire and now you know?'

Bri opened her big beautiful eyes, looking deep into Romans emerald orbs and said with complete conviction "You'd never hurt me."

Roman was so enchanted by the way she seemed to be looking at his very soul, that he forgot to try and compel her, before she remembered to close her eyes again.

"OOOOHHH! You almost got me with the mind ninja shit!"

Roman laughed and shook his head, he was so drawn to this woman, she was almost like a drug to him. He'd never wanted someone or something as bad as he wanted her so he threw caution to the wind. "Ok. First question."

"Are you some sort of vampire?"

"I'm actually an Upir which is like a vampire."

"ok, two, How can you walk in the sun?"

"The sun doesn't bother us, I think thats just bullshit."

"three. How old are you really?"

"I'm really eighteen."

"Four. Are you going to get old and die like me?"

"No. We live a very long time?"

"Five. How did you become this?"

"I was born with it and I took my own life?"

Bri frowned, she hadn't been expecting that. It turned her stomach and made her want to comfort him. She reached out blindly trying to find him but he moved just out of reach. "Dammit Roman where are you?"

"Im right here, what are you doing?"

"trying to comfort you, What does it look like? Give me your hand." she huffed.

Roman complied and interlaced his fngers with hers.

"Ok. Six--"

"you mean eight."

"What?How?"

"there's eight and nine. six you asked where i was. seven you asked what does it look like. eight you asked what, and nine you asked how."

"you are fucking impossible. I can feel you smirking too so stop it.' she said squeezing his hand as hard as she could.

"you're so cute when you're mad babe."

"Ok ten! Did you know killing yourself was gong to turn you into this?"

"No."

"Eleven.... Why would you ever do that Roman?"

"I felt like it was the only way to beat my mother. She wanted me to do the unthinkable, so rather than listen to her, I thought I'd fuck up her plans and die."

"Is she an Upir?"

"She is."

"Thirteen. I gotta keep track here. Did you know she was one?"

"No i Did not."

"How am I already at fourteen? FUCK!"

"Number fifteen..."

"Dammit! Ugh. OK only five more. Must not be dumb ok. Fifteen. Have you ever killed anyone?"

"yes."

"Did bitch have it coming?"

Roman let out a belly laugh and said "Yes always."

Bri Smiled. "If I open my eyes, are you going to mind ninja me?" silence. "Roman if i have to repeat the question, it still only counts as one."

"I mean I have to Bri. I cant have you knowing this about me and then just act like its ok. And you're right, I won't hurt you so I have to make you forget."

"Please don't Roman." She said pulling Roman into an embrace. "I want to kiss you, but you have blood on your face."

"You are the weirdest fucking girl in the entire world."

Bri Giggled, "Why? And holy shit its cold!"

"Ok this is number eighteen. Because I have had lunch with you a million times, bought you a bunch of gifts, wrote you notes, listen to you talk about shit I do not give a flying fuck about and even be nice to people, i mean i literally did for you what i didnt think i could do, and you won't give me the time of day, but all of a sudden I am literally eating someone and you wanna kiss me. Fucking unbelievable!"

"Its because I feel like I can trust you now. Why didnt you just mind ninja me into going out with you or maybe even fucking you, I dont know the limits of this power."

"Because I want it to be genuine and i want you to remember it cuz i want you to..." silence.

"You want me to....." Bri whispered feeling his hot breath on her face. She looks up into hs big green eyes, and notice the extra moisture there. Its downright comical, that he somehow looks vulnerable with blood all over his face.

"I want you to love me."

"This is all you're fault Roman Godfrey!

"Whats my fault?' He brought his lips close to hers, as his breath ghosted along her lips, causing the shivers to run down her spine. She leaned forward and their lips met, making her feel relief and revulsion simultaneously. Roman responds with a low growl and turns his head to take the kiss deeper. He sucks on her lower lip, causing a needy moan to escape Bri as she rakes her hands through his hair. Roman grabs her by her shoulders and spins her around so now she is pinned against the wall. He kisses along her jawline, to her ear and she can't help but to hold her breath when she feels his wet tongue drag down her throat. He pulls her shirt down taking her nipple in his mouth as he looks up at her and she can't think of a time she ever wanted someone more. "This is dangerous."

"You'd never hurt me. But real talk, I'm fucking freezing."

With a great amount of effort, Roman pulls himself off of her out of breath, and nearly mad with need. "Go straight to my office. I'll meet you up there."

She runs for the door, realizing she is violently shaking without Romans warm body pressed up against her. She opens it, looking outside to make sure no one is in the hall. Coast is clear for her to hustle into the bathroom, just as she hears the elevator doors open. She looks in the mirror and surprisingly is fine with her reflection. Blood is all over her face, neck, and blouse and her hair looks like someone took it half apart. She had his large handprint on her arms and the entire side of her head. She knows this should be freaking her out, but she keeps looking at his bloody hand prints, and decides then and there, she is his.

                   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She realized she had been holding her breath when she walked in the cooler, and startled Blitzky when she finally expelled it. Roman hadnt been put away, and was on a stainless steel table, completely nude, with what appeared to be his heart (or what was left of it) on the table next to his head. His throat had been ripped open and there was a large chest wound where his heart had been ripped out, before being chewed and spit out. He had suffered some type of skeletal breaks as well, since his position appeared unnatural.

He was really dead, she was alone. she could feel the tears streaming down her face, making no effort to hide it. Every second feels as though she's losing touch with reality. Pure panic setting in.

"Wow this is really not fixable is it?' she shrieks, in a voice she doesn't even recognize.

"There's actually something else we could try that not exactly ethical, and i"m not sure that he will still be himself, but will not judge you, no matter what you try. I will assist you, I just can't make the decision." Blitzky said, hands visibly shaking like a dog shitting peach pits.

Bri's heart flutters and she calms instantly, hope reignited in her "Anything."

" Well I am sure you are aware there are three levels to the basement."

"Obviously."

"Except its not. there's four levels."

"What is he hiding down there?"

Blitzkey looked like he was having a minor panic attack and couldn't hold still or catch his breath. Bri walked over comforting him, and rubbing his back trying to get him to get it under control. she allowed him to embrace her as she tenderly rubbed his back. She wanted to know what the fuck was down there, but he had been through a lot, so she tried to be as empathetic as possible.

"Its his stock." he whispered.

Bri felt her stomach twist in a knot. A chill ran up her spine, and she wanted to believe he wasn't talking about live donors, but she couldn't think any other type of stock that required top secret secret locations.

"When you say stock, do you mean donor parts or experimental projects?"

Blitzky laughed uncomfortably, reaching up and itching the back of his neck. In the time she had spent with him before, she recognized it as his nervous tick. "I mean donors are the best way to put it, although all these donors are still alive. Dr Pryce liked to have live subjects for some projects. He was also very interested in becoming an Upir himself so he'd never die and was determined to figure out how to turn a human. He has several of them down there still and i have no idea what to do with them now. They're all criminals and not the types to let out into the world. He made sure they were all loathsome beings. The humans are easier to deal with than the Upir. One of them looks like he's just a beautiful teen boy, but hes a psychopath that's killed hundreds if not thousands. Let me just show you. I'm rambling," "Please do." Bri said, gesturing for him to lead the way. She couldn't believe how calm she was being over this. Why was she not surprised? "Do you think we could rebuild Roman?"

Blitzkey motioned for her to follow him as they walked all the way ro the farthest right corner, where the cryogenic freezer was. I had heard there was one somewhere in the building, but it was kind of a myth no one saw and here it was. I was trying to ascertain how the liquid helium was cycled through the system, when Blitzkey typed a code in it, revealing it was in reality an elevator in disguise.

"That's kind of disappointing. I thought it was a real cryo cooler." Bri said. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine! Are you ok?"

"I'll let you know when we get down there."

[unfortunatefruitcartguy]

31 Horrific days Day 13 Disgust

 The sound of sniffing and someone spitting could be heard in a cave a little ways away from the cave now inhabited by two others. Mark had woken up a couple days before and he wasn’t really happy to find he no longer had a pulse, nor by the fact he was floating a bit. The fact he had animal appendages was weird but it wasn’t too bad. He went to land on the ground again and walk, glad that the sun was gone. Unfortunately he was a vampire, and he fucking hated it, mostly by the fact that vampires were long ago tainted by that stupid twilight shit, and he would never forgive Gray for making him and Kram watch any of the movies. He was thankful for the other vampire books like the Cirque du Freak series and that one book called Fat Vampire. In fact he was thinking of a thing from that last book, where if made into a vampire you became the kind of vampire you think vampires are. He was thankful he didn’t sparkle in the sunlight, as shown by the burnt skin of his hand, now slowly healing.

 The now immortal idiot was now wondering why the hell he was in the woods and why the woods was filled with dogs and cats, oh there’s his cat Munchy! He went to pick her up easily and nuzzle her close, ignoring the slight hissing, but after a bit she purred and started to whisper serets into his ears, mostly of what was to come, what was currently in the woods, and the day. “...damn it would be more interesting if today was Friday...huh wonder why today is ringing a bell though...” He muttered, looking thoughtful. It then dawned on him and he hurried to the nearest place with an electrical plug, put his charger into his phone and into the socket, then watched the new Hellbent by Mystery Skulls animated video by Mysteryben. 5 minutes later... “GODDAMNIT! WHY DO CLIFFHANGERS EXIST!”

[doomonfilm]

Thoughts : Losing Ground (1982)

Discovering the I Saw What You Did podcast has been a wonderful experience, as listening to Danielle Henderson and Millie De Chirico talk films reminds me of the deep dive conversations my friends and I used to have.  The podcast has also been a source of inspiration as, despite my vast catalog of films viewed, they more often than not are able to introduce me to films I am unaware of.  For Black History Month, the duo is jumping into sharing underappreciated and unrecognized Black directors, and their first episode of the month brought up Losing Ground by Kathleen Collins, the first feature-length drama directed by an African-American woman since the 1920s.

New York City resident Sara Rogers (Seret Scott) spends her days teaching philosophy and logic to adoring students while her husband Victor (Bill Gunn) makes his name as a painter.  The pair decides to rent a summer home where Victor can pursue a new discipline with his art, specifically painting the women of his summer locale, much to Sara’s chagrin.  Victor seeks validation in his mentee and longtime friend Carlos (Noberto Kerner), but quickly turns his focus towards the beautiful and free-spirited Celia (Maritza Rivera).  Meanwhile, Sara’s initial frustration quickly subsides when local intellectual Duke (Duane Jones) piques her interest.  Sara and Duke begin working on a student film for Duke’s nephew George (Gary Bolling) while Victor continues to seek the favor of Celia, leading both members of the relationship down a rocky path.

Seeing black professionals and intellectuals presented outside the construct of exploitation or mainstream film is refreshing, especially for a film so clearly influenced by the same energy that fueled the directors of the 1970s.  Sara Rogers and Duane Jones in particular intellectually spar on quite a few heavy topics during their introductory scene, but do so in a way that the layman can glean understanding from.  With the narrative spine of the film revolving around extramarital trysts, one would expect souped up theatrics, but we are actually shown a handful of characters with integrity forced to stand their ground in the face of an artist grasping at entitled expectations.

Positioning the relationship as a conflict between logic and the nature of a free spirit serves as a solid foundation for narrative exploration and expression.  Anyone with eyes can see why Seret Scott and Bill Gunn would be chosen for a film couple, but it becomes immediately crystal clear that each individual is one a solo path from their respective introductions, with Bill Gunn’s Victor even going so far as to admit his ruse of pretending to be a house painter and offer his ‘services’ door to door.  To further the matter, Sara clearly exhibits an altruistic nature in her educational ventures, while Victor seeks validation from others in the form of providing mentorship and receiving praise, all the while feigning that it means nothing to him.

Though the cinematography of the film seems to stray from the realms of handheld operation, the setups still seem to push the limits of their restrictions with their movement and intention.  The colors pop like those in a Dario Argento film, with striking use of primary color in surreal and abstract placements dominating the sets.  The bits of handheld that are present happen mostly in the location shoots, particularly those when Victor wanders the streets surrounding the summer home.  The amount and variety of dancing present in the film is a refreshing change of pace.  I am certain that this film would have thrived in a scope aspect ratio, but perhaps the use of frame caused Kathleen Collins to be more economical with her visual real estate.

Seret Scott presents her intellectual prowess and curiosity with grace, and with no detriment to her ability to exude charm and personality with the best of any starlet.  Bill Gunn not only heaps reality into his performance, but he puts on an air of charm that quickly gives way to infinite shallowness and a will driven by carnal desires.  Duane Jones brings leading man sophistication with a hint of mystery, serving as a perfect foil to Gunn.  Maritza Rivera mirrors Scott in her fiery personality, but leans more towards Gunn in terms of being a free spirit, though she feels no need to tether herself to another person.  Billie Allen compliments Scott’s wisdom with intellect and experience.  Norberto Kerner and Gary Bolling also provide memorable performances.

Plain and simple, it has been a LONG time since a film brought me this much pure joy.  I’m not big on marginalizing or qualifying the work specifically because of a different “characteristic” connected to the creator (I already feel I’ve put my foot in my mouth by calling womanhood a “characteristic”), but it is extremely refreshing to know that this film was the the vision of a female writer/director.  I probably would have overlooked this one had I not been hipped to it, so consider this my recommendation to you to check this one out!

[recommendedlisten]

Video: Orville Peck - “No Glory In the West”

Photo courtesy of @orvillepeck

Last month, enigmatic masked country crooner Orville Peck released “Summertime”, a warm, seasonably on-target helping of traditionalism on the spur heels of his breakout debut Pony. It turns out that it was part of a greater project, as Peck plans on releasing an EP entitled Show Pony next week through his new major label home at Columbia Records. Among the six new tracks, it boasts a very anticipated collaboration with Shania Twain called “Legends Never Die”.

In the meantime, news of this also comes with its latest listen, the cowboy-with-his-head-hung-low ride into the sunset “No Glory In the West”. “What’s a boy to do? / Hit the road with a dollar or two / Haunted by what he knows he can’t do / Gets it off his chest / ’Cause there ain’t no glory in the west,” Peck sings over four chords and the truth. Isaiah Seret directs its accompanying visuals, which -- in contrast to the floral bloom of “Summertime” -- find cowboy Peck making a trek across the cold, hardened wilderness.

Orville Peck’s Show Pony will be released June 6th on Columbia Records.

[writeblrfantasy]

alright

i know i've been all over the place with wips, so i figured i'd make a concise post and let y'all know what i'm making!! you can always check my wip list, too, because i'm always updating it :)

-querying gold king, blue king, my mlm fantasy novel about two royals, the dark secrets of their families, and the love between them. the entire process of drafting and editing is documented in this tag!

-finished a council of golden swords, queer fantasy about five rulers trying to stop an ancient clock from blowing up their empire.

-finished the order trilogy, about a spy who's sent by his government to investigate the truth behind the robbery of a useless biography in another country. his cover? marrying that country's crown prince, a marriage purely for convenience--until it isn't.

-planning and drafting when the witches call, queer high fantasy about a disbanded group of immortal guardians coming back together to save heaven amid a terrible mortal war

-planning and drafting the revolution of nimath, queer high fantasy revolving around an emperor of a dark nature.

-planning and drafting queen artura and the knights of arrinshire, queer/diverse retelling of king arthur tales.

-on hiatus a game of golden wind, sequel to acogs about racing rivals to lovers lesbians taking a tour of the empire and dealing with the bombshell of the royal bloodline.

-on hiatus the adventures of the existential three, a series of shorts about a polyam mlm trio of the lords of life, death, and purgatory.

-planning indefinitely immortals, wlw sff about an immortal girl fighting to die. features gray morals, selfishness, a sense of superiority, and the agony of existence.

-planning indefinitely the death of seret ashling, queer high fantasy raven boys meets harry potter about grieving a lover who comes back alive, but not the same, non human characters struggling to cope, in the pov of an academic witch

-planning indefinitely red pirate, yellow queen, sequel to gold king, blue king. woc wlw fantasy about two women working to discover the lost secrets of ancient tropical islands.

check the linked tags out if you like, and if you want to be added to any of my taglists, don't hesitate to let me know!

[captainlenfan]

FULLY STOCKED MOTORBIKE GEAR WEBSITE Business|FREE Domain|Hosting|Traffic

Click to see full descriptionOFFER ONLY FOR THE 1ST 20 CLIENTS IN FEBRUARYHURRY!!!Buy 1 Get 1 FREE! ..."The Offer To Kill Off The Competition And Make You MONEY!..." FULLY STOCKED MOTORBIKE GEAR WEBSITE Business|FREE Domain|Hosting|Traffic  ..."The ONLY Genuine Opportunity On EBay"...Buy 1 Site And Get 1 FREETop Rated EBay SellerStart Earning TODAY!Max. 2 Hour Support ResponseNO Hidden Costs - EVER!Go Into Business With Me And Get A 2nd BusinessThis is an AUTO-RUNNING fully stocked website from which you will earn commissions purely for being a MIDDLE-MAN - No stock to buy...No strings attachedHost Your Site With Me And Within 7 Days I GUARANTEE Google Page 1 ResultsTotally FREE OF CHARGE This offer Alone Is Worth $3,000 "...Did You Know AMAZON Pay Out MILLIONS In Commissions Every Year To Owners of Automated Websites Just Like These?..." This is the final piece of the puzzle - How to get traffic to your sites, and how to get to the top of Google quickly. NO OTHER EBay business can offer this, becaue the copy-cats will never work out just how I do this. Host your site with me (Trump Hosting), and I will get you onto the first page of Google within 7 days of delivering your sites. I will do it for ONE site and then give you the COPY/PASTE steps to do it for your 2nd - No serets held back, just go through 2019 knowing that you really have found THE GAME CHANGER. ​​​​​​​ When you know how to dominate Google in under 24 hours you are not just a PLAYER in the game, you OWN the game. Just think how valuable just this knowledge alone is going to be to you - Take a look at the results for yourself. One of my own products, which makes me over $93.50 per sale sitting on PAGE 1 of Google less than 15 HOURS after I hit the button. If you have followed my success over the years then you will know one thing - this is A GAME CHANGER! ​​​​​​​This offer is limited to the first 30 clients this month. "...All You Need Is A Wordpress Site - A FREE Amazon Affiliate Account - And A Bank Account To Receive Your Monthly commissions...""...This is NOT Get Rich Quick - It Is Possibly The Most GENUINE Opportunity To Earn Passive Income Online You Will Ever Know Without Having To Take Your Clothes Off!!!... ...And What Is Even Better Is That If You Buy This Site You Can Choose ANY Other And Get It FREE OF CHARGE!" FULLY STOCKED MOTORBIKE GEAR WEBSITE Business|FREE Domain|Hosting|Traffic A Work From Home Business With No Stock To Pay For - The Website Updates All Stock Levels And Prices Automatically. ..."Look At The Following Sample Sites - My Work Is WORLD-CLASS..." Bike Shop - Delivered To A Client In The UK - 3rd December 2017. "...See VERIFIED Income Proof Below?..."EARNINGS IN JANUAY 2019$355.49 PROFIT In Her Second Month!Herbal Site - Delivered To A Client In France - 11th August 2017.EARNINGS IN DECEMBER 2018$1658.94 PROFIT In His Fourth Month!CCTV Site - Delivered To A Client In The UK - 17th September 2017.EARNINGS IN FEBRUARY 2018$2377.86 PROFIT In His Sixth Month!Hair Extension Site - Delivered To A Client In The UK - 2nd June 2018EARNINGS IN JAUARY 2019$3309.63 PROFIT In Her Eigth Month!Male Grooming Site - Delivered To A Client In The US - 22nd May 2017.EARNINGS IN MARCH 2018$6109.29 PROFIT In His Tenth Month! ..."You Can Buy A Site Cheaper On EBay Because Some Sellers Think Cheap Is The Way To Go - BUT......" ..."Feedbacks Left Since July 20th 2018...CHECK THEM YOURSELF..."Hi, my name is Anna and in 2009 my husband (Chris, pictured at the top)  and I found ourselves in desparate need of a way to replace BOTH of our salaries after being made redundant after the property crash in the UK. After trying everything from Network Marketing, to importing Chinese rubbish and trying to sell it on for a profit, we were on the edge of giving up hope and accepting 'dead-end' jobs that would keep us stuck in the rat-race for years. And then in late 2012, I read about Amazon affiliate marketing on an Internet blog, aimed at people who were looking for ways to get out of the rut. Without much hesitation we both agreed that for the tiny investment it was worth a shot, as neither of us wanted to go back to 'work' for a living. It took us 9 weeks of study before we made our first £50 online, and then continued to make a small amount for another 4 months...And then something happened that literally changed our World. While on holiday in France, we got talking to a young 22 year old young guy from Rochdale who was living the good life in a Penthouse overlooking the beautiful Mediterranean sea. You could have knocked us down with a feather when he told us that what was funding his financially independent lifestyle, was the EXACT same Amazon affiliate business that had been making us no more than £150 a month from home. He made no excuses when he went on to 'brag' about the fact that he was making SIX FIGURES a year totally 'hands-'off' using a system he had perfected to SKY-ROCKET his earnings...and he had been making that amount since the age of 19! After agreeing a 50-50 profit split we entered into a 6 month long training period with Matt (mostly via email), where he revealed to us a system that was so ridiculously simple that half way through we could have kicked ourselves for not 'catching on' a long time earlier. Still, we had agreed to stick to the 50-50 split for the 6months and so we kept our heads down and just watched in awe as our monthly commission cheques just got bigger and bigger. That was back in 2013, and since then we have gone on and further improved what he taught us, adding 1 killer secret which even he had not picked up on. In essence, we now also generate over £100,000 a year and have followed his 'lifestyle choice' of spending 6 months in the sun, albeit it further South in Europe! What you see here is possibly the only way you may ever come across to wipe out your debt and start 2018 in a much better place. Here's What You Get - When you buy this website I will pay for a domain name for you. I will register it in your own name so that you have full legal ownership, and I will then create you a 100% UNIQUELY DESIGNED wesbite. I will then open you a FREE Amazon Affiliate Account, and using the Amazon codes that I will get from your account, I will fill your website with over £25,000 worth of stock -  GUARANTEED!  The stock will be supplied by officially authorised Amazon Suppliers. When a client comes to your site and buys a product you DO NOTHING...The relevant officially authorised Amazon  Supplier will process the order (as well as the payment), deal with 100% of the customer service and despatch the goods to the client. At the end of each 30 day period Amazon will PAY YOU between 4% and 8% of EVERYTHING SOLD on the site. How much does this equate to? Let's just say that equates to enough money to allow us to spend 6 months working from a South West facing terfface overlooking the Mediterrean Sea, on the Costa Blanca!!!No computer or website knowledge is needed to run this business. In 2009 I sarted a journey to find a way to work from home, due to personal reasons. Back then we knew nothing about designing a website, and due to advances in modern technology we STILL don't know how to write HTML code. BUT...We have perfected a way to work the hours we want, from anywhere we want which pays us a SIX FIGURE sum every year. And this is your opportunity to copy our success - Thanks to Matt, and a lot of hard work on our part, we have a BLUEPRINT for making money that is now as GOOD AS IT GETS!​​​​​​Here's EVERYTHING You Need To Know - All The Questions I Would Ask If I Were YOUHow You Earn £$Your Site NameOrder ProcessOn-Going CostsSkills Required?How Long To Go Live?Google TrafficFREE 2nd SiteAdsense ReadyJoin The BestRefundsWant To Sell It On?Work In A Garden Shed!READ THIS!!!Can I Have A US Site?Adding Products300 Hits A DayHow You Earn £$Your Site NameOrder ProcessOn-Going CostsSkills Required?How Long To Go Live?Google TrafficFREE 2nd SiteAdsense ReadyJoin The BestRefundsWant To Sell It On?Work In A Garden Shed!READ THIS!!!Can I Have A US Site?Adding Products300 Hits A DayMaking Money All you need to earn an income from this business is a FREE Amazon Associates account. If you do not have one then we will open one for you as part of our service. Thereafter, from the minute your site goes live you will earn between 4% and 8% of everything that sells, depending on your level of sales in the relevant 30 day period. You will be amazed at how quickly this income builds as your site remains OPEN FOR BUSINESS 24/7, 365 days a year! Domain Name Is FREE The cost of your domain name is included in the price you pay. You will be the legal owner of the site, and in 12 months time you will be able renew the domain name at a very small cost (approx. £10 per anum). When Somebody Buys From Your Website When a client places an order you do NOTHING. The approved Amazon supplier will handle the order from start to finish, and everything from product depstach, through to customer service will be handled without you being involved in any way - this is a 100% HANDS-OFF way to make money. One TINY Monthly Cost There is only 1 on-going cost - and that is for the hosting of your website business. From UNDER £6 a month you can be making THOUSANDS A MONTH in a relatively short time. There are no tie-ins or contracts, because I am so confident that you will CHOOSE to stay with me for a long time to come, such are the financial returns from this business. If you host Annually then you only pay for 8 months and get 4 months FREE (referred to in the listing header). *Hosting is non-refundable once the sites go live...Please ONLY buy this website if you accept that you will need to use my hosting service...It works out at just 20p a day to have full 7 day week support ZERO Technical Skills Needed If you can't turn a computer on and login to your email then this may not be for you, because you will have to know how to login to your Amazon account and check your commissions etc. But as for updating the site NOTHING IS REQUIRED by you. If you have any knowledge of HTML or website design then it will make NO DIFFERENCE, because you don't need it. Less Than 24 Hours To Being LIVE! That's my price promise - No matter what time of the day you order, even if it is on a weekend - I GUARANTEE to have you ready to make money within 24 hours of your order! Get Into Google Within 72 Hours Having a website is just the start - After years of crafting my trade I now know how to get brand new sites INDEXED in Google within 72 hours - and being indexed is the ONLY way to get Organic traffic. So, if you're in a hurry to make money then I am the ONLY person on EBay who can do this! Also, as soon as you approve the finished sites by mutually swapping feedback I will get the Google page 1 result system triggered (mentioned at the top of the listing).  FREE SECOND SITE Why own ONE business when you can have TWO for the same price? Staying ahead of the curve and offering a service which nobody online can surpass is what I aim to do - and that is why I am offering you a STAGGERING opportunity to get THIS SITE plus any other site in my EBay store ABSOLUTELY FREE - Call it a permanent BUY ONE GET ONE FREE! Earn Money Purely From CLICKS My sites are 100% Adsense ready, and having Adsense means that your visitors can make you money even if they buy NOTHING - A simple click on a Google ad on your site can earn you money. If you have an existing Google Adsense account, I'll even add it to this site for you! I Am Officially One Of EBay's BEST! It matters who you do business with, and you cannot enter into a safer transaction than with someone who has proven themselves HUNDREDS of times before - This is TOTALLY RISK FREE for you!  30 Day TOTAL Satisfaction GUARANTEE Only the best sellers on EBay can offer a NO-QUIBBLE full money back guarantee. It is my genuine opinion that the chances of you asking for a refund are 1 out of 1000. This is a MONEY MAKING opportunity - why would ANYONE ask for a refund it if 'did what it said on the tin'...WHICH THIS DOES! ​​​​​​​ Make £$500-£$1000 In 2 Months... I do 95% of my business on a site not connected to EBay, where I sell my sites for between £500 and £1000 - The only 'Caveat' is that a site needs to be 'searchable' in Google before you can do this. I will show you how to get this site indexed within 72 hours, and I will then show you where to FLIP the site ('Flip'means to sell it for INSTANT PROFITS) for at least ten times the price you pay here. Work ANYWHERE - Just Log In!!! There actually is no 'work' as such, all you ever need to do is log into your Amazon or Adsense accounts and see what you have made. One day it may be $£5, another it may be $£500...DOES IT MATTER if it's running on auto?  This is NOT Get Rich Quick It took us a few years to perfect this system, if you do NOTHING to promote your site then on pure auto do not expect more than £150 a month from it. £150 a month WILL NOT get you rich. We will show you what to do to MASSIVELY maximise what you earn. It's simple, it's fast and it's profitable!!! Of Course! We have many hundreds of clients, and from all over the World. If you are US based then the site will be built for the US market. Products will be shipped from within the US and all products will be priced in US$. Got Your Own Products? The site will come with tens of thousands of pounds worth of stock already on it, ready to be shipped by Amazon. But if you want to add your own products to the site then you can - Very easily. I have even installed PayPal so that clients can pay instantly for your products. When you buy I will send you a .pdf which will show you how I generate around 300 visitors a day to every new site I launch - It is easy to do, and works - every time. All you have to do is foloow the A-B-C instructions. This is what I refer to in the listing above - a simple way to get into a very lucrative business. I'm a paragraph. Simply double click here to add your own text and edit me. It's easy. Describe your product. Mention details and specifications that you believe are relevant to your buyers.100% GUARANTEED! FULLY STOCKED MOTORBIKE GEAR WEBSITE Business|FREE Domain|Hosting|Traffic See our other itemsThese Are Not Just Good Money Makers, They Are The BEST You can Get FULLY STOCKED MOTORBIKE GEAR WEBSITE Business|FREE Domain|Hosting|Traffic I AM THE MOST TRUSTED WEBSITE BUSINESS SELLER ON EBAY - BUY WITH TOTAL CONFIDENCE FULLY STOCKED MOTORBIKE GEAR WEBSITE Business|FREE Domain|Hosting|Traffic FULLY STOCKED MOTORBIKE GEAR WEBSITE Business|FREE Domain|Hosting|Traffic 100%NO FAIL GUARANTEE! ..."Never Before Have I Offered This NO FAIL Guarantee..."..."Start Today - If You Have An Interest In The Product Then Why Not Make Money At The Same Time..."​​​​​​​Note to EBay - 2 ROYALTY FREE images (from Pexels) have been used in this listing, in accordance with the instructions given to me by EBay in our officially recorded chat reference SR# 1-139529513637 - December 10th 2017Hi, my name is Anna and in 2009 my husband and I found ourselves in desparate need of a way to replace BOTH of our salaries after being made redundant after the property crash in the UK. After trying everything from Network Marketing, to importing Chinese rubbish and trying to sell it on for a profit, we were on the edge of giving up hope and accepting 'dead-end' jobs that would keep us stuck in the rat-race for years. And then in late 2012, I read about Amazon affiliate marketing on an Internet blog, aimed at people who were looking for ways to get out of the rut. Without much hesitation we both agreed that for the tiny investment it was worth a shot, as neither of us wanted to go back to 'work' for a living. It took us 9 weeks of study before we made our first £50 online, and then continued to make a small amount for another 4 months...And then something happened that literally changed our World. While on holiday in France, we got talking to a young 22 year old young guy from Rochdale who was living the good life in a Penthouse overlooking the beautiful Mediterranean sea. You could have knocked us down with a feather when he told us that what was funding his financially independent lifestyle, was the EXACT same Amazon affiliate business that had been making us no more than £150 a month from home. He made no excuses when he went on to 'brag' about the fact that he was making SIX FIGURES a year totally 'hands-'off' using a system he had perfected to SKY-ROCKET his earnings...and he had been making that amount since the age of 19! After agreeing a 50-50 profit split we entered into a 6 month long training period with Matt (mostly via email), where he revealed to us a system that was so ridiculously simple that half way through we could have kicked ourselves for not 'catching on' a long time earlier. Still, we had agreed to stick to the 50-50 split for the 6months and so we kept our heads down and just watched in awe as our monthly commission cheques just got bigger and bigger. That was back in 2013, and since then we have gone on and further improved what he taught us, adding 1 killer secret which even he had not picked up on. In essence, we now also generate over £100,000 a year and have followed his 'lifestyle choice' of spending 6 months in the sun, albeit it further South in Europe! What you see here is possibly the only way you may ever come across to wipe out your debt and start 2018 in a much better place. Here's What You Get - When you buy this website I will pay for a domain name for you. I will register it in your own name so that you have full legal ownership, and I will then create you a 100% UNIQUELY DESIGNED wesbite. I will then open you a FREE Amazon Affiliate Account, and using the Amazon codes that I will get from your account, I will fill your website with over £25,000 worth of stock - GUARANTEED! The stock will be supplied by officially authorised Amazon Suppliers. When a client comes to your site and buys a product you DO NOTHING...The relevant officially authorised Amazon Supplier will process the order (as well as the payment), deal with 100% of the customer service and despatch the goods to the client. At the end of each 30 day period Amazon will PAY YOU between 4% and 8% of EVERYTHING SOLD on the site. How much does this equate to? Let's just say that equates to enough money to allow us to spend 6 months working from a South West facing terfface overlooking the Mediterrean Sea, on the Costa Blanca!!! No computer or website knowledge is needed to run this business. In 2009 I sarted a journey to find a way to work from home, due to personal reasons. Back then we knew nothing about designing a website, and due to advances in modern technology we STILL don't know how to write HTML code. BUT...We have perfected a way to work the hours we want, from anywhere we want which pays us a SIX FIGURE sum every year. And this is your opportunity to copy our success - Thanks to Matt, and a lot of hard work on our part, we have a BLUEPRINT for making money that is now as GOOD AS IT GETS! How You Earn £$ Making Money All you need to earn an income from this business is a FREE Amazon Associates account. If you do not have one then we will open one for you as part of our service. Thereafter, from the minute your site goes live you will earn between 4% and 8% of everything that sells, depending on your level of sales in the relevant 30 day period. You will be amazed at how quickly this income builds as your site remains OPEN FOR BUSINESS 24/7, 365 days a year! Your Site Name Domain Name Is FREE The cost of your domain name is included in the price you pay. You will be the legal owner of the site, and in 12 months time you will be able renew the domain name at a very small cost (approx. £10 per anum). Order Process When Somebody Buys From Your Website When a client places an order you do NOTHING. The approved Amazon supplier will handle the order from start to finish, and everything from product depstach, through to customer service will be handled without you being involved in any way - this is a 100% HANDS-OFF way to make money. On-Going Costs One TINY Monthly Cost There is only 1 on-going cost - and that is for the hosting of your website business. From just £6 a month you can be making THOUSANDS A MONTH in a relatively short time. There are no tie-ins or contracts, because I am so confident that you will CHOOSE to stay with me for a long time to come, such are the financial returns from this business. If you host Annually then you only pay for 8 months and get 4 months FREE (referred to in the listing header). *Hosting is non-refundable once the sites go live... Skills Required? ZERO Technical Skills Needed If you can't turn a computer on and login to your email then this may not be for you, because you will have to know how to login to your Amazon account and check your commissions etc. But as for updating the site NOTHING IS REQUIRED by you. If you have any knowledge of HTML or website design then it will make NO DIFFERENCE, because you don't need it. How Long To Go Live? Less Than 24 Hours To Being LIVE! That's my price promise - No matter what time of the day you order, even if it is on a weekend - I GUARANTEE to have you ready to make money within 24 hours of your order! Google Traffic Get Into Google Within 72 Hours Having a website is just the start - After years of crafting my trade I now know how to get brand new sites INDEXED in Google within 72 hours - and being indexed is the ONLY way to get Organic traffic. So, if you're in a hurry to make money then I am the ONLY person on EBay who can do this! FREE 2nd Site FREE SECOND SITE Why own ONE business when you can have TWO for the same price? Staying ahead of the curve and offering a service which nobody online can surpass is what I aim to do - and that is why I am offering you a STAGGERING opportunity to get THIS SITE plus any other site in my EBay store ABSOLUTELY FREE - Call it a permanent BUY ONE GET ONE FREE! Adsense Ready Earn Money Purely From CLICKS My sites are 100% Adsense ready, and having Adsense means that your visitors can make you money even if they buy NOTHING - A simple click on a Google ad on your site can earn you money. If you have an existing Google Adsense account, I'll even add it to this site for you! Join The Best I Am Officially One Of EBay's BEST! It matters who you do business with, and you cannot enter into a safer transaction than with someone who has proven themselves HUNDREDS of times before - This is TOTALLY RISK FREE for you! Refunds 30 Day TOTAL Satisfaction GUARANTEE Only the best sellers on EBay can offer a NO-QUIBBLE full money back guarantee. It is my genuine opinion that the chances of you asking for a refund are 1 out of 1000. This is a MONEY MAKING opportunity - why would ANYONE ask for a refund it if 'did what it said on the tin'...WHICH THIS DOES! Want To Sell It On? Make £$500-£$1000 In 2 Months... I do 95% of my business on a site not connected to EBay, where I sell my sites for between £500 and £1000 - The only 'Caveat' is that a site needs to be 'searchable' in Google before you can do this. I will show you how to get this site indexed within 72 hours, and I will then show you where to FLIP the site ('Flip'means to sell it for INSTANT PROFITS) for at least ten times the price you pay here. Work In A Garden Shed! Work ANYWHERE - Just Log In!!! There actually is no 'work' as such, all you ever need to do is log into your Amazon or Adsense accounts and see what you have made. One day it may be $£5, another it may be $£500...DOES IT MATTER if it's running on auto? READ THIS!!! This is NOT Get Rich Quick It took us a few years to perfect this system, if you do NOTHING to promote your site then on pure auto do not expect more than £150 a month from it. £150 a month WILL NOT get you rich. We will show you what to do to MASSIVELY maximise what you earn. It's simple, it's fast and it's profitable!!! Can I Have A US Site? Of Course! We have many hundreds of clients, and from all over the World. If you are US based then the site will be built for the US market. Products will be shipped from within the US and all products will be priced in US$. Adding Products Got Your Own Products? The site will come with tens of thousands of pounds worth of stock already on it, ready to be shipped by Amazon. But if you want to add your own products to the site then you can - Very easily. I have even installed PayPal so that clients can pay instantly for your products. OFFER ONLY FOR THE 1ST 20 CLIENTS IN FEBRUARYHURRY!!!Buy 1 Get 1 FREE! ..."The Offer To Kill Off The Competition And Make You MONEY!..." FULLY STOCKED MOTORBIKE GEAR WEBSITE Business|FREE Domain|Hosting|Traffic  ..."The ONLY Genuine Opportunity On EBay"...Buy 1 Site And Get 1 FREETop Rated EBay SellerNO Hidden Costs - EVER!Start Earning TODAY!This is an AUTO-RUNNING fully stocked website from which you will earn commissions purely for being a MIDDLE-MAN - No stock to buy...No strings attachedGo Into Business With Me And Get A 2nd BusinessTotally FREE OF CHARGE  "...See VERIFIED Income Proof Below?..."Host Your Site With Me And Within 7 Days I GUARANTEE Google Page 1 ResultsThis offer Alone Is Worth $3,000 This is the final piece of the puzzle - How to get traffic to your sites, and how to get to the top of Google quickly. NO OTHER EBay business can offer this, becaue the copy-cats will never work out just how I do this. Host your site with me (Trump Hosting), and I will get you onto the first page of Google within 7 days of delivering your sites. I will do it for ONE site and then give you the COPY/PASTE steps to do it for your 2nd - No serets held back, just go through 2019 knowing that you really have found THE GAME CHANGER. ​​​​​​​ When you know how to dominate Google in under 24 hours you are not just a PLAYER in the game, you OWN the game. Just think how valuable just this knowledge alone is going to be to you - Take a look at the results for yourself. One of my own products, which makes me over $93.50 per sale sitting on PAGE 1 of Google less than 15 HOURS after I hit the button. If you have followed my success over the years then you will know one thing - this is A GAME CHANGER! ​​​​​​​This offer is limited to the first 30 clients this month. "...Did You Know AMAZON Pay Out MILLIONS In Commissions Every Year To Owners of Automated Websites Just Like These?..." "...All You Need Is A Wordpress Site - A FREE Amazon Affiliate Account - And A Bank Account To Receive Your Monthly commissions...""...This is NOT Get Rich Quick - It Is Possibly The Most GENUINE Opportunity To Earn Passive Income Online You Will Ever Know Without Having To Take Your Clothes Off!!!... ...And What Is Even Better Is That If You Buy This Site You Can Choose ANY Other And Get It FREE OF CHARGE!"A Work From Home Business With No Stock To Pay For - The Website Updates All Stock Levels And Prices Automatically. ..."Look At The Following Sample Sites - My Work Is WORLD-CLASS..." Bike Shop - Delivered To A Client In The UK - 3rd December 2017.EARNINGS IN JANUAY 2019$355.49 PROFIT In Her Second Month!Herbal Site - Delivered To A Client In France - 11th August 2017.EARNINGS IN DECEMBER 2018$1658.94 PROFIT In His Fourth Month!CCTV Site - Delivered To A Client In The UK - 17th September 2017.EARNINGS IN FEBRUARY 2018$2377.86 PROFIT In His Sixth Month!Hair Extension Site - Delivered To A Client In The UK - 2nd June 2018EARNINGS IN JAUARY 2019$3309.63 PROFIT In Her Eigth Month!Male Grooming Site - Delivered To A Client In The US - 22nd May 2017.EARNINGS IN MARCH 2018$6109.29 PROFIT In His Tenth Month! ..."You Can Buy A Site Cheaper On EBay Because Some Sellers Think Cheap Is The Way To Go - BUT......" ..."Feedbacks Left Since July 20th 2018...CHECK THEM YOURSELF..." Without much hesitation we both agreed that for the tiny investment it was worth a shot, as neither of us wanted to go back to 'work' for a living. It took us 9 weeks of study before we made our first £50 online, and then continued to make a small amount for another 4 months...And then something happened that literally changed our World. While on holiday in France, we got talking to a young 22 year old young guy from Rochdale who was living the good life in a Penthouse overlooking the beautiful Mediterranean sea. You could have knocked us down with a feather when he told us that what was funding his financially independent lifestyle, was the EXACT same Amazon affiliate business that had been making us no more than £150 a month from home. He made no excuses when he went on to 'brag' about the fact that he was making SIX FIGURES a year totally 'hands-'off' using a system he had perfected to SKY-ROCKET his earnings...and he had been making that amount since the age of 19! After agreeing a 50-50 profit split we entered into a 6 month long training period with Matt (mostly via email), where he revealed to us a system that was so ridiculously simple that half way through we could have kicked ourselves for not 'catching on' a long time earlier. Still, we had agreed to stick to the 50-50 split for the 6months and so we kept our heads down and just watched in awe as our monthly commission cheques just got bigger and bigger. Hi, my name is Anna and in 2009 my husband (Chris, pictured at the top)  and I found ourselves in desparate need of a way to replace BOTH of our salaries after being made redundant after the property crash in the UK. After trying everything from Network Marketing, to importing Chinese rubbish and trying to sell it on for a profit, we were on the edge of giving up hope and accepting 'dead-end' jobs that would keep us stuck in the rat-race for years. And then in late 2012, I read about Amazon affiliate marketing on an Internet blog, aimed at people who were looking for ways to get out of the rut.That was back in 2013, and since then we have gone on and further improved what he taught us, adding 1 killer secret which even he had not picked up on. In essence, we now also generate over £100,000 a year and have followed his 'lifestyle choice' of spending 6 months in the sun, albeit it further South in Europe! What you see here is possibly the only way you may ever come across to wipe out your debt and start 2018 in a much better place. Here's What You Get - When you buy this website I will pay for a domain name for you. I will register it in your own name so that you have full legal ownership, and I will then create you a 100% UNIQUELY DESIGNED wesbite. I will then open you a FREE Amazon Affiliate Account, and using the Amazon codes that I will get from your account, I will fill your website with over £25,000 worth of stock -  GUARANTEED!  The stock will be supplied by officially authorised Amazon Suppliers. When a client comes to your site and buys a product you DO NOTHING...The relevant officially authorised Amazon  Supplier will process the order (as well as the payment), deal with 100% of the customer service and despatch the goods to the client. At the end of each 30 day period Amazon will PAY YOU between 4% and 8% of EVERYTHING SOLD on the site. How much does this equate to? Let's just say that equates to enough money to allow us to spend 6 months working from a South West facing terfface overlooking the Mediterrean Sea, on the Costa Blanca!!!No computer or website knowledge is needed to run this business. In 2009 I sarted a journey to find a way to work from home, due to personal reasons. Back then we knew nothing about designing a website, and due to advances in modern technology we STILL don't know how to write HTML code. BUT...We have perfected a way to work the hours we want, from anywhere we want which pays us a SIX FIGURE sum every year. And this is your opportunity to copy our success - Thanks to Matt, and a lot of hard work on our part, we have a BLUEPRINT for making money that is now as GOOD AS IT GETS!​​​​​​I AM THE MOST TRUSTED WEBSITE BUSINESS SELLER ON EBAY - BUY WITH TOTAL CONFIDENCE FULLY STOCKED MOTORBIKE GEAR WEBSITE Business|FREE Domain|Hosting|Traffic Here's EVERYTHING You Need To Know - All The Questions I Would Ask If I Were YOUHow You Earn £$Making Money All you need to earn an income from this business is a FREE Amazon Associates account. If you do not have one then we will open one for you as part of our service. Thereafter, from the minute your site goes live you will earn between 4% and 8% of everything that sells, depending on your level of sales in the relevant 30 day period. You will be amazed at how quickly this income builds as your site remains OPEN FOR BUSINESS 24/7, 365 days a year!Your Site Name Domain Name Is FREE The cost of your domain name is included in the price you pay. You will be the legal owner of the site, and in 12 months time you will be able renew the domain name at a very small cost (approx. £10 per anum).Order Process When Somebody Buys From Your Website When a client places an order you do NOTHING. The approved Amazon supplier will handle the order from start to finish, and everything from product depstach, through to customer service will be handled without you being involved in any way - this is a 100% HANDS-OFF way to make money.On-Going Costs One TINY Monthly Cost There is only 1 on-going cost - and that is for the hosting of your website business. From UNDER £6 a month you can be making THOUSANDS A MONTH in a relatively short time. There are no tie-ins or contracts, because I am so confident that you will CHOOSE to stay with me for a long time to come, such are the financial returns from this business. If you host Annually then you only pay for 8 months and get 4 months FREE (referred to in the listing header). *Hosting is non-refundable once the sites go live...Please ONLY buy this website if you accept that you will need to use my hosting service...It works out at just 20p a day to have full 7 day week supportSkills Required? ZERO Technical Skills Needed If you can't turn a computer on and login to your email then this may not be for you, because you will have to know how to login to your Amazon account and check your commissions etc. But as for updating the site NOTHING IS REQUIRED by you. If you have any knowledge of HTML or website design then it will make NO DIFFERENCE, because you don't need it.How Long To Go Live? Less Than 24 Hours To Being LIVE! That's my price promise - No matter what time of the day you order, even if it is on a weekend - I GUARANTEE to have you ready to make money within 24 hours of your order!Google Traffic Get Into Google Within 72 Hours Having a website is just the start - After years of crafting my trade I now know how to get brand new sites INDEXED in Google within 72 hours - and being indexed is the ONLY way to get Organic traffic. So, if you're in a hurry to make money then I am the ONLY person on EBay who can do this! Also, as soon as you approve the finished sites by mutually swapping feedback I will get the Google page 1 result system triggered (mentioned at the top of the listing). FREE 2nd Site FREE SECOND SITE Why own ONE business when you can have TWO for the same price? Staying ahead of the curve and offering a service which nobody online can surpass is what I aim to do - and that is why I am offering you a STAGGERING opportunity to get THIS SITE plus any other site in my EBay store ABSOLUTELY FREE - Call it a permanent BUY ONE GET ONE FREE!Adsense Ready Earn Money Purely From CLICKS My sites are 100% Adsense ready, and having Adsense means that your visitors can make you money even if they buy NOTHING - A simple click on a Google ad on your site can earn you money. If you have an existing Google Adsense account, I'll even add it to this site for you!Join The Best I Am Officially One Of EBay's BEST! It matters who you do business with, and you cannot enter into a safer transaction than with someone who has proven themselves HUNDREDS of times before - This is TOTALLY RISK FREE for you!Refunds  30 Day TOTAL Satisfaction GUARANTEE Only the best sellers on EBay can offer a NO-QUIBBLE full money back guarantee. It is my genuine opinion that the chances of you asking for a refund are 1 out of 1000. This is a MONEY MAKING opportunity - why would ANYONE ask for a refund it if 'did what it said on the tin'...WHICH THIS DOES! ​​​​​​​ Want To Sell It On? Make £$500-£$1000 In 2 Months... I do 95% of my business on a site not connected to EBay, where I sell my sites for between £500 and £1000 - The only 'Caveat' is that a site needs to be 'searchable' in Google before you can do this. I will show you how to get this site indexed within 72 hours, and I will then show you where to FLIP the site ('Flip'means to sell it for INSTANT PROFITS) for at least ten times the price you pay here.Work In A Garden Shed! Work ANYWHERE - Just Log In!!! There actually is no 'work' as such, all you ever need to do is log into your Amazon or Adsense accounts and see what you have made. One day it may be $£5, another it may be $£500...DOES IT MATTER if it's running on auto?READ THIS!!!  This is NOT Get Rich Quick It took us a few years to perfect this system, if you do NOTHING to promote your site then on pure auto do not expect more than £150 a month from it. £150 a month WILL NOT get you rich. We will show you what to do to MASSIVELY maximise what you earn. It's simple, it's fast and it's profitable!!!Can I Have A US Site? Of Course! We have many hundreds of clients, and from all over the World. If you are US based then the site will be built for the US market. Products will be shipped from within the US and all products will be priced in US$.Adding Products Got Your Own Products? The site will come with tens of thousands of pounds worth of stock already on it, ready to be shipped by Amazon. But if you want to add your own products to the site then you can - Very easily. I have even installed PayPal so that clients can pay instantly for your products.300 Hits A Day When you buy I will send you a .pdf which will show you how I generate around 300 visitors a day to every new site I launch - It is easy to do, and works - every time. All you have to do is foloow the A-B-C instructions. This is what I refer to in the listing above - a simple way to get into a very lucrative business. I'm a paragraph. Simply double click here to add your own text and edit me. It's easy. Describe your product. Mention details and specifications that you believe are relevant to your buyers.100% GUARANTEED! FULLY STOCKED MOTORBIKE GEAR WEBSITE Business|FREE Domain|Hosting|Traffic See our other items FULLY STOCKED MOTORBIKE GEAR WEBSITE Business|FREE Domain|Hosting|Traffic Click to see full description..."Start Today - If You Have An Interest In The Product Then Why Not Make Money At The Same Time..."​​​​​​​Note to EBay - 2 ROYALTY FREE images (from Pexels) have been used in this listing, in accordance with the instructions given to me by EBay in our officially recorded chat reference SR# 1-139529513637 - December 10th 2017 Hi, my name is Anna and in 2009 my husband and I found ourselves in desparate need of a way to replace BOTH of our salaries after being made redundant after the property crash in the UK. After trying everything from Network Marketing, to importing Chinese rubbish and trying to sell it on for a profit, we were on the edge of giving up hope and accepting 'dead-end' jobs that would keep us stuck in the rat-race for years. And then in late 2012, I read about Amazon affiliate marketing on an Internet blog, aimed at people who were looking for ways to get out of the rut. Without much hesitation we both agreed that for the tiny investment it was worth a shot, as neither of us wanted to go back to 'work' for a living. It took us 9 weeks of study before we made our first £50 online, and then continued to make a small amount for another 4 months...And then something happened that literally changed our World. While on holiday in France, we got talking to a young 22 year old young guy from Rochdale who was living the good life in a Penthouse overlooking the beautiful Mediterranean sea. You could have knocked us down with a feather when he told us that what was funding his financially independent lifestyle, was the EXACT same Amazon affiliate business that had been making us no more than £150 a month from home.   He made no excuses when he went on to 'brag' about the fact that he was making SIX FIGURES a year totally 'hands-'off' using a system he had perfected to SKY-ROCKET his earnings...and he had been making that amount since the age of 19! After agreeing a 50-50 profit split we entered into a 6 month long training period with Matt (mostly via email), where he revealed to us a system that was so ridiculously simple that half way through we could have kicked ourselves for not 'catching on' a long time earlier. Still, we had agreed to stick to the 50-50 split for the 6months and so we kept our heads down and just watched in awe as our monthly commission cheques just got bigger and bigger. That was back in 2013, and since then we have gone on and further improved what he taught us, adding 1 killer secret which even he had not picked up on. In essence, we now also generate over £100,000 a year and have followed his 'lifestyle choice' of spending 6 months in the sun, albeit it further South in Europe! What you see here is possibly the only way you may ever come across to wipe out your debt and start 2018 in a much better place.   Here's What You Get - When you buy this website I will pay for a domain name for you. I will register it in your own name so that you have full legal ownership, and I will then create you a 100% UNIQUELY DESIGNED wesbite. I will then open you a FREE Amazon Affiliate Account, and using the Amazon codes that I will get from your account, I will fill your website with over £25,000 worth of stock -  GUARANTEED!  The stock will be supplied by officially authorised Amazon Suppliers. When a client comes to your site and buys a product you DO NOTHING...The relevant officially authorised Amazon  Supplier will process the order (as well as the payment), deal with 100% of the customer service and despatch the goods to the client. At the end of each 30 day period Amazon will PAY YOU between 4% and 8% of EVERYTHING SOLD on the site. How much does this equate to? Let's just say that equates to enough money to allow us to spend 6 months working from a South West facing terfface overlooking the Mediterrean Sea, on the Costa Blanca!!! No computer or website knowledge is needed to run this business. In 2009 I sarted a journey to find a way to work from home, due to personal reasons. Back then we knew nothing about designing a website, and due to advances in modern technology we STILL don't know how to write HTML code. BUT...We have perfected a way to work the hours we want, from anywhere we want which pays us a SIX FIGURE sum every year. And this is your opportunity to copy our success - Thanks to Matt, and a lot of hard work on our part, we have a BLUEPRINT for making money that is now as GOOD AS IT GETS!   How You Earn £$ Making Money All you need to earn an income from this business is a FREE Amazon Associates account. If you do not have one then we will open one for you as part of our service. Thereafter, from the minute your site goes live you will earn between 4% and 8% of everything that sells, depending on your level of sales in the relevant 30 day period. You will be amazed at how quickly this income builds as your site remains OPEN FOR BUSINESS 24/7, 365 days a year!   Your Site Name Domain Name Is FREE The cost of your domain name is included in the price you pay. You will be the legal owner of the site, and in 12 months time you will be able renew the domain name at a very small cost (approx. £10 per anum).   Order Process When Somebody Buys From Your Website When a client places an order you do NOTHING. The approved Amazon supplier will handle the order from start to finish, and everything from product depstach, through to customer service will be handled without you being involved in any way - this is a 100% HANDS-OFF way to make money.   On-Going Costs One TINY Monthly Cost There is only 1 on-going cost - and that is for the hosting of your website business. From just £6 a month you can be making THOUSANDS A MONTH in a relatively short time. There are no tie-ins or contracts, because I am so confident that you will CHOOSE to stay with me for a long time to come, such are the financial returns from this business. If you host Annually then you only pay for 8 months and get 4 months FREE (referred to in the listing header). *Hosting is non-refundable once the sites go live...   Skills Required? ZERO Technical Skills Needed If you can't turn a computer on and login to your email then this may not be for you, because you will have to know how to login to your Amazon account and check your commissions etc. But as for updating the site NOTHING IS REQUIRED by you. If you have any knowledge of HTML or website design then it will make NO DIFFERENCE, because you don't need it.   How Long To Go Live? Less Than 24 Hours To Being LIVE! That's my price promise - No matter what time of the day you order, even if it is on a weekend - I GUARANTEE to have you ready to make money within 24 hours of your order!   Google Traffic Get Into Google Within 72 Hours Having a website is just the start - After years of crafting my trade I now know how to get brand new sites INDEXED in Google within 72 hours - and being indexed is the ONLY way to get Organic traffic. So, if you're in a hurry to make money then I am the ONLY person on EBay who can do this!   FREE 2nd Site FREE SECOND SITE Why own ONE business when you can have TWO for the same price? Staying ahead of the curve and offering a service which nobody online can surpass is what I aim to do - and that is why I am offering you a STAGGERING opportunity to get THIS SITE plus any other site in my EBay store ABSOLUTELY FREE - Call it a permanent BUY ONE GET ONE FREE!   Adsense Ready Earn Money Purely From CLICKS My sites are 100% Adsense ready, and having Adsense means that your visitors can make you money even if they buy NOTHING - A simple click on a Google ad on your site can earn you money. If you have an existing Google Adsense account, I'll even add it to this site for you!   Join The Best I Am Officially One Of EBay's BEST! It matters who you do business with, and you cannot enter into a safer transaction than with someone who has proven themselves HUNDREDS of times before - This is TOTALLY RISK FREE for you!   Refunds 30 Day TOTAL Satisfaction GUARANTEE Only the best sellers on EBay can offer a NO-QUIBBLE full money back guarantee. It is my genuine opinion that the chances of you asking for a refund are 1 out of 1000. This is a MONEY MAKING opportunity - why would ANYONE ask for a refund it if 'did what it said on the tin'...WHICH THIS DOES!    Want To Sell It On? Make £$500-£$1000 In 2 Months... I do 95% of my business on a site not connected to EBay, where I sell my sites for between £500 and £1000 - The only 'Caveat' is that a site needs to be 'searchable' in Google before you can do this. I will show you how to get this site indexed within 72 hours, and I will then show you where to FLIP the site ('Flip'means to sell it for INSTANT PROFITS) for at least ten times the price you pay here.   Work In A Garden Shed! Work ANYWHERE - Just Log In!!! There actually is no 'work' as such, all you ever need to do is log into your Amazon or Adsense accounts and see what you have made. One day it may be $£5, another it may be $£500...DOES IT MATTER if it's running on auto?   READ THIS!!! This is NOT Get Rich Quick It took us a few years to perfect this system, if you do NOTHING to promote your site then on pure auto do not expect more than £150 a month from it. £150 a month WILL NOT get you rich. We will show you what to do to MASSIVELY maximise what you earn. It's simple, it's fast and it's profitable!!!   Can I Have A US Site? Of Course! We have many hundreds of clients, and from all over the World. If you are US based then the site will be built for the US market. Products will be shipped from within the US and all products will be priced in US$.   Adding Products Got Your Own Products? The site will come with tens of thousands of pounds worth of stock already on it, ready to be shipped by Amazon. But if you want to add your own products to the site then you can - Very easily. I have even installed PayPal so that clients can pay instantly for your products. Read the full article

[marauders-groupie]

East of Eden :) xo

Zoe, thank you!

East of Eden: Top 10 novels?

(in no particular order)

1) The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

YOU HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK OH MY GOD!

Here’s my Goodreads review:

Sci-fi tends to go all in on science sometimes but this book - this book had everything. And while the worldbuilding Chambers did was examplary and knocked me on my ass, my favorite part is how human (read: feelings. So many. Not in a melodramatic way but in a way that makes you fall in love with the book) it was. I don't want to be too emo but this book has a kind soul and I love it to bits.

It really does. And it’s not anthropo-cenric, the worldbuilding is out of this world (see what I did there? huh? huh?), and the characters - well, you’re gonna fall in love with them. 

2) City of the Lost by Kelley Armstrong

This is one of the best crime novels I’ve ever read, hands down. 

My Goodreads review:

The thing that crime novels and thrillers often skip out on is characterization and a plot driven by characters, instead of the other way around. I mean, I get it. Action, sex and tropey characters sell.But that kind of books will just make me forget all about them after reading, even if the twist was intricate. So here's a different kind of crime novel. Where the main character is a female detective with our favorite no-bullshit attitude (that's a trope you /have got to/ keep in crime novels) but also a secret that doesn't come back to haunt her in the end. It's just a part of who she is.And that's what I liked about City of the Lost: the characters have secrets that they are working to move past. And strangely enough, secrets like murder seem to be much less dangerous for them and everyone else in the end. It's the corruption and drug-dealing that really turned some of the characters in the book into fucking despicable people.Also, I didn't hate the main character, she didn't do illogical shit just so the author could create drama because they've run out of ideas and generally, I liked the perspective.I liked that the book dared to question the impact of committing terrible things on a character's psyche, I liked that it dared to show a secluded town as not a creepy place with deeply disturbing things lurking underneath the surface, and I liked the treatment of Dalton and the point that the author was making - yes, he is not like the others but there is nothing to fix. He is just a person who has made his choices. The narrative wasn't trying to go all savior on him and the characters that did have been proved wrong.So yes, while this was a really good book (although that resolution could have been a little longer, just sayin') it was also a very interesting one at that. It offered a unique perspective and not going to lie, it felt like a breath of fresh air amidst detectives tortured by their lives and their pasts. Here is one who doesn't pity herself. Here is one who is a badass while still caring about her friends and falling in love. Here is City of the Lost.

3) The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Honestly, if you’ve been following me for a certain amount of time, you’ve probably seen me wax poetic about it. 

This book made me decide to become a writer and it’s a book about books. Utterly enchanting.  Here’s my post about why you should read it.

4) The Likeness by Tana French

Another murder mystery because that’s just how I roll.

Tana French’s plot twists are the best thing ever and this book reminds me so much of The Secret History’s aesthetic (although it doesn’t romanticize it). French actually said she was inspired by the dynamics of close-knit groups as seen in TSH.My Goodreads review is very long so I’m just gonna copy a few bits:

What really managed to take me in were the larger than life characters, much like those I'd read about in Donna Tartt's The Secret History. They are so much more than your usual minor character; they have their quirks, they are way more interesting than anyone in the real world would be and they are simply a pleasure to read about.

Starting from the ever mysterious Daniel, the mother hen as I've grown to call him, and finishing up with Raphael who, as well as being my namesake, intrigued me the most - they are the people you always wished you could start a friend-family thing with, the people you'd probably hear and learn amazing things from. Moreover, not only they are interesting but they are mysterious. A whole universe in its own.

So, if you’re into good murder mystery and a dark and deep aesthetic that isn’t dark in a grim way, but in a “oh, I want to learn more, this is twisted but also fascinating” way - then do yourself a favor and read The Likeness. 

5) Aristotle and Dante Discover the Serets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

This book feels like growing up and like orange sunsets spent hanging out with a boy you’re in love with in the park that has seen your first scars and it feels like dipping your toes in the pool and feeling young and insecure, and it feels like everything in the world.

I suppose most of you have read it but if you haven’t - go do it now. Don’t think about it. Just go read it. 

6) A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

I don’t read YA lit very often but when I do, I fall in love with the books I read. 

If you’re looking for a gorgeous story that will keep you up reading until dawn breaks and if you’re ready to get completely lost in a new universe, then ACoTaR series is your kinda series.

There's a reason why this book has a Goodreads rating of 4.74. 

7) Dance Dance Dance by Haruki Murakami

I’m not really a fan of Murakami; Norwegian Wood was too weird for me. But Dance Dance Dance was delightfully odd and if you’re looking for a book to get you out of your comfort zone, DDD is your pal.

8) Don Quixote by Miguel Cervantes

Okay, you’re wondering - wtf, Lana? I thought we were friends? Why are you reccing the world’s first novel to me?

BECAUSE IT IS AMAZING AND HILARIOUS!

We are all idealists here, come on! Don Quixote was too! Let’s go, get to reading!

9) The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

Gorgeous and dark and intricate. The Thirteenth Tale feels like finding an old chest in your grandmother’s attic and unearthing all of your family’s secrets, the good and the bad.  

10) The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

Don’t watch the movie, read the book. And if you want to watch a movie, watch the Swedish versions. Way better than American 20/10.

[nessandaaa-blog]

The end of 2018

Tahun ini banyak moment yang terjadi dalam hidupku. Here are the lines :

1. Olfar Unair

20 Januari, sempet berangkat ke surabaya buat ikut lomba farmasi, dimana bikin kelompok aja h-2 tes, gataunya menang. Ya mungkin lucky nya gede pas hari itu. Tapiii di sana kita bener2 gabisa ngapa2in wkwkwk. Emang ga siap, tapi lumayan sih jalan jalan.

2. Snmptn

Berhubung IPA ambillah jurusan IPA juga, soalnya anak IPS banyak yg protes keinget banget dong, ada quotes mereka gini "Lahan sudah sempit digusur pula" ketawa aja sih, ya ngapain gitu. Kalo udah takdir gabakal kegusur kok."apa My mom suggest me to take pharmacy major, but actually, i didn't know what should i do there. I really hate math, physic, and chemic wkwk.

3. Nat exam

Biasa aja sih, let it flow. Nilai keluar juga yaudah disyukuri.

4. Someone broke myheart

H-beberapa hari sebelum sbmptn. Gamau terlalu cengeng, and as always jadi cewek harus kuat dan tegar, i think i deserve to be happy with or without him.

4. Sbmptn

Kali ini my parents let me choose the subject that i want. Exactly, i take English Department. Belajar sbmptn H-15 hari soalnya nunggu pengumuman snmptn keluar, that was a silly thing that i do. Jadilah mati2an ga keluar kamar, beli buku lagi, yg sebelumnya beli buku saintek, jadi beli soshum. Extreme sih, tapi enjoy, soalnya ga ada fisika sama mat ipa. And yes, i did it. English Department of Jember University, i'm coming.

5. I lost my broken phone (?)

Hehe iya, 8 Mei abis sbmptn hp lenovo ku yang setengah layarnya udah mati, Accidentally ketinggalan di Miniso Malang. Bener bener accidentally, bukan kesengajaan aku untuk membuangnya. I was happy and sad at the same time. 😁

6. Ke PKN

09 Juli 2018. Pangkalanbun kenangan, that was my first time to flight keluar jawa. Yaaa emang baru sekali naik pesawat, bermodalkan sok tahu yang tinggi, berangkat sama kakak sepupu yg sama gataunya juga. Boarding 30 menit sebelum pesawat berangkat, untung ga ketinggalan. Finally, we arrived there. Langsung disuguhi pemandangan yang kanan kiri hutan, trus biasanya liat truk muatannya tebu, ini jadi sawit. It was so exciting.

7. My Daddy got sick

Beberapa hari sebelum berangkat ke Jember my Daddy got sick. I was really sad to see his body. He looks thin and weak. Jadi terngiang2 lagu Ebiet "bahumu yang dulu tegar, legam terbakar matahari, kini kurus dan terbungkuk" dih langsung berkaca2 mata ini. 😢 however, God give us a challenge to make us stronger, and more patient. Finally he came home and promise to stop smoking for the rest of his life. He said "I wanna see, my children grow up until they have a succes. I wanna see my grandchild too"

8. Goes to Jember

August, 09 2018. Welcome to the jungle. Diawali dengan seret seret koper bareng temen2 madiun yg ke jember juga. Semangat kali lah, sampe cerita panjang lebar, and someone said to us "mbak suaranya bisa dikecilin nggak, ini keganggu loo" wkwkwk i really hate that moment, but i realised that we were wrong. After 8 hours trip, we arrived in Jember, dan nyampe sana udah kucel.

9. My big bro had graduated

He did his 3 years full of memories, and i can see his ear to ear smile, also my mom, and my dad. But for me, i had my own problem, that day was the inauguration day in my college, and someone said aku harus ngulang ospek kalo ga ikut inaugurasi, tapi akhirnya yaudah lah, demi abang nih.

10. Mix

December, kaya yang udah diatur sama yang bikin hidup. Semuanya tepat waktu, dan membahagiakan, i can't mention it, soalnya beberapa belum terealisasi.

Dan terakhir quote terngena di 2018 "Hatiku tenang karena mengetahui bahwa apa yang melewatkanku tidak akan pernah menjadi takdirku, dan apa yang ditakdirkan untukku tidak akan pernah melewatkanku" -Umar bin Khattab. Udah ga perlu dijelasin lagi ini quote, bikin adem aja...

And now it's time to say happy nu year, and welcome 2019 👋

[9-11luria-blog]

Week of: September 24th

Learning Highlights

Language Arts

4th grade: This week, students took a reading pre-assessment where they read a short story by Cynthia Rylant and answered some comprehension questions. We also continued our reading and discussion of There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom.

5th grade: In Writing Workshop, we went over the goals for this narrative writing unit and started working on the first goal: writers generate ideas for and plan a story based on literature. Students began generating ideas by drawing a story map inspired by children’s book author Jack Gantos.

Math

Shelby 4th: Students named numbers within 1 million by building understanding of the place value chart and placement of commas for naming base thousand units. Students also read and wrote multi-digit numbers using base ten numerals, number names, and expanded form.  Students continued to work on their area and perimeter park projects in geometry.

Shelby 5th: This week students used exponents to name place value units, and explained patterns in the placement of the decimal point.  Students also used exponents to denote powers of 10 with application to metric conversions. Students continued to work on their area and perimeter park projects in geometry.  

Jen 4th: We explored standard number form, expanded form, and word form of numbers up to the millions place. Students added to their interactive math journals to show their thinking. Students continued to work on their area and perimeter park projects in geometry.

Jen 5th: This week, students learned how to add fractions with unlike denominators by drawing fractional area models and finding common denominators. Some discovered that if you multiply the two denominators by one another you can find a common denominator, then add the two fractions.  Students continued to work on their area and perimeter park projects in geometry.

Science

In honor of the holiday, we are doing some fun in class experiments. These are designed to teach the students how graphs and charts are used to track data in experiments, which will be applied throughout the year.

History

4th grade: Students began sharing where their families are from, some reasons why they moved, and a short story of how they came to the U.S. We also began to learn about the "Age of Exploration" and what motivated the early explorers.

5th grade: We wrapped up our learning on the French and Indian War and discussed some of the factors which led to dissatisfied colonists and how that would play a part in the beginning stages of the Revolutionary War.  

Chumash

Daphna’s 4th grade group: We started learning Parashat Chayeyi Sarah, and discussed Sarah's death and the interesting phrasing of the pasuk. Students reviewed Rashi script and gimatria, and learned how to split a pasuk into phrases.

Daphna’s 5th grade group: We started learning Parashat Vayeshev, and spoke about Ya'akov's relationships with his children, especially with Yosef, and how it influences their relationship with each other. Students reviewed Rashi script and gimatria, and wrote some of their own questions about the story line.

Benjy’s groups: We have finished reviewing the previous Parshiot, characters, and story lines to set us up for this year. Up next, we will dive into the text, using chavruta learning to create our very own commentaries.

Ivrit

אַתָה רוֹצֶה לָלֶכֶת לְסֶרֶט בְּסוֹף הַשָבוּעַ הַבָּא? ‏

'ata rotse laleHet le-seret besof ha-shavu'a ha-ba?

Do you want to go to a movie next weekend?

These sentences have the combination of an inflected verb (in the present tense) followed by a verb in the infinitive, or basic form, which corresponds to the to form in English.

We’ll look at infinitives more closely throughout the year. For now we worked on the combinations of the present tense verbs רוֹצֶה rotse (want) and יכול'Yachol (can/capable) with infinitives while focusing on what “You, singular male (ata) and female (ah’t) need during lessons or can/are capable of doing during recess. As our vocabulary grows, we will learn many more verbs that can be used in this way.

Judaic Studies

Mishnah 4th: Students learned some of the pesukim from the Torah about lulav and etrog. We analyzed the information in the Torah and discussed where we think the Mishnah might be helpful with providing specific information.  We will learn the sources from the Mishnah next week.

Mishnah 5th:  Students learned sources from the Tanakh about Sukkot, focusing on the four species and then compared the Tanakh source to the discussion in the Mishnah, paying close attention to the places where the Mishnah adds more specific details.