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jessread-s · 4 months

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Thanks to @epicreads for providing me with a finished copy in exchange for an honest review

✩🫧🌸Review:

The stakes continue to heighten as Mafi slowly builds on her explosive series.

“All This Twisted Glory” picks up where the second installment leaves off with Alizeh searching for ways to fulfill her destiny as the heir to the Jinn throne. Cyrus, the ruler of Tulan, has offered his kingdom to her with one stipulation: she has to marry him and when time comes, take his life. His past is soaked in blood, so killing him should be easy, but the more she learns about him, the harder it is for her to believe he is the monster he makes himself out to be. What’s more, Prince Kamran arrives in Tulan ready to exact his revenge and he makes her an offer she can’t ignore.

With Kamran in Tulan, Alizeh’s two love interests are at odds. She finds herself being pulled in two different directions, unsure whether she should follow her heart or do what’s best for her people. Her inner conflict is so well done and Mafi doesn’t reveal who Alizeh will end up with until the very end, which kept me on my toes.

The addition of Cyrus’ point-of-view in this book allows readers to gain more insight into his character. While we are still left in the dark about the deal he made with Ibees, details about his past are slowly made known that shed light on the person he might have been if it weren’t for the devil’s intervention. His old hopes, dreams, and ambitions in addition to the torture he endures at Iblees’ hand add depth to his character and make him more sympathetic. The reader also gets to see just how deeply he feels for Alizeh and how tormented he is by Kamran’s interactions with her.

Because Mafi spent a lot of time establishing the country of Tulan in “These Infinite Threads”, I expected more action in this book. In actuality, this was not the case. The majority of the book focuses on the palpable tension between Karman, Cyrus, and Alizeh instead of larger conflicts like the war between Tulan and Ardunia as well as the Jinn prophecy Alizeh must fulfill. The killer cliffhanger, however, proves that a lot is in store for book 4 and I cannot wait to see what Mafi has up her sleeves!

Cross-posted to: Instagram | Amazon | Goodreads | StoryGraph

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battyaboutbooksreviews · 1 month

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🦇 Late Bloomer Book Review 🦇

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

❓ #QOTD What's your favorite type of flower? ❓ 🦇 After winning the lottery, Opal Devlin puts all her money in a failing flower farm, only to find an angry (albeit gorgeous) Pepper Boden already living there. Though she's unable to find her grandmother's will, Pepper claims she's the rightful owner of Thistle and Bloom Farms. While they agree to cohabitate, Opal and Pepper clash at every turn. Can something softer blossom between these polar opposites, allowing a new dream to take root and grow?

💜 Oh. My. (Sappho.) Goddess. You may think you know Mazey Eddings' writing style, but I assure you, you do not. Many of us read The Plus One and/or Tily in Technicolor last year, but truly, Eddings has far exceeded herself with this one. As a neurodiverse author, Eddings' stories often have some element of neurodiversity / mental health, shining a light on the different ways people's brains work while embracing those differences through beautiful, realistic characters. Opal and Pepper are no different, both on the spectrum yet unique in their behaviors and view of the world. These women are not predictable, pre-programmed components of a story; they are ever-blooming, learning how to plant roots alongside one another, share sunlight, and rise despite being different species. Both plants, growing and adapting to different elements, yet very much the same. While Opal and Pepper have always struggled to fit in with the world around them, they manage to cultivate a safe, healthy garden for one another.

💜 This is one of those overwhelming, layered, awe-inspiring sapphic stories that will tug at your heartstrings long after you read it. Eddings' language leaps off the page, making it a little reminiscent of One Last Stop (be still, my little sapphic heart). I've beyond annotated Late Bloomer, when I'm usually selective about choosing quotes. You don't just see love blossom between these two women; you feel it. It made me smile, laugh, get all messy and misty-eyed. As I said, neither woman is predictable. Opal feels directionless at the story's start, allowing her (fake) best friend and (on/off) ex to step all over her. I expected her to be the wallflower, especially with the BITE we see from Pepper (pun unintended) in her first chapter, but the two balance each other out. When Pepper feels uncertain or anxious, Opal steps forward, bold and unwavering. When Opal begins to crumble, Pepper holds her up. They support each other, never allowing the other to wilt.

💙 Unfortunately, this book relies heavily on miscommunication. Both women are eager to hide their real feelings at the risk of scaring the other. That lack of communication continues until almost the last chapter.

🦇 Recommended for fans of One Last Stop and Imogen, Obviously. Side note: please, please read the author's note. Good goddess.

✨ The Vibes ✨ 🌼 Neurodivergency/Autism Spectrum 🌸 Sapphic Romance 🌷 Grief/Healing 🌹 Forced Proximity ⚡ Spicy/First Time 🪻 Cottage Core Vibes 🪻 One Bed ⚡ Touch Her and You Die 🌹 Dual POV 🌷 Miscommunication 🌸 Flower Competition 🌻 Grumpy/Sunshine

🦇 Major thanks to the author @mazeyeddings and publisher for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. #LateBloomer

💬 Quotes ❝ I’m constantly trying to define myself, to fit nicely and neatly into the boxes and spaces I attempt to occupy. All I’ve ever really wanted to do was belong. Somewhere. Anywhere. ❞ ❝ Slowly, she leans toward me, and my heart pounds so violently in my chest that my head swims. Is she . . . It almost seems like she’s going to press that smile to my mouth. Teach me how it tastes. ❞ ❝ I gave up perfection in any other aspect of my life long ago. It’s simply not possible with a brain like mine. But my art is different; it’s the better version of me, the one I wish people could know me by. ❞ ❝ Ah. There’s the you I missed. ❞ ❝ I used to stress over finding a label that fit me. Lesbian. Bisexual. Pan. Demi . . . I’ve filtered through them all many times over, none ever feeling quite right. Just say queer and move on with your life, Diksha finally told me late one night after what was probably my sixth sexual identity crisis of my early twenties. But what does that mean? I’d wailed, draining more boxed wine into my plastic cup. My brain loves order and labels and concise frameworks to understand things, and not knowing where I fit feels unbearable. It means you’re you, and only you get to decide who you like and when you like them, Tal had said from their chair in the corner. The name of your feelings isn’t anyone’s business but yours. ❞ ❝ But instead, she reaches out to me— opening her hand like a flower unfurling its petals to the sun. I stare at it. The ink stains and calluses and chipped nails and bitten cuticles. For a moment, that hand looks like a second chance. ❞ ❝ Fuck anything and anyone that made you have to survive instead of live. You deserve a life so peaceful it feels deliciously boring. A life filled with flowers and sunny days and people that show you all the time that you’re valued and worthy. You deserve it all.” ❞ ❝ “Her poems spoke softly— as intimately as confessions between lovers—about the terrible, wonderful ache of being in love.” ❞ ❝ Messy and radiant and ours. ❞

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holygroundgone · 2 months

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On the incredibly heated debate of "who's cock is bigger, luo binghe or mo ran?" I will always rule in favor of luo binghe on the metric of mo ran's dick immensity having never caused him grief

#truescholar.txt #now i won't lie the circumstances were dire however even in his most dire of states chu wanning was able to survive mo ran's cock #at its cruelest and most evil #and i would also consider chu wanning an especially tight person; shen yuan won't win that competition #however it is also necessary to take into account technique and lubrication methods #however taxian jun would've been going at it as raw and rough as possible so in that regard even bingmei's lack of experience wouldn't #be necessary to take into account #IN ADDITION there is of course the 'chu wanning pussy' factor in which i can argue that very little would change if chu wanning had a pussy #the entire time 'see; coquettish smell emanating from his undergarments' and frankly i see shen yuan/shen qingqiu as someone with a dick-#but anyways all of that is a completely moot point given that it wasn't just the dick that killed him in that scene (barely remembering) it #was xin mo's out of control energy he channelled out of luo binghe's body through dual cultivation and-#anyways all of that aside i do truly believe luo binghe has the bigger dick but he is burdened by it whereas #mo ran just has a massive fucking cock that has gotten rave reviews and he is confident in using it #congratulations chu wanning!!!! congratulations shen yuan!!!!

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biblically-accurate-soup · 4 months

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“if you are trying to be a phd candidate in a social science field why the fuck are you studying math for fun” because i’m quirky and hot. next question.

#uriel posting #currently doing a crash course review of calc 1 and 2….. inverse trig function integrals are like a divorced lover who i still yearn for #to me.#mathblr #i guess #i think i’m mainly just pissed that i went from having the most legendary math instructors ever #to getting the 1-2 bad instructor combo and being turned off from the field for a bit #‘oh i used to be good and math and love it’ (<- he still does)#recently realized i can just. do it on my own #i was homeschooled i pretty much taught myself math from a textbook grades 6-10 #(parents consist of a former math major and mechanical engineer. i wasn’t starved for resources they were there if i needed help)#(also did dual credit grades 11 and 12. goated math instructors of all time i miss them every day)#i have so much power now. i can learn anything i want to forever #<- guy about to become the most insufferable man in the universe #you mean i can just get the textbook from the library. about anything ?#not just math. i have realized i can do this for whatever. guy who is gonna learn about art history and is so excited #if i could i’d just stay in school forever and get 83 degrees #alas #this also loops around to my philosophy that anyone anywhere should be able to learn whatever they want #i will keep you updated on how this process goes 🫡 i am keeping notes incase anyone after me is interested #god. i’m gonna be That Guy (derogatory)#‘i always wished i had majored in classics. i always enjoyed it’ can i interested you in a google document with links and a drive folder

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quietbluejay · 11 days

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Decided to take break from work to read Promethean Sun, it's a snack sized novella so it was what 30-40min?

A cheap price to pay to know never to read anything by Nick Kyme ever again. And it did give me distraction from the pain. I've read worse, it's true, but at this point i feel like it'll be hard to top False Gods, lmao, so I'll basically always be able to say "I've read worse". (BLACK LIBRARY THIS IS NOT A CHALLENGE)

I still don't understand what happened. Is what Lexicanum says right??? (I got the dude being actually the Emperor, it's the why Vulkan went full burn them all mode at the end I'm still ??? on)

Only good part was:

Exodite Eldar Psyker Lady, you had 2 scenes, maybe 30s of page time and no dialogue but in my head you managed to escape with your large dinosaur and lived to fight another day...

#i should have listened to the reviews #bluejay reads warhammer #anyways lightning throwing dual wielding dinosaur riding exodite woman should have become a recurring antagonist #at the least #im making her sound much cooler than the book was #do not read promethean sun for her

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melloggd · 6 months

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Review: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies

Capcom • Capcom • 2013 • Nintendo 3DS Read it on Backloggd: (x)

As fans of the series are likely well aware, this fifth game marked the point when a new team took over Shu Takumi's darling mainline series of murder-mystery games. Takumi was preoccupied with Ghost Trick, the Professor Layton crossover game, and later Great Ace Attorney, and the team he previously led for the series' fourth game had kind of just dissolved after finishing up. So, the team behind the spinoff Ace Attorney Investigations duology ended up taking the reigns of the main series. What this boils down to is, that this marked the first time that two different teams were making Ace Attorney games in parallel with one another: The Investigations team now making this game, led by Takeshi Yamazaki, and Takumi's team releasing The Great Ace Attorney just two years later.

The reason for leading with this context, is because I find the contrast between these games to be inherently fascinating. That despite being fundamentally "the same kind of game" they had such different directions as to lead to two wholly different experiences for wholly different players.

Looking at Takumi's games and history in interviews, its clear to me that he values "The Puzzle" above all else (he IS a magician in training, fun fact!). The feeling of working things out in your head, drawing conclusions wholly on your own and submitting your answer to see the game react in amazement at your ability. Ghost Trick and the existence of Herlock Sholmes in general make this the most apparent, but in my eyes "The Puzzle" is only a piece of what makes Ace Attorney what it is, and it is only thanks to Takumi's direction that it has become a focus in his games.

All this build-up, is just to say this: Yes, Dual Destinies easily has the least interesting gameplay in the series. Yes, it will often make it plainly obvious what the solution to a puzzle is, moments before its time to submit the answer. BUT: I believe this is because Yamazaki's priorities were elsewhere in production. In my eyes, Dual Destinies focuses far more on its own narrative, mysteries and character drama than it does puzzle-solving, detective sleuthing and experimenting with game mechanics. This in my eyes is neither "better" nor "worse": Its just the result of a CHANGE in direction. But it IS a change that happens to be to my preference.

For instance: There's no Soseki Natsume-type case here that, as Takumi loves to do, exists SOLELY to be a fun puzzle to unravel. Instead every case feels as if it has more of a point to it narratively, having them all fit together well thematically. Characters return, dynamics are explored, themes reinforced in interesting ways and generally I rarely got the sense that--story-wise-- my time was being wasted with any of the cases I was playing. This was an issue I felt plagued AA3, despite its attempt to be dramatic and conclusive. Its mainly because of this new direction that I feel Case 2 in this game is the worst one: It seems intentionally set up like a "puzzle-box" mystery typical of the most devious puzzles in AA1-3, yet as I've explained that kind of focus is not one Dual Destinies typically wants to have.

Because of the baggage that both the series' prior game and Capcom high-ups gave the team, Dual Destinies' story was almost destined to be one that attempted a lot of things, yet I don't think I could have predicted that it'd pull those things and more off...surprisingly well. I know the whole "Dark Age of the law" setting has been derided by a lot of fans, but what I found especially commendable with this direction was that they used it as a tool to go in and clean up a lot of things that...Apollo Justice just kind of handwaved away. Like...if Phoenix was disbarred and shunned away from the law world for seven years, how was he able to set up all that he does to take down Kristoph in the end of Apollo Justice, including the debut of the wholly untested Jury system? Why was Phoenix so casually doing extremely shady things both in the development of this system and while in court in Case 1? And, of course: Why was a supposedly story about Apollo becoming the new face of Justice instead written to secretly be about Phoenix being this mastermind?

By retroactively framing Apollo Justice as ALSO taking place during this Dark Age, suddenly things begin to click: Apollo defending nothing but criminals in that game becomes more than a neat coincidence, and Case 3 in that game suddenly becomes more about showing that corruption. The grimy world of Apollo Justice aside, I find all the cases in Dual Destinies in some subtle way show how the perception of the law has changed (which is a big part as to why Case 3 is my favorite in the game). The world itself hasn't changed: People's perception of it has. Culprits commit crimes not because they're in a position of power to where they're able to get away with it (AA1) or because they seek revenge (AA2), but simply because they now feel its the easiest way to solve their situation: because the current law system will not catch or punish them. Kristoph in AA4 is an excellent, shining example of this, going to lunatic lengths to commit a crime because he knows that a law world run the way it is in this age will never catch him.

Dual Destinies shows a world where people see little benefit in being truthful, because their "champions of truth" in the most recent times were also the ones who used fake evidence in a murder trial, who defended nothing but criminals for a whole game's time, who deprioritized their duty as a lawyer over playing in a rock band - and one of them was even convicted of murder themselves.

That's a really cool yet understated part of Dual Destinies: Almost every character, new or old, are hiding away the truth or their true selves, not because they have done anything, but because they are afraid of what will happen once that truth is revealed. They're scared of what honesty will do to themselves, their relationships, and their careers, and instead keep it to themselves. Because to them, what happened to Phoenix, their guiding light in an unjust world, seven years ago, was the truth about him coming out, and as soon as it did his career and public perception of the law plummeted. This feeds into Blackquill's backstory as well and how he willingly turned himself in as a murderer, rather than having him be exposed: The moment these guardians of the law world come clean about their honest nature, the world came crumbling down, thus a world of secrecy and distrust was seen as the only way to live.

In terms of playable characters, I feel like the 3DS Home Menu diorama best showcases the game's direction: With Phoenix's story now told (and told again) with AA1-4, and Apollo having been introduced, its his and Athena's story now being told with Phoenix as mentor and motivation. Apollo and Athena are shown fighting in court, with Phoenix at home in the office. This is even reflected in the ending cutscene of the game, with Apollo and Athena being the ones celebrating as Phoenix just watches and smiles. The Dual Destinies the title is referring to is the two young lawyers overcoming their inner doubts and no longer hiding from the truth, no matter how scary it may sound, thanks to the help of their mentor, channeling Mia's positive mentorship.

I've heard people (mainly Athena fans) say the game feels crowded because of the trio-setup, but I find everyone gets a very comfortable slot in to tell the cohesive story. Phoenix is a passive figure as the plot delves into Athena's life alongside Apollo's inner turmoil. Given that AA4 didnt really...establish much of any goal for Apollo beyond meaningless family relations, this game works as a springboard for him, with a character moment so perfectly executed and befitting of him that he shot to the top of character popularity polls after launch. Following AA4 up with another game just starring Phoenix and Apollo and..."exploring" those family relations could've been a safe and easy direction to go in, yet Yamazaki's team committed to an ambitious idea of two kinds of character growth: DUAL DESTINIES, so to speak.

This is why I don’t mind Apollo’s “new backstory” in this game being so brief and, in a sense, discardable. Because the point of the backstory is to drive his actions and growth as a character: Not to give him a goal to pursue. You aren't meant to sympathize with him on a personal, "I-knew-how-good-of-a-guy-your-friend-was" level, because you're just observing the mental effects its having on Apollo, and trying to help him from the perspective of two people who really don't know the pain he's going through. Its what starts his internal turmoil and it does that well.

And putting a bow atop of it all is presentation that feels almost a cut above Ace Attorneys typical stellar pedigree: The composer of AA3 paired with the sound director of AA4 leads to whats pretty easily my favorite sound in the series, narrowly beating Great Ace Attorney purely by the element of variety. One of my biggest issues with AA4 was just how...dislikable a lot of the interacting cast was (again, is retroactively made more interesting with the Dark Age framing), and Dual Destinies remedies this with some absolute top-of-the-line new favorites (Simon + Case 3 my beloved) All the characters animate beautifully, and I admire the restrictions the team placed on themselves regardless: Characters like Filch and Fulbright will still snap to animations to retain the snappy timing of the original games, something I felt The Great Ace Attorney was comparatively lacking in due to reliance of "natural" motion-capture.

But then we come back to that point, that interesting contrast in direction: The Great Ace Attorney’s character models have far more detail and a whole new sense of fluidity, giving it more of a sophisticated feel, wheras Dual Destinies’ more simple designs and harsh cuts lend themselves to a different vibe altogether. The game’s anime cutscenes are a great example of this. The simpler designs lend themselves nicely to the occasional shift, and it does wonders to help drive the story. TGAA gets half as much cutscene runtime and accomplishes precious little with it, mostly just feeling jarring and out of place; Again, different direction.

So let's summarize: A fantastic story that retroactively makes the Ace Attorney game I have the most issues with click better and established three Top-5 favorite characters, paired with the best soundtrack in the series and a really nice visual direction for the mainline AA series. And crucially, while as I explained before the game fumbles in puzzle design, it NEVER shows its hand too early. This is my distinction between “the puzzle” mentioned earlier and "the mystery”, and the mystery is always excellently paced out across each case whilst driving a good story to boot. The points at which the game nudges you toward what to pick aren’t several steps before said event occurs, but rather often right after a major new unveiling has happened within the story. THIS is why the handholdy design doesn’t bother me.

Neither Takumi or Yamazaki had an easy task on their hands. Takumi had to introduce and build a whole new world, knowing full well it and its new characters, story and games would likely always live in the shadow of what would occur in the mainline series. Yamazaki, on the other hand, had to tie together the tangled web that Apollo Justice established, and carry the torch of the mainline series forward with a wholly new team with a distinct new flavor for the series, whilst also making an impactful game in its own right for both new fans and old. The results of both efforts are ones that, in a way falter where the other succeeds. Dual Destinies just so happened to land on the side of the pond that I happen to vibe just a bit more with, with all due respect paid to Takumi’s equally impressive effort.

I feel its best summarized with this: TGAA’s new mechanics like the Jury and Herlock Deductions lead to deviously clever puzzles and fun character interaction. AA5’s Percieve/Mood Matrix are very lacking in substance, yet are both used to pull some of the series’ best storybeats with incredibly satisfying ludonarrative harmony. And just the fact that Dual Destinies even HAS those abilities, on top of it all, to me speaks volumes on how passionate the team was to honor and respect the old, push forward with the new, and give it their all.

[Playtime: 35 hours] [Key Word: Admirable]

#melloggd : reviews #game reviews #game review #video game review #video games #gaming #game writing #phoenix wright #pwaa #aa5 #ace attorney trilogy #dual destinies #ace attorney 5 #apollo justice #apollo justice trilogy #aa4 #aa6 #spirit of justice

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blerdyotome · 9 months

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Dual Chroma Demo Review

View On WordPress

#Demo #Dual Chroma #Galen Games #Game Reviews #Indie Game #Indie Game Review #Indie Otome #Support the Kickstarter #Visual Novel

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freckliedan · 6 months

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i feel like phil made his mew video just for you to put in ur audhd tag

SCREAM so true. @ phil i love you autism king. huge win for phil is psychic truthers too why does their home have a ghost

#jam replies #anon #a?#5 years ago my a? tag was fully phil autism + adhd dan & but the dual audhd take is growing on me #as someone w audhd. hard to distinguish the two as separate things. but my autism council has a LOT of thoughts on this #got a random voice message from my (also audhd) best friend recently & their (autistic) partner voice: as someone who's never seen dan and #phil before. they're autists #me voice so true THANK you for the peer review #yeah though like. that brings the count up to.. double digits on my autism council all of us in agreement

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twinsoftheday · 8 months

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today's twins of the day are:

melanie and sam puckett from icarly

#i never watched icarly but thanks (??) to quinton reviews i know all about it #twins of the day #identical twins #same-gender twins #dual role #live action #tv shows #sam puckett #melanie puckett #icarly #twins #fictional twins #twinsoftheday

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bdoubleowo · 1 year

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I posted 7,238 times in 2022

348 posts created (5%)

6,890 posts reblogged (95%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@/gardenergulfie

@/yb-cringe

@/theminecraftbee

@/tragicfaggots

@/habeascorpseus

I tagged 1,649 of my posts in 2022

#og post - 507 posts

#ask - 185 posts

#anon - 144 posts

#anonymous - 144 posts

#my art - 38 posts

#trafficshipping - 35 posts

#discourse - 30 posts

#double life spoilers - 16 posts

#da besties - 16 posts

#hermitcraft - 15 posts

Longest Tag: 130 characters

#[̶̞̜̮̤̱̩͊́̀̀ṟ̵̨̢̪̫͔͙̩̤͈͐̍̓ë̷̖̮̠͕̱̱̜́̈̓͑͠d̵̞̻̝͍͛̒̅̃͑̊̈͘͝a̶̬̜̪̩͕̙̩̲̔̍͒̀̍͗̾͘c̴̈́̆͊̈́́̄͆̕͜͠ţ̵̦̩̻̫͚͎̅̎͝ͅe̷͇̪̳̒̐͒̅̑͛͛̒̎̌d̸̡̨̡̜͓̯̭̪͂͆̓]̴̐

My Top Posts in 2022:

I keep seeing posts on the dash comparing Mumbo Jumbo and Phoenix Wright. So I'm gonna contribute because damn if I won't take an excuse to mash blorbos together

3,305 notes - Posted April 11, 2022

i think people who don't follow my general blog deserve to know what i've been up to

34,278 crabs! ^_^

4,212 notes - Posted April 1, 2022

See the full post

5,223 notes - Posted March 15, 2022

Listen I can't see any other explanation for this turn of events-

5,909 notes - Posted January 5, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Happy one year anniversary of Third Life! Third Life changed me as a person I think I won’t ever be the same. I miss it.

7,425 notes - Posted April 20, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#oh god this is so long.#love that one of my top posts is a dual mcyt aa post. on brand #tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review

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thereadingcafe · 3 months

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#Jennifer Estep #Only Hard Problems #Galactic Bonds #Fantasy #Sci-Fi #Romance #Dual Review

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jessread-s · 10 months

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✩✒️✉️Review:

“Divine Rivals” is the book I cannot stop thinking about and for that reason alone, I cannot recommend it enough.

“Divine Rivals” follows Iris Winnow and Roman Kitt, two young rival journalists competing for a columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette. With her mother suffering from addiction and her brother missing after enlisting in a war among gods, Iris desperately needs to win if she hopes to hold her family together. To keep her worries at bay, she writes letters to her brother and slips them beneath her wardrobe door. Unbeknownst to Iris, they end up in the hands of Roman and he anonymously writes her back, sparking a connection that follows Iris to the front lines.

Ross’ writing is infused with magic. Her lyrical prose and imagery contribute to her seamless world-building and instantly immersed me in the high stakes atmosphere of her world. From page one, I was sucked into the lore and mythology surrounding the gods, fascinated by their presence and role in the war. The battle is very reminiscent of both of the World Wars, so I had something familiar to cling to while reading about the front lines. The elements of realism paired very nicely with the fantastical, enriching my reading experience.

The love story in Divine Rivals is one for the history books. I loved alternating between Iris and Roman’s perspectives because it allowed me to fully grasp their character motivations, discover the origin of their respective inner conflicts, and pinpoint the moment they each fell in love with one another. Their development from rivals at the Oath Gazette to lovers desperately clinging to each other on the battlefield is well paced, emotion filled, beautifully done in every other respect.

I especially loved watching Iris and Roman fall in love with each other twice — in person and over letter correspondence. Ross includes the contents of each and every letter in full to forge their connection and make it more believable. With Iris in the dark about the identity of her pen pal, she falls in love with two different sides to Roman and eventually has to come to terms with the fact that her rival and correspondent are the same person.

You’ll have to take my word for it that this book is AMAZING because my review barely scratches the surface. If I could read it again for the first time, I would.

Cross-posted to: Instagram | Amazon | Goodreads | StoryGraph

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sparkyblizz · 1 year

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I like to write Aura as purposefully teasing Simon and I generally keep my works relatively swear free but I think it would be really funny if I just wrote him responding with "you bitch" at least once

#sparkyblizz speaks #writing woes #ace attorney #aa5 #dual destinies #simon blackquill #aura blackquill #thank you for the peer review jacques <3

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loucaporplots · 2 months

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RESENHA | Parem os relógios

Autor(a): Kristan Higgins Gênero: Drama | Romance Avaliação: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Joshua e Lauren são um casal recém casados e loucamente apaixonados. Mas Lauren é diagnosticada com fibrose pulmonar idiopática, uma doença terminal. Joshua possui autismo nível 1 de suporte, isso o faz ser mais retraído, com ansiedade social, poucos amigos e obcecado pelo trabalho e não tem ideia de como continuar sem a presença de Lauren do seu lado. Lauren, contudo, bola um plano para ajuda-lo a passar pelo primeiro ano de luto.

📚 REVIEW COM SPOILERS

Que livro precioso! Confesso que eu parei de ler por algumas semanas pra digerir, é um assunto muito sensível, onde a gente se coloca no lugar dos protagonistas toda hora. Eu não tenho costume de ler romances ou dramas, eu sou mais do suspense psicológico ou thriller, então quando leio romances, eu acho fraco ou meio brega. Mas esse... eu realmente derramei algumas lágrimas lendo. Joshua é um personagem muito real. Eu consegui me conectar totalmente com ele. O fato de toda hora o livro voltar no tempo pra contar da história da Lauren me entediava um pouco porque eram coisas que eu não queria saber. Mas achei que valeu a pena por conta da cena em que mostra como eles conversaram pela segunda vez e finalmente começaram o relacionamento. Assim como gostei de terem deixado pra mostrar a morte dela de fato apenas no final. Isso fez eu sentir mais. O final pra mim foi perfeito, eu amei que ele conseguiu seguir em frente com uma outra pessoa. Mas na real, eu realmente estava torcendo pra que ele desse certo com a Sarah. Quando ela começou a ser uma babaca no restaurante do nada, eu fiquei sem entender porque ela foi legal durante o livro todo. Achei um pouquinho forçado o lance dele com a Rose faltando poucas paginas pro final, mas como eu disse, ele merecia isso. Ele merecia ser feliz novamente. Ele continua amando Lauren, isso nunca vai mudar, mas agora vai sentir outros tipos de amores também. No final, minha nota não poderia ser menos que 5 estrelas. Esse livro é o que vai me fazer procurar outros do mesmo gênero. Minhas favs: A cena dele com o pai biológico | Lauren chamando ele pra sair | Josh se consultando com a cartomante | Lauren partindo ☹ | Todos reunidos no final para plantar a árvore da Lauren, inclusive Rose.

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battyaboutbooksreviews · 3 months

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🦇 Stupid Prizes Book Review 🦇

❓ #QOTD Would you rather run an empire but have to get married for it or have all your dreams come true without the love of your life beside you? ❓

[ Find my review below. ]

🦇 Gracie's father, Big Daddy Boom, is a popular vlogger in the off-roading world. Eager to leave his daughter the legacy he's built, he tells the world like that her husband will become to the heir to his profitable online empire, prompting a competition. That same morning, Gracie's childhood friend Jasper returns to town, eager to apologize for leaving her years ago. In exchange for her forgiveness, Gracie asks for one thin: his hand in marriage. Though Jasper doesn't care about the fortune, he'll do anything for Gracie, even if it means falling prey to stupid games in the process.

💙 Welp. This was just one giant, never-ending, miscommunication trope mess. The lack of communication builds every conflict, every bit of anxiety between both the main characters, who are both mindlessly in love with each other, convinced the other wants nothing to do with them, and therefore unwilling to admit it. Since every minor source of conflict is built on that primary miscommunication, the story gets repetitive fast. There's more worried, frantic internalizing and exposition than action, creating a story that's more tell than show. To start the story with the wedding ruins the build-up and steals any potential source of tension (not that Gracie's fake marriage ploy is a surprise). Gracie's exposition at the beginning makes her look cold, establishing her as a character who is willing to use someone for personal gain (though later, she's painted as someone who always puts everyone else's needs ahead of her own). Instead, it would have been stronger to start with the phone call that tore them apart, or even the funeral; a moment of heavy emotion that leaves us invested in the characters. As much as I loved a childhood friends/second chance romance, I can't root for these two when they're so unwilling to start with something as fundamental as talking to one another.

💜 The premise of a father using the marriage of convenience trope in the modern age to secure his future and daughter's happiness for a social media empire /almost/ feels unique, if not entirely too farfetched. It was sweet to see how far and hard and fast Jasper fell for his childhood best friend, to the point that he was apparently saving himself for her, all while Gracie is fighting off the attraction she felt for him since they were kids. The competition could have been a fun opportunity to toss us into the off-roading word, though we barely get enough detail to really see and experience it. Gracie and Jasper's shared grief was another wonderful opportunity for healing and growth, but their grief is constantly side-stepped, simply used as the catalyst for Jasper leaving.

💙 On another note, I read the ebook version of this using KU, and it is absolutely riddled with spelling and punctuation errors. Nothing pulls me out of a story faster than wanting to cover every page with red editor's ink.

🦇 Recommended for fans of the marriage of convenience trope or a story entirely reliant on miscommunication.

✨ The Vibes ✨ 🚗 Fake Marriage / of Convenience 🔧 Forced Proximity ❤️ Childhood Friends ❤️ Friends to Lovers ⚙️ Second Chance Romance 🏎️ Dual POV

💬 Quotes ❝ “You don’t have to drive trucks to be special, you know,” he says looking off into the distance. “You’re already special.”“I don’t do anything special,” I say miserably. “Well,” he pauses, his forehead wrinkling as he thinks, but then it smooths and his shy smile is back. “You’re special to me.” ❞

❝ I’d take any curse to keep her well, any madness to keep her sane, any poverty to keep her flush, any loss to keep her whole. ❞

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