#do i love this knitting subplot or curse it?

[lady-grace-pens]

Even the Night Breaks: A WIP Intro

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Genre:

New Adult | Contemporary Low Fantasy | Upmarket Fiction (probably)

Status:

Drafting

POV:

First person, present tense

CW:

Mental health is a large focus (depression), cursing, drinking, some smoking, some drug usage, and faint talk of religion (Christianity).

Themes and Tropes:

Mental Heath (as stated). The struggle of feeling lost, and not having a future. Vulnerability issues. A royal family who is very very dysfunctional, and vengeance (which are two completely unrelated things pssh totally). The once shattered bond of brothers being repaired. A found family of edgy early 20 somethings. Girlie with a dagger obsession. Polyamory (kind of.) Elemental magic and how it might battle with society and religion. Discovering and accepting what it’s like to truly, genuine love someone in a sense that far surpasses romance.

Vibes:

The faint smell of smoke and weed staining a shirt, covered up hastily by cheap cologne. A meticulously taken care of leather jacket. Nighttime, the rain, neon lights, and grins. Morning coffee and brunch. The woods. Autumn. A small town. Glares from strangers as you walk down the street. Nights at local bar, where you’ve spent so much time that you’ve befriended the owner. Late night talks. Heavy laughter. The pressing weight of the royal crown. A lonely apartment shrouded in darkness.

Setting:

A world like Earth, but what if people just randomly started getting born with elemental powers?

Plot:

For 20 year old Constantine Dodge, the eldest prince of Essledor, being king means death. Everything about it, from royal life itself, to the prospect of being the sole person responsible for the lives of millions of people. Above them all reigns the wretched idea of falling in line with his father, King Anon, either beloved or beloathed due to his handling of the Magikal Mutation Epidemic. Who knew forcing everyone who is suddenly developing elemental powers into arenas and making them fight each other to death under the guise of “scientific research” would be a controversial decision?

Simple to say, Constantine is far more content living with his best friends, Blake and Rebekah, in the little town of Dunsbrew. As much as he tries to shoulder his burdens alone, no card game, no woman’s bed, no bottle of alcohol can cleanse him from the topic of his questionable future, if he even has one. That fact becomes much more apparent when looking at his younger brother Teddy, who pines for the throne and flings himself into the role of prince, at the expense of a healthy relationship with his brother.

With the king creeping up in age, seeking retirement, the kingdom needs a secure heir now more than ever.

The next round of arena games is announced. King Anon himself has chosen to schedule the battles this season instead of the researchers. Last on the list are the two princes, being of elemental blood themselves, set to fight against each other in the grand finale. It becomes all too clear what the king is trying to do.

Perhaps this heir issue can be solved another way. This one, unexpected. If the brothers could sever the ties of their hate and unite against their father, they could forge a brighter future for all. But the price tag for doing so is steep. It requires much effort, and change on Constantine’s behalf. Could he have the strength he needs to pull himself out of his mental rut, and open up to those around him?

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Here it is! My next project. It feels much simpler than my previous one, though I don’t know if that’s because I haven’t started writing it yet or what. Though to be fair, htkag was very… ambitious. Lots of subplots and whatnot, character driven. No specific structure either. In comparison, this work is plot driven and has only one or two subplots. I’ve made sure to browse some structures for this one and I found one to match! I already feel like this plot line is tighter knit than htkag’s plot was, which is a necessary improvement. I really feel like I’ve got something that works here, and I hope that won’t change.

Also I’m so so sorry the plot description isn’t the best. I know it’s long and kinda vague. I did my best to put it into words without spoiling much. I hope the idea of the plot still gets across. It’s more of an interpersonal story than it seems. I’m going to update it when I come up with something better, like an actual synopsis.

I’ve also made this huge ass moodboard for the vibes of the entire piece.

So. As you can see, I’m very prepared.

I also have these big moodboards made for all the main characters. I’m not gonna introduce them here, I think they all deserve their own posts.

Honestly for some reason I can’t picture this getting much traction, but that’s alright with me. I’m mainly just introducing it so people can have an idea of what I’m working on next, so I can talk about it some. But if you do want to be added to a taglist, just let me know somehow, kay? Love y’all, hope you’re having a lovely day/night.

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(Just for clarification I don’t own any of the individual pictures, I just own the edits of them.)

#wip: etnb #writeblr #writing #am writing #creative writing #my wip #wip intro #wip introduction #writblr #writing community #you know what’s weird? I’m so prepared for this thing. i know so much already but at the same time I feel like I don’t.

[keyofjetwolf]

PGSM has, for the moment, just devolved into me screaming about Rei or screaming about knitting, there’s no inbetween.

#JW watches PGSM #pgsm ep 19 #do i love this knitting subplot or curse it? #I CAN'T TELL ANYMORE

[letsbfrank4]

Book Review: Clockwork Prince

Rating: ☕☕☕☕☕

Title: Clockwork Prince Author: Cassandra Clare Series: The Infernal Devices Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fiction Pages: 498 Format: Hardcover

“’ Look well on this, my son… for one day I shall rule a clockwork kingdom of such beings, and you shall be its prince.’”- page 155

“I feel myself dissolving, vanishing into nothingness, for if there is no one in the world who cares for you, do you really exist at all?”- page 179

“’ I dreamed what you dreamed, wanted what you wanted—and then I realized that truly I just wanted you.’”- page 468

To continue with the next book in the Infernal Devices series I have decided to review the second book, Clockwork Prince. I’ve heard a lot of good things about this series and how some people think it is even better than the first series. I don’t know if I can agree with that thought yet but I have to say I really enjoyed reading this book. Just like the first book it was a little slow in the beginning but by the second half of the book it really starts to pick up speed. Now for the details. Warning: this review contains spoilers, please skip to the conclusion if you would like to avoid these (last paragraph starting with bold print).

As always with Clare’s books the characters are amazing. They are very detailed with rich back stories that keep growing, even more so, in this book. There is a ton of character development not only for the main character Tessa but for all the others as well. Emotions are brought to the surface, secrets are revealed, flaws are found, mistakes made, and some characters make a complete 180 from the beginning of the book to the end.

Clare’s books are at a great reading level so you can just sit back and enjoy the book. The main plot is simple to follow but the subplots of Will’s curse and Sophie’s romance are tailored perfectly to the story. Will’s curse explains a lot of his back story for which I have a feeling will play a big part in the next book. In addition, Sophie’s romantic relationship adds to the classic Victorian era romance that is a staple for that time period.

There is a tremendous amount of circular plot that happens in this book. It makes everything harmonize well and leaves readers feeling satisfied. My first example of this is when Tessa states that the first words she ever heard Jem say were “Will? Is that you, Will?” I was wondering why Clare decided to add this seemingly random bit of information until, later on, Will walks into Jem’s room and Jem says the exact same line. The first time Jem says this line is at the very start of this whole adventure, when Jem and Will were almost inseparable. Their relationship was so tightly knit. However, when Jem says the line again, when Will is coming into his room, the dynamic is very different. Their relationship is dissolving slowly from the love triangle with Tessa. So even though this is a sad part of the story this one line makes the situation really hit home. Branching off this example the same idea takes a broader point of view. In the first book and the beginning of this book it becomes clear that Jem is the only person Will lets in. Jem is the only person that knows who Will is deep down. Jem is all that Will has. By the end of the book, however, Will starts letting everyone in again. Will isn’t afraid of loving and being loved in return and he gains back almost everyone he has ever pushed away. Ironically, though, in the process Will ends up losing Jem. Because of the engagement and the tension it puts on their relationship Will closes himself off from Jem hiding, probably for the first time, his true feelings. Will always seems to have to sacrifice something he cares about which, even though is tragic, keeps the reader’s interest in Will as a character.

This book’s ending is not one of the happiest I have ever read but Clare does a great job by distracting the reader with something new and exciting. I am glad she does this because it doesn’t leave the bitter taste from the love triangle as the lasting thought before her next book. She gives the readers hope and a bright future, something to look forward to; she ends the book with starting a new chapter (so to speak).

One of the biggest aspects of this book that I did not like was the poems that would start in the beginning of each chapter. Yes, this is the Victorian Era and, yes, poetry plays a strong role in the story but I found it overall too distracting. If the poems had more significance or if there was a set pattern for the poems (all of them being related to the chapter titles instead of sometimes) I would understand that. However, I found myself starting to get annoyed by being jarred out of the story by having to read a few lines of poem, it felt like a pop up advertisement.

The cliché of the warlock potion was way too obvious. I knew that something was up when special attention was brought to the lemonade at the party. It is a given not drink strange and unknown beverage from someone you don’t trust at a seemingly shady party. It doesn’t take long to put two and two together. This could have been way more subtle.

There was also a huge character flew in Tessa when she runs over to her dying brother and doesn’t even give Will a second thought. I felt that no one in their right mind would actually do this. Anyone would think instantly of the wellness of the person who just saved their life by being a human shield, not to mention Will is a major love interest.  The thought would at least cross one’s mind. I don’t agree with the logic behind this decision. Nate may be her brother and Tessa may still love him but even that doesn’t make this choice make sense, especially, when her brother has been betraying her and working with the enemy for the entire book.

I would have also liked more story talking about the Magister. It wouldn’t have to be something revealed to the Shadowhunters. I just wanted some more back story and history to build of the villain in my mind. It would have been a nice touch.

With all this being said I really enjoyed the time I spent reading this book. Cassandra Clare knows what she is doing and knows how to work in the space she has created. I would recommend reading the first book in the trilogy otherwise you will be very lost. I would also recommend reading the previous series The Mortal Instruments but it is not absolutely necessary. Would I recommend this book? Yes. Would I recommend this series? Yes. Would I tell people to read her other series? Absolutely! Given the very strong character presence and plot flow of this book I would give Clockwork Prince a 5 out of 5 All-Nighter Worthy rating. I would also say the show Shadowhunters on FreeForm is really good as well, so feel free to check that out.

Otherwise…bookmarking this for now.

Summary: In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street—and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa’s powers for his own dark ends. 

With the help of handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister’s war on the Shadowhunters is a deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imaged. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister knows their every move—and that one of their own has betrayed them.

Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, though her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will—the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?

As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart.

#book blog #book review #bibliophile #bookworm #blogger #fiction #booklr #book critic #book critique #booklover #books #young adult #clockwork prince #cassandra clare #the infernal devices #the mortal instruments #shadowhunters

[aliteraryprincess]

Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

Warning: May contain spoilers

Since “The Twelve Dancing Princesses” is my favorite fairy tale, it’s fitting that I kick off Fairy Tale Friday with a retelling of it!  I originally read Princess of the Midnight Ball when I was in high school, and it was actually the first retelling of the tale I ever read.  I’m fond of it, so rereading it is always a pleasure!   

I’m breaking this post into three parts: the book as a retelling, my thoughts on the book as a whole, and related reading suggestions.  This is a new feature, so I’m naturally still experimenting with the format I want.  I might end up changing it for later posts.

As a Retelling:

Princess of the Midnight Ball is a fairly straight retelling of “The Twelve Dancing Princesses.”  George mostly draws on the German version of the story collected by the Brothers Grimm, which is generally the one people are familiar with.  She includes all the key elements: twelve princesses who wear out their shoes each night, a soldier with an invisibility cloak, many princes trying and failing to solve the mystery, a garden of silver trees, an underground lake and palace where the princesses dance each night, and a marriage at the end between the soldier and the eldest princess.

George does bring in some aspects from other variants of the tale.  The hero of the French and Romanian versions of the tale is a gardener instead of a soldier.  Galen in Princess of the Midnight Ball is both a soldier and a gardener.  After returning to Westfalin from the war in Analousia, Galen’s uncle gives him a job in the royal gardens.  The princesses also become dangerously ill but are still forced to continue dancing each night, which occurs in the similar Scottish tale “Kate Crackernuts” though with a prince instead of princesses. 

In some respects, “The Twelve Dancing Princesses” lends itself to retelling.  It provides authors with plenty of chances to be creative, especially in regards to the villain of the story.  The original story doesn’t actually have a villain, unless you count the princesses, who seem rather blasé about the trouble they’ve caused.  Some variants mention a curse, but it is very vague and we never learn who cursed them or why.  The German version of the story also does not include an explanation for the underground realm the princesses dance in.  Some do provide one, but they vary depending on the tale’s location; in the Scottish tale it is a fairy dance under a hill, in one Russian version it is the Accursed Tsar’s realm, and in the Hungarian variant it is Hell.

The lack of villain and vagueness about the underground realm allows authors to create characters and explanations that will suit the story they want to tell.  George creates the King Under Stone as her villain, a formerly human sorcerer who was trapped underground by twelve good magicians.  There is a whole backstory on how Under Stone forced the girls into dancing for him.  Their mother made a deal with him in order to have children and for Westfalin to win the war.  When she died, the terms of the bargain transferred to her daughters, which was Under Stone’s plan all along.  This backstory also provides explanations for other elements of the original story, such as a silver grove the princesses walk through.

The idea of the princesses being under a curse comes from original versions of the tale, such as the Romanian and French variants, though George greatly expands on it.  In the German version, there is no curse.  The princesses go dancing at night and refuse to reveal their secret because they want to.  They are completely happy with the arrangement despite the anguish they’re causing their father and the resulting deaths of everyone who tries to solve the mystery. Overall, they aren’t the most likable characters in the tale, and they would be even less likable in something as long as the novel.  By using the curse aspect, George ensures readers will sympathize with and root for her princesses.

George also gets creative with the fate of the unsuccessful suitors.  In the version I was given as a child, the punishment for failing to solve the mystery of the slippers is banishment from the kingdom.  In some variants of the story, the suitors are enchanted and go to dance in the underground realm as well.  In these versions, they marry the remaining princesses at the end.  However, in the German version, the punishment for failing the task is death.  This also does not make for sympathetic princesses or a sympathetic king, but George does not shy away from killing off the failed suitors.  Instead, she wraps this into the King Under Stone’s plot.  The suitors, who are princes from other countries, die only after leaving Westfalin in what appear to be terrible accidents, though it is actually Under Stone orchestrating each one.  Despite the seemingly accidental nature of the deaths, the royal family faces consequences from them, unlike the in the original tale.  The already tense foreign relationships become further strained, and the princesses are eventually accused of witchcraft.

My Thoughts:

As I mentioned, I’m very fond of this book, and I think it’s a great retelling.  George does a great job building off the elements from the original fairy tale.  I really like that she shows the consequences of the whole ordeal, both on the personal scale and the larger, political scale.  The princesses grieve over the dead princes even though they didn’t like most of them, and being forced to dance every night traumatizes them.  One of the youngest princesses can’t even hear the world “ball” without bursting into tears.  The deaths of the princes and the accusation of witchcraft raises the stakes higher and further increases the tension of the story.  A bishop from the Church comes to investigate the girls, their governess is arrested, and the people of the city begin a riot.

I think the two main characters, Galen and Princess Rose, are very likable. Galen is a genuinely good person; he just wants to help the princesses and has no ulterior motive.  He comes forward to solve the mystery without the expectation of the reward even though he’s completely in love with Rose at this point.  As much as I love bad boys and anti-heroes, it’s wonderful to see a male protagonist who is just actually nice.  Plus he knits, and that’s just adorable!  Rose is not just a damsel waiting to be rescued; she’s the leader among her sisters and tries to be strong for them.  She even comes up with the plan to try to get them out of the King Under Stone’s realm.  But despite her strength, we do see the cracks in her armor.  Sometimes she feels hopeless and sometimes she snaps at her sisters because she’s overwhelmed.  She’s a wonderful balance of strength and vulnerability, and it makes her feel real.

I have two main problems that keep this from being a five star read.  The first is the lack of development in the other princesses.  It’s a common problem in retellings of this story; I also noticed in in Entwined and The Thirteenth Princess.  Fleshing out each of the princesses plus the other characters in addition to telling an intriguing and fast-paced story is just difficult. I’ve found that the best way to get around it is to trim down the number of princesses, as Juliet Marillier does in Wildwood Dancing.  Most of the princesses other than Rose only have one defining quality, and some of them don’t even have that.  I can’t tell most of the middle princesses apart or even remember their names and places in the birth order.  While I understand why this happened, I would have liked to see them developed more.

My second problem is that certain aspects of the plot and subplots feel rushed.  The best example I can give is the romance between Lily, the second eldest princess, and Heinrich, Galen’s cousin.  While it is hinted at and even briefly mentioned a few times throughout the book, very little time is spent on it.  Heinrich is presumed dead until the final chapter, and we don’t really see Lily’s feelings about it.  We don’t know either of them well, so when Heinrich shows up at the end and they get together, it feels rushed.  While it’s not a major part of the story, I wish there had been more development of both their characters and their relationship.

My rating: 4 stars              

Other Reading Recommendations:

The starred titles are ones I have read myself.  The others are ones I want to read and may end up being future Fairy Tale Friday books.  To keep the list from getting too long, I’m limiting it to four that I’ve read and four that I haven’t.

Other Retellings of “The Twelve Dancing Princesses”:

Entwined by Heather Dixon*

Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier*

The Thirteenth Princess by Diana Zahler*

The Door in the Hedge by Robin McKinley*

The Firethorn Crown by Lea Doué

A Branch of Silver, A Branch of Gold by Anne Elisabeth Stengl

A Dance of Silver and Shadow by Melanie Cellier

The Phoenix Dance by Dia Calhoun

More Retellings by Jessica Day George:

Princess of Glass*

Princess of the Silver Woods

Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow*

About the Fairy Tale:  

Twelve Dancing Princesses Tales from Around the World by Heidi Anne Heiner*

Have a recommendation for me to read or a suggestion to make Fairy Tale Friday better?  Feel free to send me an ask!

#booklr #princess of the midnight ball #jessica day george #the twelve dancing princesses #aliteraryprincess fairy tale friday #fairy tale retellings #books #book photography

[yoolee]

Lucky be a Lady (or Laddie)

OKAY. I HAD A REALLY LONG DRIVE and there was actually like NO traffic for once so I could put my cruise control, and, since my speakers died and I could neither listen to radio nor books on tape like usual, I decided to come up with an otome game plot in all of its TRITE, CAMPY, UNABASHEDLY CLICHED GLORY.

(This is not edited, this is not thought through – this was voice-to-texted on a LONG DRIVE and I went through to at least make sure there were more or less coherent sentences)

OK.

SO.

MEET THE CHOSEN ONES. They are a very sweet old couple (Ferreole and Eula) now in their mid seventies, and they have a passel of grandchildren and their great grandchild being born is the impetus for their decision to FULLY RETIRE from the whole ‘Chosen One’ business.

Being a REASONABLE, LEVEL-HEADED, TOTALLY RATIONAL COUPLE that has stayed together through decades of knitting with magic wands and losing Excalibur with their golf clubs, they decide to leave it up to fate.

(Fate works BEST in subway stations, if you didn’t know, so they go to one)

WHERE YOU ARE.

YOU are an adjunct professor/post-doc in…something, idk, anthropology probably, and a series of totally random events in your morning (outlined in the prologue) mean that you get to the train station JUST in time to miss it.

So you sit down. And the sweet couple sitting there BEAM at you, and you can’t help but smile back, even as you commiserate – “Gosh, I just haven’t been having any luck lately.”

AND THEIR SMILES GET BIGGER

AND TA-DA.

YOU ARE THE CHOSEN ONE.  

Your new superpower is luck.

Unfortunately for you – luck can be either good or bad.

(And there we have the driving point for most of the subplots in the story.)

OKAY SO IT’S AN OTOME GAME LET’S GET TO THE LOVE INTERESTS

THE SUPER VILLAIN: Kind of a moody little shit. Only a super villain because of the family business so he kind of half asses it most days – just not really all that interested in it. BUT. He gets really pissed off when YOU half ass things like he calls up your sidekick to come pick you up, “Like why would I even bother with the vat of sharks if you're going to get tripped up by the first henchmen you come across you have a month to get better at this” and in the meantime he’ll stick to moderate evil stuff like moving people’s parking tickets so they get EVEN MORE.  His day job is probably has like a veterinarian or something because just because he hates people doesn't mean that animals aren’t cool. Probably listens to 90’s grunge music while he’s causing destruction. Holds great affection for your Magical Talking Animal Sidekick and can be distracted mid-battle by trying to offer it treats. 

YOUR SIDEKICK: So your sidekick is just generally super earnest and excited and like gungho golden boy/ golden retriever. He’s a lot smarter than he gets credit for, and knows everything there is to know because he's been in this business for a while since he's probably one of Eula and Ferreole’s grandbabies, but you know, queue tragic backstory or something, like he's probably super lonely because he knows all the stuff about the world that no one else knows so he can’t really connect with people. GOOD GRANDCHILD, visits them a lot and goes grocery shopping for them. Kind of a nerd, but also not AS bright as all you professor-types, and would rather stick to PUNCH THE BAD THING, but, has a knack for solving off-the-wall riddles and puzzles too.

THE MAD SCIENTIST/BEST FRIEND:  Inadvertently, but, you know every superhero story needs a mad scientist SO. She is a girl genius extraordinaire, youngest head of her department blah blah blah something like a physicist (astrophysicist? quantum mechanics?) Probably collects degrees cause it's fun but her experiments get a little bit questionably ethical? When they involve people? In other people’s routes you are kind of her guinea pig and she probably builds your armor and gadgets and stuff? And then starts go down a slippery slope in her own route. ANYWAY, she's hella smart (you're smart too, but she's like mad scientist genius smart so.)

VILLAINOUS SIDEKICK: The super villain is kind of pretty chill but THE SIDEKICK WOAH super mega angst issues hey, so, hates everything in the world and is just like biding his time and learning stuff that he can become his own super villain. He's going to probably actually be really fucking scary if he goes that route. ALSO because this is how luck and otome games work, he’s your teaching assistant for the semester LUCKY YOU and, you are not an idiot so you figure out that he's your teaching assistant pretty quickly but considering the most evil thing that he could possibly do would be to leave you to create your own midterms, you keep him around. AND EVERYONE DESERVES AN EDUCATION and he’d lose his stipend if you fired him he’s the bad guy not you OKAY? You probably both get in a shit ton of trouble all the time because you fight (like, have this big epic battles and then lab, and oh god, no, I’m not cleaning this up, well you’re the TA, yeah well you’re the responsible adult YOU do it) anyway total jerk, yes.

GRUMPY CIVILIAN BARTENDER: Every good superhero needs a bartender because they deal with a lot of shit and alcohol (sometimes, for some people, including heroine) helps, so grumpy civilian dude or lady or NB, basically their function is to serve you alcohol and listen to you lament while offering sarcastic advice. They are probably the earnest sidekick’s best friend and to balance out all of that happy cheerful excitement they are super grumpy as established by the name grumpy civilian bartender. They take care of you but they also are probably more antihero than anything, so, the advice they give is skewed towards BAD THINGS. Absolutely nothing magical or (un)lucky ever happens in their bar. You’re pretty sure it’s cursed. Or blessed. It’s hard to tell?

JOURNALIST:  Possibly a journalist because no superhero story seem to know of a journalist or better yet like social media fan like a person who makes your page to be a fan of your childhood friend I don't know

SUPPORTING CAST

FERREOLE & EULA: They were the chosen ones until they dumped that on you (lucky you—literally) they are in their mid-70s and retired and they kind of show up on and off to give you advice but they're busy enjoying their retirement. Their room of collected Stuff has all kinds of things – reality checks (they bounce), crystal balls, poker chips, a pegasus, fishing gear, orbs of time, etc. etc…

SOME MAGICAL ANIMAL, PROBABLY A DUCK OR POSSUM: So of course you have a magical talking animal to guide you because what is a good story about magic and superheroes without a robot and/or animal and animals are cuter in terms of sprites so it's probably like a POSSUM or something random because you're that kind of special I guess. Probably a talking duck. You are stuck at something super ridiculous as a result of your bad luck—like a cat would be nice and normal to carry around and no one will question you talking to your cat but everyone has all kinds of questions when you try and carry a possum or duck into your house.

THE APP USERS: Halfway through the story Ferreole and Eula call you to say ask if hey you've downloaded the chosen one app yet and you're like what the fuck there's an app and they're like of course there is this is the 21st-century you didn't think you'd have to do this all by yourself? Right. That's bullshit we have Wikipedia now. So, the APP USERS. People who have done fairies favors and people who have brushed up against the other side who have dreams that come true sometimes or see spirits and shadows move where others don't they show up sometimes because your LUCK means you will just cross paths as needed.

#if lee wrote an otome game #I am so tired #another five hour drive in...72 hours ish #nonsense ramblings to keep myself entertained on the road

[mysticdragon3md3]

md3 watches Ascendance of a Bookworm eps2-4

2:45 PM 12/4/2019

Ascendance of a Bookworm Episode 2 – Life Improvements and Slates

I feel less compellted to stop the ep every few minutes to write my reaction notes, since I already watched these clips before on YOuTube.  I feel like I can finally relax and watch this series.  I should watch spoilers more often.  LOL  

I've been warry for a little while now, but I wonder if this is it...  I've been seeing AniTube vids latey alluding to "that scene" from this series.  Though I have no idea what they're talking about, it sounds like something problematic sprang up in the story.  And more and more, I wonder if it's this romance that the show is pushing between Main (I don't like that Crunchyroll spelling; my brain keeps wanting to read "main") and Lutz.  I mean, if they take that to fruition without time skips, then that means this adult lady from our world, trapped in the body of a 5 year old, will be in a romantic relationship with a 5 year old boy from this fantasy world.  O____o;;;;;;;;;;;;  I hope they don't do that.  ...But knowing how often incest has been pushed as the romantic subplot, more often in anime this past decade or so....I'm afraid that may be the case.  x__x;  I really hope I'm just being paranoid!  ;o;!  

Also, this whole shampoo/sniffing hair reminds me of when I was younger and I did understand that it's weird/intrusive if a guy does that to a girl.  Up until that point in my life, women had frequently commented on my shampoo scent and sniffed my hair.  And I just came to learn that it must be a normal thing.  Then the first time a guy asked if he could sniff my hair, my first thought was, "Well, I don't want to change my response, just because of his gender."  I had spent a lot of my childhood sexist against males, and I was trying very hard to grow out of it.  So I let him pick up a lock of my hair and sniff it.  Granted, my hair was so freaking long that even picking it up, kept him at a good 3-4 foot distance away from me.  So I didn't realize it was anything considered intimate.  But in retrospect, and after guys kept approaching me more than once in the hardware store, while I was still in my church clothes,...What kind of weirdo chases after girls running errands in a store, whenever she happens to be in a nice dress, then strikes up random conversations and asks to sniff her hair?!  In retrospect, that was weird.  And as an asexual, I am retroactively creeped-out.  

3:15 PM 12/4/2019

Well, Crunchyroll crashed during the commercial break again.  Do I have to stop watching now?  Like I did yesterday during Dr. Stone?  ;o;?  If this keeps happening, maybe I'll just watch fansubs on YouTube.  ;_;  I really don't want to though!  I'll try reloading the page and see if it'll let me skip to the middle of the episode, where I left off.  

3:31 PM 12/4/2019

She forgot her papyrus idea?

Well, I'm not going to wait through another commercial break that'll probably crash or buffer like all the others.  I'm going straight to the next episode.  And I just hope there isn't more to ep2 besides the ending theme and previews.

3:32 PM 12/4/2019

Ascendance of a Bookworm Episode 3 – The Events of Winter

omg Give Main some tools!  LOL  

Aw, poor Turi.  She should be proud of all the things she was able to help Main do, that Main so obviously couldn't do alone.  Instead she feels sad that Main is better at weaving than her. ;_;

I learned a long time ago that age doesn't matter, just experience.  Being the older sister isn't some kind of automatic hierarchy that makes you naturally better at everything vs your younger sister.  I have so much social anxiety that I've been paralyzed with inexperience for most of my life, so growing up, it was only logical to me that my outgoing sister had lots of experience and capabilities that I couldn't do.  I never felt sore at her about it.  Instead I recognized that I could rely on her to help me with the things she did better than me.  I just got lucky that the pseudo-philosophical blabbering I naturally do is for some reason very useful to her (per her words).  Sisters is a team thing, not a hierarchy.

Gotta say, there's a lot of scenes in this anime that suddenly stop.  Like I expect the characters to do an action, but they freeze instead.  I know there's a lot of limited animation and a series needs to save their budget.  But this series does it so well, that during the times when they cut corners, it's really unexpected.  Not bad, which is what makes their choices for when to place the limited animation, still good direction.  Just unexpected, after the series/episode has been able to fool you so far, with the other limited animation corner cutting it placed so well that it was unnoticable.  It didn't impede the natural flow of the episode/series so far.  It's pretty impressive.  ^-^!  Like when Turi was warming the parue tree's branch to pick the fruit, or when Lutz was about to flip the pancake/paruecake.  

I love that Main straight up called her dad's jealousy by acting innocent.  

I love when Main talks like an adult in that tiny body.  LOL  "I'm not the type of person to work without compensation."  LOL Wow.  She really had him make a crochet hook.  I thought she'd use knitting needles instead.  Ambitious!

LOL  Her dad's so silly!  LOL  

4:04 PM 12/4/2019

Ok.  No time for ending credits or ending themes.  I gotta get on with my day.  

4:58 PM 12/4/2019

Ascendance of a Bookworm Episode 4 – Forests and Clay Tablets

Back from my daily walk.  Maybe I can watch this ep without sitting and typing at my laptop?  (Feh.  Heard that one beofre. x_x; )  

"Officially going there to learn to read and write."  Yosha!!!!!!!!!

I keep forgetting Main's dad is the captain.  lol

When I first saw this scene on YouTube, I was confused because I thought clay soil was most prevalent around water.  o.o?  Isn't it that layer that's usually exposed on the sides of creeks and rivers? But in this series Main says, "He took em to a spot with very little vegetation ro drainage." I'll have to research later.  

"With books, you can learn what people in the past were thinking, and experience so much mroe than you normally could in an average lifespan."  Damn straight.  Whenever spoilsports start denegrating 2nd hand experience and blabbing on about how "you can only really learn stuff first-hand" and whatever, I always end up shouting, "Then what the hell are libraries for!?!"  Second-hand experiences have value, damn it!  "Experience so much more than you normally could in an average lifespan."

Why is their first instinct to jump onto those tablets when they didn't know what they were?!  This is why there are so many fairtales about people doing random stupid stuff, then getting cursed!

I didn't expect them to introduce magic like this.  Why is she glowing?

Well, because they owed her, now she has more hands to produce more clay.  

Damn.  Rain.  

Oh no!  No no no no no no!  As somone who as tried to speed up ceramics baking by cheating with fireplaces and ovens before the actual kiln, please don't just toss your clay tablets into a stove fire!  o~o!!!

...and kablamo.  ^^;;;;

5:28 PM 12/4/2019

Well, that's enough new anime for right now.  I've got stuff to do.  

#reactions #md3 watches ascendance of a bookworm

[irrationallyoptimistic-blog1]

this month: 6 books

all the light we cannot see by anthony doerr

the glass castle by jeannette walls

a wrinkle in time quintet by madeleine l’engle

wicked like a wildfire by lana popović

a darker shade of magic by v.e. schwab

zero repeat forever by g.s. prendergast

see below the readmore for brief descriptions and my thoughts on each book !

purchased:

yes, i know it’s almost christmas. yes,  i know i asked for pretty much just books for christmas. but i still bought some ! these are books that weren’t on my list, but called to me while i was looking around.  i ordered them a day or two before i left for maryland and by the time i got home, there they were ! in addition to the ones below, i also ordered the other mrs. walker by mary paulson-ellis. it’s supposed to come in january, so i’ll talk about that one then. everything in this category i ordered from amazon, the og online bookstore.

all the light we cannot see by anthony doerr:

so i’ve been hearing about this one for a while -- mostly from booktube. at first i remember thinking that maybe this wasn’t the book for me, but goddamn does that title sound good. it ended up being on sale on amazon, so i picked it up and decided to give it a try. reading the blurb now, i’m actually super into it? if i had just seen it on the shelf at a bookstore and read the back, i totally would have gotten it.

it’s set in world war ii era france, and centers on two kids on opposite sides of the conflict (if kids can even be on sides) who come together in “the walled citadel of saint-malo” (i LOVE walled citadels btw, always a sucker for those) and learn how to live in a world tainted by such an immediate tragedy.

this is definitely on the to-read list, but it’s not as high as the other (million) books on there. it’s one of those books where i’m going to have to wait for the right mood to strike to read this one.

the glass castle by jeannette walls:

another one i’ve heard a lot about. i think the first place i heard about this memoir was from a teacher in middle school who had just read it, and even then i was captivated by the premise. i never had a chance to pick it up until now when goodreads suggested it to me while i was doing some late-night book-shopping and i decided it was finally time.

jeannette walls writes about her family -- her parents’ inability to provide or nurture, and later their inexplicable refusal to accept help from their now-adult children.

honestly, this blurb alone really resonated with me. my dad moved around a LOT when he was a kid because his mom couldn’t hold down a job or make payments on the houses, and walls’s early childhood seems really similar. also, a major point in the blurb is the close-knitness of jeannette and her siblings. i have three sisters and after a #unfortunateseriesofevents (the hashtag is not silent) in our childhoods we’re all super close and would do absolutely anything for each other.

all in all, i’m super excited to read this memoir. it seems fascinating, and i’ve heard the writing is incredible. i am expecting to cry during this one. (UPDATE: read it. loved it. will post a review later.)

a wrinkle in time quintet by madeleine l’engle:

oh, madeleine l’engle. i read i think the first three books when i was a kid and never managed to make it to the last two. i reread the first one mayyybe a year ago? but never tried to go on to the other ones. i absolutely loved meg and identified really heavily with her, and this was one of those books that really defined my personality as a kid.

now, i’ve had some good and some bad experiences rereading books i loved as a kid, especially series. the phantom tollbooth held up, while the chronicles of narnia did not. turns out the whole thing is just the bible but with lion jesus. but i think this one’ll go over well. if i do read it soon, it’ll probably be all in a row during this break. it’s the kind of thing you’ve got to read all at once.

gifts:

every year i ask for books. every year my mom’s like “no, are you sure? don’t you want something other than books?” every year i’m like, no. just books. this year i went a step forward and provided her with my list of books i’ve been meaning to pick up. she delivered. thanks mom. just a note: the way i put books on that list is i see them (often on booktube !) and think to myself, huh, that looks neato. it’s not a hard list to get onto, so sometimes i don’t actually know anything about the book. it’s a fun guessing game.

wicked like a wildfire by lana popović:

first: love her name. like, as a whole. it’s a lovely name. second: love the cover. it’s a lovely cover. that’s probably how it got onto the list.

iris and malina live with their mother in a small village in montenegro. just like the rest of the women in their family, they have what they call gleams: iris perceives fractals in flowers and renders the designs in glass. malina hears the moods of people around her as though they were music. their mother jasmina has forbidden them to reveal their gleams. iris and malina of course decide that life is not for them. and then their mother is attacked and the girls unleash a curse on themselves. it happens.

reading the blurb, it definitely appeals to me. i’m really really hoping it focuses on iris and malina’s relationships with each other and their family, because no love interest is really mentioned in the blurb? and like, i know that there’ll probably be some kind of romantic subplot. but i’m hoping it’s minor, because everything else sounds far more interesting. also curious where the title comes from? the second book also has a fiery name, so. fire probably plays some kind of role in the series. probably. 

a darker shade of magic by v.e. schwab:

my best friend loves ve schwab. for almost a year she’s been recommending her books to me. i finally caved. well. i already had it on the list, my mom buying it for me just propelled it up my tbr.

kell travels between londons. grey london (mundane, ruled by a crazy king), red london (where magic is life and life is magic), and white london (slowly being destroyed by a magical war). he also smuggles things to and from these londons. where he doesn’t go, where no one goes, is black london. so when he ends up with an artifact from black london, it’s not exactly a great find. running into delilah bard, who robs him, then saves him, then makes him smuggle her between londons, doesn’t exactly improve the situation.

this sounds great actually ! i trust my friend’s taste, it just usually takes me forever to get to her recs. by this point i should really know that she’s got my number when it comes to fantasy books. smuggling? yes. what sounds like a very well-developed political and sociological system? yes. i’ll probably get to this one sooner rather than later.

zero repeat forever by g.s. prendergast:

uhh to be honest i did not remember putting this one on my list. neither the cover nor the blurb ring a bell. probably made it on there during a late night booktube viewing when i was avoiding studying for finals.

raven and her fellow campers can’t do anything. they’re trapped at a summer camp of all places when the nahx invade. raven is not exactly satisfied, but more forced, to remain helpless and without recourse. until her boyfriend is killed. on the opposite side, eighth has only one mission: to protect his partner. and then she’s killed. eighth and raven are on opposing sides of a battle that neither wants to be in. so why are they so strongly attracted to each other?

gonna be honest here folks. this book sounds very heterosexual. like, aggressively straight. like, i would not have picked it up at a bookstore after reading the inside cover. maybe it’s the men with numbers for names, but the tone almost reads like divergent to me? i’m not sure. just the vibe it gives off. i’m holding out hope that even if it is mostly focused on the romance, it’s well-developed, and the setting and plot are worth it.

#bookblr #book #book haul #reading #ve schwab #a darker shade of magic #all the light we cannot see #anthony doerr #zero repeat forever #gs prendergast #a wrinkle in time #madeleine l'engle #wicked like a wildfire #lana popovic #the glass castle #jeannette walls