Family Christmas dinners are… something

Girl Boss Directors

Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood

Writer: Gina Prince-Bythewood

Stars: Sanaa Lathan, Omar Epps, Glenndon Chatman

Genre: Drama, Romance, Sport

Monica and Quincy love and play basketball together through many life challenges from childhood to adulthood.

Who is the director? Gina Prince-Bythewood led the decade of 2000 with one of my favorite romantic stories, Love & Basketball. Also, to her credit such shows as A Different World (1994) and Felicity (1998) This was an era that ushered in the female lead driving stories of varied interests and substance. She wrote and directed this film, that was received extremely well, especially in the black community. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earning Gina the coveted Independent Spirit Award. This helped her gain notoriety as a director, but she still faced challenges as a woman of color in the Hollywood film industry.

What do you identify as unique to the female perspective and the 'female gaze' in the film? The Secret Life of Bees (200 8) The Old Guard (2020) Gina has racked up an impressive resume as a Director and Producer, having worked on television shows such as the comedy, The Bernie Mac Show and Girlfriends (2000) Her perspective as a woman and culturally as a Black woman, she offers an authentic, unique gaze to the experiences, loves, loss and struggles of the young black woman's experience in America.

What rite of passage in the protagonist(s) life/lives does this story explore? What fresh perspective, if any, does the director bring to this story? Are sexual or gender taboos traversed in the process?

This film stars at the time an up-and-coming Omar Epps and Sanaa Lathan, who portray the characters Monica and Quincy who both share a reverence for and love of "the game". What is heartwarming is to watch the rites of passage they both experienced as children to adults; and exploring the love they have always had for one another. What is unique to this story that Monica is not shown as a weak, typical young woman looking for a man to rescue her. She is neither portrayed a young black woman suffering from an addiction or single mom. She has interests, is a tomboy and is a full developed character that women can relate to and is universal. This was before the popularity of women in sports but more importantly it showed young women that they can have interests other than "a man".

Does this film shed new light on the mother/daughter and family relationships? How? Monica wanted to play for the Los Angeles Lakers and wear the number of NBA player, Magic Johnson-number: 32 & Quincy wanted to be like his father and play for the Clippers. They both have the same dream and must deal with their own personal struggles in life and each other to achieve it.

Monica has a complicated relationship with her Camille who was a stay-at-home mother and wife. Monica's expectations of Camille were to be a good wife and mother and to "act like a lady". She expected Monica to be the typical American housewife void of personal dreams and fixated solely on family. She wanted Monica to give up basketball which Monica refused to, and this would be the struggle of wills between the two women. As a young girl Camille forced her to wear dresses and this set the stage for part of the struggles between both of their aspirations for one another.

This struggle follows both mother and daughter through Monica's education in high school, where her mother insists on her becoming more like a "girl". She wants her to embrace a life she chose for herself and from my perspective this is what most mother's want for their daughters. It seems to be an unhealthy way to protect them from a world they have no control over. Monica has issues with controlling her emotions which stems from her relationship with her mother, but she is able to channel this into her love of the game and helps lead her team to the state championship.

Describe the most startling/indelible/breakthrough scene of the film. I think most people would agree that the breakthrough scene is when they fall in love. Although Quincy (Omar Epps) checks her during a game and scars her face accidentally they share a first kiss. They have a complicated love/hate/competitive relationship that brings a new dynamic to their relationship. Most television shows and films at the time overlook the charm and universal theme of love in any culture. Predominantly it has been always through the gaze of white America like the television show The Wonder Years.

This showed an innocent moment that can and does happen in the black American experience. Childhood sweethearts has no boundary of culture, and this movie, Love & Basketball, shows that breakthrough.

Has the film received the recognition it deserved? Why or why not?I feel this movie did not become a block buster film to Hollywood standards, but in the black community this film is a classic in terms of romantic dramas with fully developed character's other than the typical gang related, high school dropout stereotypes that have been normally made in the 1990's to the early 2000's.

hello dearest tubular tibby. this is a big question but when do you think glee went wrong? like, what was the point of no return? and what would glee have been like if it was written by you? i would pay a lot of money to see glee: a tibby production and i dont have a lot of money. Sending you lots of love!

a year ago, i probably would have told you that it went downhill after season one, but revisiting season two has made me a lot of fonder of it than i was ten years ago. i still prefer s1, but i do think s2 - for the most part - does manage to keep the campy charm of season one, while balancing it out nicely with more serious topics. most of the musical numbers are good (rocky horror is one of their best, if not THE best theme episode they did), it has some of the standout episodes of the show (the substitute, furt, the sue sylvester shuffle, silly love songs, blame it on the alcohol, sexy), the cast were solid all around, and ryan murphy’s favouritism towards lea and darren had yet to impact the show too much. i think some plots weren’t handled as well as they should have (as a quinn stan, i have a lot of feelings about how all of her storylines could have been written so much better, but the lucy stuff would have been such a good way to delve more into her insecurities/body issues/obsession with perfection - instead, it was just a weird fatphobic mess), but i think stuff like santana’s sexuality and burt’s heart attack were pretty decent for glee. like, yeah, burt’s near death is intercut with finn singing losing my religion over a sandwich, but the weird mix of heart and humour is what made glee work, and you can’t expect more from a show that often covered hot topics with all the subtlety of a hand grenade.

and i’m an unapologetic riverdale stan, i love that show because it’s ridiculous and dramatic and over the top and illogical. because riverdale is self aware about that. and glee, for all its many flaws, was pretty self aware about that too in the beginning.

the problem started when the show got too caught up in its own fame.

season three continued to bring us ridiculous plots mixed in with serious ways, but it was no longer a perfect balancing act. it no longer felt as if it was fun but also touching, it just felt....messy. i’m not sure if i could pinpoint the exact moment it fell apart, because s3 was just a disaster that i erased from my memory as much as i could...but, i don’t know, maybe on my way? shoving regionals, karofsky’s suicide attempt (intercut with blaine singing cough syrup), finn and rachel’s near wedding, and quinn getting hit by a truck into 42 minutes was just...Bad. and it’s the kind of thing glee s1 might have just managed to pull off, but in s3, it just meant all the plots fell flat and lacked the emotional punch they could have otherwise delivered. no longer did glee have that spark that made us willing to overlook stupid plots and contrived relationships. it suddenly just became an overly complicated disaster that tried to shove as many social issues as it could into every episode to get people talking. also, if you didn’t care much for blaine/klaine and rachel, then every episode started to feel like a marathon. characters who had been there since the start were pushed aside, and boring/tacky/underdeveloped characters like sugar, the irish guy, and the christian guy were shoved in.

but i STILL think glee would be looked back on fondly had s3 been it. it absolutely was beginning to fall apart, and a lot of us fell out of love around this time, but their final few episodes made us love it again. paradise by the dashboard light is hands down the best new directions performance, and their overall nationals performance gave everyone a chance to shine. plots were wrapped up, the glee club won, and we were treated to an adorable montage set to tongue tied by grouplove. everyone was happy, they had their futures ahead of them, and people were teary eyed at the thought of saying goodbye to our kids. curtain call, fade to black, play them out. a ridiculous teen drama that existed in the only years were it really could have to make the kind of impact it made and get away with the stuff they did. nothing else like it, let us cherish the memories we made.

but then it continued. and nearly every new character felt like cheap replacements of the original cast, and plots were handled with less care than ever before but things were more serious, they ran out of songs to cover, there were constant and needless guest stars...it was no longer a show about a group of underdogs triumphing over adversity by singing avril lavigne songs. it was a shoddily stuck together mess of recycled storylines, unhealthy relationships, increasingly bad song choices, and matthew morrison’s greasy hair. glee, put simply, was no longer fun. and it didn’t have enough heart to redeem the lack of entertainment. we stopped tuning in, and those who kept up only did because of characters they had fallen in love with during season one. it had become exhausting, and we decided to cut our losses from one of our first big show betrayals and leave.

(sidebar: i do think that the quarterback might be the best episode of the entire show, but i think it’s an outlier and really...can’t be counted with the rest. it exists solely because of a real life tragedy, and real life emotions were going to make it entire something else entirely. it can’t really be included in the chart of “good glee” and “bad glee,” because it wasn’t about the show. it was about cory, and i don’t think it should be included in my overall opinion of when the show jumped the shark.)

i’ve tried watching some of the “better” episodes of the later seasons to see how i felt, but that charm was long gone. no matter which characters they brought back, or what plots took place, there was just no more enjoyment in glee. the spark that made season one shine despite everything had completely gone out. it had dimmed a bit over season two and three, but could still shine through sometimes. not anymore.

all that said, i don’t think i could ever write a show like glee, let alone glee itself. glee was not a show that could have been made before 2009, and it isn’t a show that could be made now. RIB’s insanity and jackassery might have brought about the show’s eventual downfall, but it’s also what made it work at the start. too much of a good thing - or rather, just enough of a bad thing. glee influenced riverdale and riverdale influences me (SPRINGFIELD, coming soon!) but that show was one of a kind. if i were in charge, but the general tone and vibes of the show got to remain the same, i guess my biggest thing would be less of blaine and rachel and brittany and kurt, more of quinn and mercedes and tina and santana. both as characters and their various dynamics. but that’s also just my personal character/ship preferences at work, as opposed to anything constructive. glee: a tibby production, would just be a lot of quinn character study (because she will always be my number one) in which her family, body image, religious guilt, relationship to motherhood both as a mother and child, sexuality, view of sex, etc were all properly explored.

but that’s a whole other thing.

The Best Fishing Guide

Steve Huff is lxv. He has been a fishing guide for the cardinal of these years, initial within the Florida keys and currently within the swamp town space, wherever he captive in 1996 along with his bright-eyed spouse, Patty. Huff’s specialty is fishing the thin water flats for malacopterygian, bonefish, permit, and snook, and he has guided his shoppers into unnumberable world-record fish. Last year he was inducted into the International sport fish Association’s Hall of Fame, that is that the fishing world’s town. In his book, A Passion for malacopterygian, Andy Mill calls Huff “bar none, the most effective malacopterygian guide alive, the most effective there was and also the best there ever are.” Marshall Cutchin, a former Keys guide and also the editor and publisher of the fly fishing web site midcurrent.com, goes even any, occupation him “the best guide who’s ever lived, period.”

This type of speak embarrasses Huff, United Nations agency prefers to shower accolades on others. “Steve could be a very humble guy,” says Sandy Moret, United Nations agency owns a fly search within the Keys and has fished with Huff for 3 decades. For Huff, it’s all pretty easy. “I’m simply a fishing guide,” he says. “My job is to form AN angler’s dream come back true.”

His own dreams area unit a part of the equation, as well. Guiding, at its essence, could be an unselfish endeavor, meshed to the happiness and success of the paying client, the “dream creating.” except for Huff, there's the rush—of being on the water nearly on a daily basis and making an attempt to work out the puzzle bestowed by the tides, the wind, the clouds, the fish, and also the angler’s ability. The climax, that final puzzle piece, is that the golf shot and landing of the guided angler’s targeted fish. Huff can’t live while not that rush.

Huff was born and raised in Miami. once he was 10, his father gave him a fishing rod, the primary piece of tackle he’d ever in hand. His father left the future day. Huff would neither see nor speak to him once more. “He was AN alcoholic and a gambler,” Huff says. “He in all probability died during a ditch somewhere.”

Huff is tough regarding the impact that his father’s going away might need to be had on his life. “I assume we have a tendency to age to be no matter we have a tendency to were meant to be,” he says. And anyway, thereupon rod, his father provided him with the primary tool for what would become his life’s permanent passion. Huff took the rod, solid into a Miami canal, and caught a two-pound robalo. “That was it,” he says. “I was done.” He biked everywhere town, fishing in backyards and canals. {one day|at some point|in the future|someday|sooner or later|in some unspecified time within the future} he sneaked down a hole in the middle of a causeway bridge. He solid a lure from a ladder and caught a twenty-seven-pound robalo, to the current day his largest. He knew then that he would be a guide sometime.

On the water within the swamp. PHOTO: MATTHEW HRANEK

THE SILVER KING

On the water within the swamp.

While attending the University of Miami, Huff studied marine biology. once he graduated, he told his mother of his career plans. She wasn't happy. “She told ME that fishing guides were a bunch of drunks and bums which i might ne'er quantity to something,” Huff says.

Still, she cosigned a loan thus Huff might purchase his initial guide boat. He captive to the Keys, and on November 1, 1968, he took out his initial shopper. “Poor bastard,” Huff says. The day was windy and overcast and fishless. The guy ne'er came back. “I had no clue what i used to be doing,” Huff says. “I didn’t even grasp what I didn’t grasp.”

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But Huff resolves to work it out. He poled for miles, into the teeth of twenty-five-knot headwinds. (“Best dray horse I’ve ever seen,” Cutchin says.) He scouted and discovered new spots. He tied his own flies, designed his own boats, fictitious new fishing knots. He stayed out longer than anyone else, creating the run back to the dock in complete darkness. He ne'er gave up.

And at intervals many years, people that fished with him once ne'er needed to go away him. “He’s intense and he expects you to match that intensity,” says one among his shoppers, the author Carl Hiaasen. “It causes you to a more robust angler.” Bill Hassett, an equipment store owner in St. Louis, Missouri, has fished with Huff for cardinal consecutive years. Lenny Berg, AN specialist in Fort Pierce, Florida, has been with him for xxxv years. Hiaasen could be a relative newcomer, having fished with Huff for fifteen years. “I simply feel lucky that he let ME on his boat,” Hiaasen says, laughing.

Those who do fish with him tend to urge greedy. The late Del Brown once reserved Huff for cardinal days one year to fish for allowing within the Keys. Tom Evans, holder of sixteen world records, once fast him in from March one to Gregorian calendar month fifteen. Huff currently incorporates a list of regarding fifteen shoppers, to whom he's intensely loyal (he turned down a visit with George H. W. Bush in favor of 1 of his already-booked regulars). He has taken on specifically one new shopper within the last twenty years.

His shoppers became his dearest friends. “When you’re during a boat along for 10 to 12 hours on a daily basis, you quickly get past the tiny speakers,” Huff says. “You laugh and you cry alone.” One shopper perpetually complained regarding his spouse for years. Hoping to vary the topic on the water someday, Huff flat out told him he ought to divorce her. the person referred to as back per week later and told Huff that he had filed divorce papers. “I said, ‘You’ve ought to be excreting ME,’” Huff says.

PHOTO: MATTHEW HRANEK

A snook.

As with all intense relationships, complications will arise. Huff not fishes with one among his longest-tenured shoppers. “One day I simply told him what he was: a selfish prick,” Huff says. The guy asked Huff why it took him ciao to work that out. to the current day, the 2 still speak on the phone many times a year, unable to fully disconnect. one among the saddest endings came with Del Brown, United Nations agency posthumously still holds twelve world records. Huff and Brown had fished along since 1980. They were an ideal combine on the water, with matching intensity and drive. however one late afternoon in 2001, once Brown was lxxxiii, Huff poled for AN hour into the wind to urge Brown in position to fish. Huff waited for Brown to carry up his finish of the discount and solid for a fish. however, Brown place his rod down and told Huff he needed to travel in. Huff was wracked with heaving sobs as he ran the boat in. At the dock, he told Brown through tears that he couldn't fish with him any longer. “It was very my downside,” Huff says. “Del was obtaining older and that i simply didn’t need to admit it. It busts my heart.” Brown died 2 years later.

Huff has witnessed several strange moments throughout his cardinal years on the water. AN unhooked 100-pound malacopterygian once leaped into his boat and hit a feminine shopper squarely within the chest. (On his boat future year, she wore a flak jacket as a gag.) One year he was fishing with Tom Evans once Evans suddenly had to use the lavatory. As Evans adorned off the rear of the boat, he asked Huff to solid for a rolling malacopterygian. Huff did, and he hooked and landed a 186-pound malacopterygian, which might are the globe record. however, Huff ne'er submitted it to the IGFA. “Tom needed that record thus badly,” he says. per week later, Huff junction rectifier Evans into a 177-pounder, that so did become the globe record.

But maybe the strangest factor happened with a person named Everett Watkins, United Nations agency flew from CA to fish with a disciple United Nations agency had started a visit with Huff. Watkins, AN weighty man, hooked a 125-pound malacopterygian on one among his initial casts. however, he vies the fish terribly slowly as if he were during a trance. “I told him he required in grips down on the fish as a result of there area unit solely 2 things that might happen: He would land the fish or he would break down,” says Huff. “Little didi do know there was truly a 3rd situation.”

With the fish still on his line, Watkins suddenly folded face-first onto the bow. Huff bust off the fish and ran back to the dock at full speed. “He was blue after they loaded him onto the car,” Huff says. It clothed that Watkins had AN aneurysm and was dead before he hit the deck. “I felt very unhealthy and that i asked his crony what we must always do,” Huff says. “He told ME Everett would have needed USA to travel back and fish. So we did. and that we caught 2 nice malacopterygians.” The incident spawned over many unhealthy jokes. “People aforesaid, ‘Damn, Steve, people very area unit dying to fish with you,’ and ‘Why did you break the fish off?’” Huff says. He currently takes AN angler back to the dock at the primary sign of physical distress.

Huff along with his fly-caught 186-pound malacopterygian in 1977. PHOTO: COURTESY OF Florida keys OUTFITTERS ARCHIVES

Huff along with his fly-caught 186-pound malacopterygian in 1977.

Luckily, I feel pretty smart on this overcast and funky morning as Huff and that i build a thirty-minute run into the center of what Peter Matthiessen referred to as “shadow country”—the large sky, knotty mangroves, and moving water that area unit the swamp. Huff cuts the engine and hops au fait his poling platform. He’s sporting a khaki-colored shirt and pants and a combine of closed-toed Crocs. He propels the boat forward with apparently very little effort along with his twenty-one-foot pole. We’re when robolo, the fish that has remained Huff’s favorite since his childhood days in Miami.

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I fill in the bow and solid a yellow streamer that Huff devised. (“It doesn’t have a reputation. It’s simply ruminant hair and chicken feathers,” he says.) The wind from AN incoming storm is brisk however not intolerable. I’m not specifically throwing strikes with each solid. I begin to press a touch, and also the casts get even worse. Huff provides ME an important pointer: “Just hold your back solid a touch longer,” he says. I quickly see positive results. Huff poles the USA on, fifty feet some from the bank. rapidly, I begin obtaining solid takes, ANd at intervals an hour, I’ve landed 5 small (two- to four-pound) Robalo.

Survey #170

this one’s a few days old and am just getting to posting it. don’t feel like rereading to change some old answers tho.

Do you tell your best friend everything? What might you omit? If she asked about a subject, I'd tell her. I wouldn't just be like "hey here's a little factoid I don't like talking about." Have you ever experienced unrequited love? Yes. In your current or most recent romantic relationship, do/did you feel as though one of you settled? Not at all. What did your ex (or one of your exes) consider to be a dealbreaker in you? My depression. What seemingly small change have you made to improve your life this year? More drive to be an adult. Make the decision to try as hard as mentally possible to be more open about myself and not so scared of being found as "too weird." Does anyone in your family suffer from mental illness or substance abuse? Don't get me started on the first. I only know of my dad being a recovered alcoholic. What is the biggest gap in your employment history? How did/will you explain it to future employers? 0-19ish. Wasn't in the mental state to. Is there any part of your sexual/romantic history that you have not told your current significant other about or that you will not tell future partners about? She knows a lot. There's just one thing I'm not comfortable talking about yet. There's nothing I absolutely won't tell at any point - if you're in a serious relationship, they have the right to know. Has anyone ever tried to change your mind about something very personal, such as religion or wanting children? Children, yes. Colleen especially was convinced I was going to change my mind to an annoying degree. People have pushed me being a vet a whole lot, too. Do you ever hear about old school friends? Where are you high school friends now? Well, through FB. Most have stable jobs, some are extremely intelligent students headed towards amazing careers, some are parents. Most fell off the face of the earth. What is the most fun you can remember ever having under the influence? Cards Against Humanity. Has your Facebook relationship status ever been set to 'it’s complicated’? Why? Nooooo, and I seriously wish that option didn't even exist. Drama bait, whether intentional or not. What is the most beautiful/interesting name that you’ve ever personally known someone to have? Alon. Have you ever developed feelings for someone whose sexual orientation was incompatible with yours? Yes. How many relationships have you been in that actually got sexual? One. When making an entrance in to a party, do you make your presence known? Do you slip in and look for someone you know? Do you sneak in quietly and find a safe spot to roost? Me?????????????? At a party?????????????????????? What is your strongest sense? Maybe you don't count this because it's not a "real" sense, but I would say I have an incredibly strong "sixth sense" of just knowing when something is wrong, even with people I don't know well. I pick up bad emotions easily. But if you're just talking sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell, I suppose smell? Or taste. Could be why I'm so picky. What is the strangest thing you believed as a child? There is NO telling. I believed some wild shit. HAHAHA OH MY GOD WAIT NO I BELIEVED I HAD "ANIMAL POWERS" UNTIL THE END OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. Like, I could go into a "mode" where I had capabilities like those in certain animals, like with kangaroo powers, I could jump higher. God that was so embarrassing to write jfc what the fuck was I on. Who performs the most random acts of kindness out of everyone you know? Mom. She gives food, water, and sometimes money to homeless people she trusts as actually being without a home. There are two or three people she's actually "friends" with. Are you more likely to avoid conflict or engage it head-on? A V O I D What is something about yourself that you hope will change, but probably never will? I make situations awkward. Just social anxiety in general. What’s a strange occurrence you’ve experienced but have never (or rarely) shared with anyone? Okay, so I don't think I believe in angels, and I'm 99% sure this was a dream by now. But once as a little kid, I have a *very* strong memory of getting out of bed and going outside because I felt I needed to see something, and two swans came to the porch, turning into my grampa and favorite cat that had died. Then I went back inside, and that's all I remember. Still to this day that shit didn't feel like a dream, but. It probably was. What do you think about more than anything else? The future. What’s your all-time favorite town or city? Why? I dunno. If you could restore one broken relationship, which would it be? The friendship with Megan. Do you Skype? With Sara. Have you ever called anyone ‘bro’ other than your actual brother? I'll call p much anyone that. Have you ever blocked someone on MySpace before? Maybe? What is the best kind of pizza in your opinion? Pan meat lovers omfg. Stick with jalapeno tho with trying to at least lean towards vegetarianism. Is there something that someone has done to you that you cannot forgive? Eh... I think I've forgiven him. Do you scream at scary parts in a horror flick? No. What is your favorite restaurant? Olive Garden. Has anyone ever drunk called/texted you? No. Are any of your pets “overweight”? No. How do you feel about weed? I'm totally for it medicinally. Helps with too many things. Otherwise, for reasons I've said in many old surveys, I don't believe it should be smoked. We already complain enough about cigarettes and lung cancer. How many people have you kissed that you weren’t dating? None. Who was the last person that ditched you? How did you react? Mini, I guess. Was hurt as fuck for years until I recently confronted her, and we're cool now. Who is your best friend of the opposite sex? Girt is like... my only male friend besides Dad. What size are the pants you’re wearing? Large, probably? Were you a fan of Michael Jackson before he died? I went neither way. Liked some songs, didn't like some, no opinion on others. Can you spot constellations in the night sky? Only the Big or Little Dipper. I dunno the difference. What kind of shampoo did you last use? I dunno exactly. Mom just put some in a smaller, nameless bottle for while I'm at Sara's. It's probably Suave, though. If you had a hippie bus, what would it look like? Gimme all the peace signs and trippy patterns. Have you ever hitchhiked? No. Would you rather hike a mountain or explore a cave? EXPLORE A CAVE BITCH Would you rather wear a flower crown or veil? For my wedding, probably a veil. I can't see a flower crown going with a (probably) black dress lmao. Do you go barefoot often? I'm always barefoot in the house, but outside, I always have shoes. What is your favorite thing to get high off of? N/A What type of tattoo do you want? Most of the ones I want hold personal meaning. There's few I want to get for solely aesthetic purposes. What is your favorite insect? Butterflies. Favorite constellation? *shrug* Beach wedding, forest wedding, or English countryside wedding? Forest! Does pineapple belong on pizza? NO. Do you have any big plans for November? No. What upcoming event are you most looking forward to? Christmas. I doubt Halloween's gonna be anything I'd like it to be. What was the last song you heard? "Letter" by Mother Mother is on. Compared to someone else of your age and gender; do you feel that you have a lot to offer someone? HAHAHAHA NO. How many days a week do you work? N/A Is there ONE person you feel more connected to than others? Sara and Mom. Where did your eye color come from? Mom's dad had blue eyes, I think. Have you ever been in a recording studio? No. What is your worst relationship quality? I'm paranoid. I'm that "do you still like me?" person after marriage, I'm sure. What was your most recent serious injury? Does sun poisoning from Hell itself count? When was the last time you baked something for someone? Never lmao. Would you rather be kissed on the neck or on the lips? I mean it depends on the mood. What is one thing you’re not looking forward to in the next week? I'm going home Wednesday. Would you consider Christmas your favorite holiday? Second-fave. How many chances do you normally give someone before giving up on them? Way too fucking many. But it also depends on the offense and person. Did you parents know what gender you were before you were born? Yeah. Are you for or against inter-racial relationships? Totally for. Would you say you’re more of a pessimist or optimist? I'm definitely a realist, but if I had to pick, I lean more towards pessimism. Have you ever been addicted to something unhealthy? No. When the holidays come around, do you watch holiday movies? Not really. Would you say you’re a friendly person or not so much? I think I'm very friendly, just shy and awkward socially. When was the last time you ate something from Burger King? LEMME TELL YOU THIS SHIT. Months ago, I went for a veggie burger. THESE. IDIOTS. Put all the normal shit BUT NO PATTY IN A FUCKING BUN. WHEN THEY HAVE ACTUAL VEGGIE PATTIES. We waited forever, so Mom was already in a bad mood. She went in and the manager was livid; she gave us a free drink and fries. BUT, the burger fucking sucked, it was so overcooked. Sooo that was fun. When someone mentions a song, does it make you wanna listen to it? Rarely if it's a song I don't know, unless I like the artist. Song title may interest me, too. Who is the nosiest person you know? Do you like them anyways? BITCH ME. Are you one of those people who like The Nightmare Before Christmas? Okay so, I first watched it in school and I didn't like it at all. Then I started loving it??? I have like sooo much Jack stuff. What’s the best food to have at a sleepover? Pizza! Do you like the yellow Cheetos better or the orange ones? You mean normal or hot? Gimme them spicy boiz. Do you know anybody with different colored eyes? No. Are any of your relatives vets? Don't believe so. Who cleans the most in your house? Mom. I really need to do it more. Do you own any shirts that cost over 100$? Jfc no. What about any shoes? Do you think that’s a lot of money for clothes? No, and obviously. What’s the movie theater in your town called? Uhhh I think Cinemax? How many minutes do you consider late? Over five. What kinds of food do you dunk into milk? Some cookies. Do you have any current or past teachers on your Facebook friends? No. Are there any baby pictures of you up? On FB? No. Do you have any friends who have bleached blonde hair? Maybe Alon still does, idk. Are you wearing any jewelry that a boyfriend/girlfriend gave you? No. Have you ever seen the last person you kissed cry? Yeah. What’s the last thing you were excited to eat? A donut sobs. Who's the most romantic person you ever went out with? I dunno... none were/are like especially romantic. Is there anything hanging from the ceiling in your room? Some Pyramid Head gift tags, a stuffed fae dragon from WoW, and a cool lantern. Have you ever seen the last person you hugged dressed up fancy? Not in person, but in pictures. (If your parents married), Do you know where they got engaged? No. What was the last picture you printed of? The reference I made of my tattoo for the artist. What restaurant has the best fries? Bojangle's the Queen. What does your mailbox look like? Just a basic black one. Have you ever gotten something stuck on the roof? Probs as a kid. Does your computer make a lot of noise? Not really. Unless it's overheating. Who did you last drink or smoke up with? Mom and Sara. How many board games do you own? Idk, there's just a few in a cabinet in the living room. What does your BIGGEST mug look like? We don't have any really big ones. Newest musical discovery? I really love Powerwolf. Last thing you cleaned? Clothes. What exactly do you carry around all your stuff in? Purse. What do you carry around, typically? Phone, iPod, wallet, hand sanitizer, keys... Where is your newest scar? There's still a little scab on the bottom of my tat from heavy shading, but it's almost healed. If you mean like, "real" scar, cat scratch on my right hand. Where is your oldest scar? Ummm probably this random one on the top of my right wrist. No clue where it came from, been there for years. Last thing you disposed of? A bottle, I think? Are you good at recovering from injuries? I dunno. How many different public restrooms have you used this week? I think just one, at the reptile convention. Do you have more piercings or tattoos? Currently tied at six, but piercings the day I get home and get my tongue redone. What color and type is your vehicle? N/A Looking to upgrade or add any time soon? N/A What animal do you have the most possessions *of*, or featuring? Meerkats. What do you use to wash your dishes? Ugh, hands, gross. I refuse to have my own home that doesn't have a dishwasher. Last thing you measured? Ummm probably water when I was making ramen. Last thing you weighed? Myself. Do you talk to your parent(s) [almost] every day? Ma, yes. Last person to tell you that you smell good? Sara although I don't see how, I needed a shower. @_@ Last person you told that they smell good? Sara. How many iPhones have you had? One, I think? Last person you ran into unexpectedly? Good question. Last compliment you received on your appearance? Uhhh idk. On your character/personality? Sara's mom pointed out this morning that she liked how I watch out for Sara and reminded her to call the library (applied there) and it made me so happy alkdjowie. Her approval is important to me. Do you remain friends with anyone you met at your first job? No. Woulda liked to, but. How many chargers do you have for your current cell phone? One, though Mom's fits mine, too. Do you have a good work/life balance? N/A Have you ever ordered pizza online? Yeah. Do you own a treadmill? No, but I want one. Have you ever signed up for a gym membership? Yeah. What color was the last fish you had? I couldn't tell you. Is there a garbage can in your room? What color is it? No. Have you ever read in the bathtub? I may've as a kid? Does your animal sleep with you? Roman, pretty much always. Rarely Teddy, but hhe doesn't like getting off the bed; I put him on it if he wants, so getting down's the only thing. Have you ever had to wear a hairnet? I think I have, but I don't recall for what? How many favorites do you have on YouTube? Holy shit idk. I used to favorite almost anything I liked, though for like a year or so now I've been really picky with what I favorite because it's become a playlist I go to that I know will cheer me up or are just videos I find very important. What kind was the last chip you ate? Uhhhh Lays, p sure. What is your favorite song to play on Guitar Hero or Rockband? I physically cannot play "Hotel California" by the Eagles without moving in some sort of way or singing.  The fucking solo ahhhhhhhhhh goosebumps every time.

I've been debating my sexuality with myself since I was 12 and I recently got to the conclusion that I like girls (the rest is unsure) I told my mom yesterday and she said she just wants me to be happy, but now I'm scared of how she might see me now. I'm scared I was only telling myself I like girls even though there's a lot of evidence. Talking to my mom also gave me the impression I don't like boys at all and now I'm having a major indentity crisis, even though I never bothered. Can you help?

Anon, what you’re going through is something that, despite what Tumblr would have you believe, is very normal for the young and queer. First, let me congratulate you on being open with your mother. It’s a big step, and often terrifying because you can truly never know how a parent will react until the moment of. 

Now, as to your feelings/worry about your sexuality and the worry that it’s genuine... I know exactly how you feel. I wasn’t always secure and happy in my sexuality. When I was young, probably 16/17 and younger, it was a huge source of strife for me despite the confidence I forced myself to carry after coming out at 13 to friends and 15 to family. Over the years, I’ve pinpointed it in myself as an unhealthy amount of internalized misogyny/homophobia. I grew up in a big household with a lot of brothers, and though my mother was always the rock of my family, between my upbringing shunning “girly” things and the knowledge deep down that I was gay, I made sure to distance myself from anything remotely feminine. This was partly personal preference, but I understand now that I always felt like it made me lesser to be perceived as female. I grew up right after the AIDS crisis had begun to settle and way before gay marriage was even being brought to the courts. Don’t Ask Don’t Tell still forced gay servicemen and women into the closet to avoid being discharged. Shit, even Ellen was canned from her own show when she came out publicly as a lesbian. There was practically no positive representation in popular media that wasn’t based largely on subtext. 

I remember how horrified I felt when I first realized I was attracted to girls. At the beginning, I said I was bisexual to avoid the idea of being fully gay and tried to shove myself into a “relationship” (I was 13, barely counts, and we never dated anyway) with the boy I had a ‘crush’ on (who, looking back, was about as feminine as they came). I got angry at my best friends for suggesting I was a lesbian even though I was slowly realizing that it was true, because growing up people would call me a little dyke because I so hated the notion of being equated with weakness that I played baseball for years. I wouldn’t play softball because that was for girls and I didn’t want to associate with them. I wanted people to think I was strong, like my brothers, but also that I was straight because girls were terrible.  I pretended to like the boy bands that were popular to avoid people thinking I liked girls. I didn’t want to be different, which is what being queer is. I equated being gay to being ostracized, not to being proud. I equated it to being disowned because my father was in school to become a pastor because I believed, wrongly, that all religious people hated the LBGTQ. 

Through time, a lot of self-hatred/self-reflection, I began to accept that I was a lesbian. But I wasn’t proud of it. I often talked about how I would rather be straight even though my friends were supportive and many would willingly get into a fight if someone insulted me for my sexuality. I still didn’t want my sexuality to be ‘all I was’ even though it’s an integral part of who I am. I would tell people I didn’t want to be wear flannels and shit because apparently, to young Witty, being “butch” was just *terrible*.  I wanted to distance myself from my sexuality. Being a teenager fucking sucked and I don’t miss it a bit.

The self-doubt stayed with me for a long time, longer than I care to admit. I would think to myself that maybe I just think I’m a lesbian because as many homophobes would say, “maybe I just hadn’t met the right guy”. Once in a blue moon I find a man to be physically appealing, so I took that as evidence of my latent heterosexuality and would think that maybe all of my earlier suffering about my sexuality was all a lie, that I was just pretending to be gay because I didn’t want to be perceived as feminine because that meant I was weak. I would think that maybe I would be happier if I just dated a guy because then I would fit in, then I wouldn’t be different, I wouldn’t have to struggle and be a second class citizen that, at the time, wasn’t allowed the same rights based solely on the basis of attraction and gender. 

It took me a long time to accept myself, and I don’t often talk about it, but I think it’s important that it be said. Society makes it incredibly easy to doubt yourself, especially as a teen, and when you’re young and queer it can seem like the entire world wants you to suffer for it.

Anon, I will tell you this; it’s okay. It’s okay to be fearful, it’s okay to question yourself, but try to dig a little deeper and see where those feelings are coming from. Make sure you aren’t just trying to make others happy by thinking you’re attracted to guys if you aren’t. Your happiness is of the utmost importance, because at the end of the day, you go to sleep being yourself, and wake up being yourself. That will not change; you’re stuck being yourself, so be the best you you can be. If that involves only wanting to be with women, then that’s perfectly okay. Women are wonderful. They aren’t weak, they aren’t lesser. And wanting to be with one doesn’t mean that you hate men, because despite some facets of tumblr culture, gayness doesn’t have shit to do with hate. 

As for your mother... You’re still her child, aren’t you? She said she wanted you to be happy. Do yourself a favor and believe her. She wouldn’t have said it if it wasn’t true. Maybe your sexuality will take her some time to get used to because it does mean that your life will be a bit more complicated, but that is something she will have to deal with on her own. It isn’t up to you to make her happy. If she is a good mother, your happiness and your health is her goal. Do your best to believe that she’s being honest and that she wants you to be happy. Don’t assume she’s lying in order to force heteronormativity on yourself, because that will hurt you both.

Sorry this was so long and anecdotal, but it’s a subject I feel very strongly about. Feel free to send me more messages, okay? I’m always around.

1-25 Tell me everything.

Okay, im gonna do the main 4 ocs I have rn because those are the ones I have the most fleshed out for! Also gonna put it under a readmore because ho my god that's gonna be a LOT of text lmao

Kai

1. (their voice) Kai's voice is high-pitched and raspy due to her constant yelling and screaming. There is also a level of charisma too it, but its hard to explain. Its like her voice is so weird that you can't help but listen.

2.(their smile) Her smile is big, wide, and mischievous! Pair that with her many rows of shark like teeth and it can be very off-putting; she tries not to smile but her personality makes it almost impossible. However, one you get to know her, you can tell the difference between a fake smile and a genuine one.

3.(their greatest achievement) Kai considers her greatest achievement to be her magical prowess; her skill with her water magic is advanced for her age. She definitely likes to show off, haha.

4.(their insecurities) While she may act tough and arrogant, its just a façade to mask her low self worth and depression. As the queen/future queen she is terrified of failure; how can she lead others when she can't even help herself? Like I mentioned before, shes also insecure of her looks, because they give away that shes possessed.

5. (their shortcomings) Her ability to control her impulses is practically non existant lmao, she'll just straight up jump off the roof of the castle if she feels like it (which is a lot). Also her ego gets her into quite a bit of trouble as well. And her anger is a problem too; if she cant control it it becomes like a hulk situation. This is part of the reason she drinks, it numbs her senses.

6.(how they deal with grief) haha, that's a good one. Kai doesn't deal with grief she just drinks or does more dangerous shit to take her mind off of it. Or she'll just scream and wreck stuff; either way it ends up being more harmful than helpful.

7.(how they like to dress) Kai would prefer to dress in clothes that are easy to move in like pants or shorts; things that fit tight and have little resistance. But because shes royalty, sterling makes sure she at least dresses the part (much to her annoyance; she doesn't seen the point in all the ornamentation and frills. She does find them pretty, just not on her.

8.(what they like to eat) Anything that she can rip apart like meat and stuff. She loves using those teeth lol

9.(their theme) I think this means what their character is based around, but if im wrong please correct me. Kai's theme is embracing femininity, learning to grieve, and learning to be an independent person.

10.(their fashion sense) Like mentioned earlier sterling picks out most of her clothes for her, so her fashion sense stems from his (and she hates it lmao)

11.(their family life) Her mother died when she was 10, and she has no other siblings. Her father is too busy running the kingdom to pay attention to his daughter. Sterling and her have the best relationship (they were inseparable those first 10 years) but after the queens death and kais subsequent possession, things have become very strained.

12.(their romantic life) HAHAHA. Yeah no shes demi ace and terrified of emotional intimacy and commitment. If she did flirt, she'd be pretty good at it, but she's kinda oblivious about that kinda thing. People often mistake her charm and charisma as romantic interest, but she's just very friendly.

13.(their embarrassing memory from years ago) The most embarrassing thing to happen to her so far, is that sterling is the one who saw her covered in blood and possessed. Its a fuzzy memory at best, but she remembers enough for it to be painful.

14.(how they react to burning their tongue on food) Lots of choking and cursing, occasionally followed by yelling at whoever made the food. And if shes feeling particularly stupid that day, she'll just down the rest of it, hoping it burns her mouth even more.

15.(how they react to a brainfreeze) She's never had anything that cold before, but if she did there would also be lots of cursing, followed by her immediately drinking/eating as fast as she can to make it happen again lol

16.(their dreams) She dreams of being able to go to the ocean; her mother promised she'd take her when she got older (they live very far away from any large body of water much less an ocean) She also dreams of being free from the restrictions of being royalty and just being able to do whatever she wants.

17.(their ambitions) Her main ambition is to find a way to put her heart back into her chest (it was literally cut out of her and put into a box) and get rid of the ghost possessing her.

18.(how they sleep) She sleeps most of the day and stays up during the night. Its not restful sleep by any means, but its all she can get. She has constant nightmares and also its hard to sleep when theres an other worldly entity watching you 8)

19.(their reaction to betrayal) She avoids relationships for this very reason (but it still happens), she just shuts down completely; no talking, no crying, nothing but heavy silence.

20.(their reaction to a mystery love letter) She'd act all "of course! one of my many admirers'!" then when she's alone, she furiously tries to figure out who and why lol.

21.(how they react to pain) Because of complications from the possession she is hyper sensitive to pain (the ghost possessing her did this to try and prevent her from doing anything dangerous to increase her magic power, but jokes on her it backfired) So while it may seem likes she's being overdramatic, that would be the one time she's actually not over exaggerating.

22.(what they're like on two hours of sleep) Wired as shit. Anything can set her off, and she talk super fast too, like she's had 12 cups of coffee or something.

23.(how they act when they're sick) She can't actually get sick, again the ghost prevents it. She needs a healthy, preferably young host to completely thrive, so she makes sure that the host gets sick as little as possible and that they stay young as long as possible. It's why kai is so small, her growth is stunted.

24.(what motivates them) Her want to take back control over her life and fix the damage she has caused to others through her reckless and selfish behavior (on a smaller scale) her flaw of being a people pleaser.

25.(why do you enjoy them) I enjoy her because she reminds me a lot of myself, both currently and how I used to be. Shes the first oc I ever created and gave backstory and a personality to; shes my shark baby ;v;

Sterling

1. His voice is smooth and rich like chocolate (he is my hot character okay let me have this). He has a medium pitch voice that is gentle and kind, while still remaining authoritative and firm. He loves to sing and has an amazing voice (honestly wish I had an example but I haven't found one yet)

2. He has a smile that radiates pure gentleness and sunshine and he smiles often! He doesn't believe that all knights have to be boring and stuffy, and he likes to use his kindness to challenge that.

3. This is gonna be so sappy but his greatest achievement in his own words is "watching kai become her own person".

4. He worries constantly that he has failed at his job as a knight to the royal family. He blames himself for the queens death and kais downward spiral. He also has scars that he is self conscious of ( kais the only one whos seen them, and even that was an accident)

5. Sterling can be a bit too controlling when it comes to kai, it comes from a place of love, but its also his way of dealing with this resentment towards kai. He is also an enabler and allows reckless and unhealthy behavior to continue because its easier to not confront it. And his fear of blood is debilitating as well.

6. He'll usually allow himself to cry, but only in private. He usually bottles up his emotions so he doesn't burden others or takes his aggression out by sparring.

7. Sterling has a uniform to wear like the other knights, but even when not on duty his clothes very much give away that hes a knight. He dresses solely for function; if he can work and get around in them hes perfectly fine.

8. Sterling loves bread, like im pretty sure he'd marry it if he could. However because of his knight status and pride in his own appearance, he has to resist and make himself eat a healthy diet lol.

9. Sterling's theme is family, or rather, even if you aren't blood related you can still be family. And that sometimes things are out of your control and that's okay.

10. He has pretty good fashion sense, he can figure what looks good on someone just by looking at them. He always looks impeccably dressed himself but prefers a minimalist style.

11. Sterling has a huge family! He has several siblings (some he's related to, some not) but I haven't decided how many yet. And he has two loving parents that are very supportive of his career choice (his mother still worries though).

12. Sterling has no time for romance, plus hes not interested (that doesn't stop people from flirting however); hes aroace :)

13. Probably when he was first actually assigned to take care of kai as a baby. He hade no idea what do and had to ask several of the other knights and servants to help him (some of them won't let him live it down either)

14. Just look at the "this is fine" meme and you'll have your answer

15. Same as above lol

16. He dreams of traveling and helping people all over the world, and also seeing kai grow and develop into her own person.

17. He wants to be the best knight ever (but he'd never actually say that shhhh) at least that's all I have for him haha

18. His sleep schedules kinda screwed because if theres a problem with kai, he has to handle it, no one else will. Plus he's naturally a early riser, so the amount of sleep he can get varies. He's a light sleeper as well.

19. (why would you betray him how could you) But betraying him will land you on his shit list and he will be as petty as possible; passive aggressive might as well be his middle name.

20. He's just kinda like "aw that's sweet" and never think about it again. He might share them with kai if theyre interesting enough. Honestly you'd be better of just telling him to his face how you feel, so he won't ignore you that way.

21. He has a pretty high pain tolerance; being a knight you have to be able to take damage and get right back up again, and he's gotten pretty good at that.

22. Same as usual honestly, maybe a little more drowsy but that's it.

23. He'll probably hide that he's sick lmao, he doesn't like being taken care of. He could be hacking up a lung and still refuse medicine like "don't worry about me im fine haha :D"

24. He wants to make a difference in the world, create a legacy to leave behind.

25. I enjoy him because I've always loved straight laced by the books characters, they're such dorks and I love it haha. Plus hes my pretty boy UwU

Elysia

1. Her voice is low and quiet; it commands the listeners attention. She developed this trait because she usually talks to animals who are more perceptive of tonal inflections than people are. She can sing as well, but it's more of a warble than actually singing, but it still sounds beautiful.

2. Elsyia rarely ever smiles, unless she's talking to animals (even then it can vary depending on which animals show teeth as a sign of aggression) but when she does its a nice small slight smile.

3. Her greatest achievement is the fact that she's still alive; everyday it takes all her strength to get up and keep moving.

4. Like with Kai a lot of her insecurities stem from the way she looks; people aren't exactly willing to be nice to demons. She also worries she's going to seriously hurt someone with her lightning magic.

5. Her paranoia and anxiety are her main problems (while they are not necessarily something she can always control, they do affect her perception and decisions).

6. She'll most likely isolate herself or just flat out leave for several days. She comes back but you can see something is still wrong when you look at her eyes (jesus Christ none of my characters know how to grieve)

7. Anything that's flowy and lets her breath is her favorite. Due to her blood being super heated plasma her body temp is waaaay higher than normal, so her lack of clothing is an effort to not over heat.

8. Elysia is a vegetarian! She doesn't want to hurt animals :( Also the effort to find plants to eat is less when you're constantly roaming than finding and capturing an animal to eat.

9. Elyisa's theme is self-acceptance and learning to put trust in others.

10. I imagine her as being pretty fashion forward but due to her body temp and money issues she just kinda wears whatever.

11. She's an only child, her father left her an her mother when she was young so she became the sole provider for the two of them. Unfortunately her and her mother are now separated.

12. Nope no nah no way. Like sterling she has no time and its not something she ever considered (until she meets kai of course >u>) But she's ace as well!

13. When she tried to catch a cow and ended up almost destroying the entire marketplace she lived at.

14. She can't feel it probably, so she'll just keep eating like normal.

15. She gets these a lot because of her need to consume cold things to stay comfortable, so she'll just wait till it goes away then resume eating at a slower pace.

16. Her dreams are to be financially stable (like that's it, she is a broke college student someone help her).

17. Basically the same as above (at least as of now)

18. She has insomnia so she sleeps two hours at a time if that, usually in trees or caves around a campfire. Very light sleeper with frequent night terrors.

19. She expects it at this point, it would still hurt, but she'd act like it was no big deal.

20. She'd wonder who was playing such a mean trick on her :(

21. She's kinda numb at least on her right side??? Cuz that's where she was struck by lightning so she has nerve damage on that side. So she has a normal pain tolerance with the exception of her right side.

22. Normal; irritable, grouchy, and curt.

23. She's a big baby when she's sick lol, but she doesn't want people to take care so she'll just suffer alone

24. Money at this point, she's trying to fill a void, but she's not having any luck, I think it's part of the reason why her motivations and ambitions seem so vague or unfulfilling; she doesn't know what she wants.

25. I love her design the most out of all of them, plus I love writing grumpy characters who have a secret heart of gold

Andie/Andrea

1. Andie's voice is calm and monotone almost as if they have to force a certain tone to their voice. Andie sounds like how a doctor does; brief curt sentences and frank attitude. Yet they sound like silk drifting in the breeze, it confuses anyone who tries to talk to them. When they become more "vocal" a raspyness makes itself known and suddenly all feelings of safety and security are gone and their voice becomes dark and cold.

2. Like with Andie's voice, their smile also seems artificial at further inspection; its almost too perfect, too inviting. It's a trap that most don't realize they are walking into.

3. Andie's greatest achievement is their biomechanical body parts; they pride themselves on being the peak of human and medical technology.

4. Andie worries that there's always someone better, someone smarter, faster, stronger; and that they exist is unacceptable. Andie fears death like most others do not, having escaped it once makes them never want to go through it again. However; their confidence in themselves to make sure that never happens is hanging on by a thread (much like every other aspect of them)

5. They are emotionally and physically abusive on top of being a manipulator with homicidal tendencies and a fragile psyche. Like I said, they're hanging on by a thread.

6. Andie does not deal with grief, at least not anymore. Now it's someone else's problem.

7. They dress to cover any "inhuman" aspects of themselves such as the metal limbs and spine andie has made for themselves.

8. Andie doesn't really eat, they considered it a waste of time. But they do remember the taste of the stew their mother always made...

9. Andie's theme is more of a warning than anything; do not let your experiences and fears consume you or you will be lost to them forever.

10. Andie doesn't care, if it's not related to their work it's not important enough.

11. Andie had a mother and father, but they burned to death in a fire. Now the only "family" (and I use this term loosely) andie has is her two assistants.

12. Andie has no concept of romance, but will use it if it is advantageous to them. Again another frivolous human concept as far as they're concerned.

13. They've erased most of their childhood memories from years of experimenting with their own brain; the more it made andie feel, the quicker it was removed.

14. They can't taste really since their tongue is artificial like most of the rest of them. Andie would get more upset at the fact that the food might be hot enough to damage the material they are made out of.

15. They'd be confused and angry at how useless such a reaction is; they'd probably try to rewire it later.

16. To never die and be an immortal. It's what they have devoted their life too.

17. Same as above, although andie does want to bring back their dead parents.

18. Lmao andie is half cyborg they do not sleep, but like with everything else other people do, they fake it to appear human.

19. Hoo boy that is something you do not under any circumstances want to do. Andie takes is as a very personal offense and will have no qualms about severely hurting someone for it.

20. "what is this? a love letter for me? Aww, how disgusting~"

21. Inhumanly high pain tolerance after years of body modifications; you could take out their eye and they'd be more upset about how much it took to make the eye than actually losing a fucking eye.

22. Normal; still off their rocker.

23. Don't get sick, but occasionally parts will malfunction or fail in which there is a lot of groaning and "fucking serious? again?"

24. Their fear of death and the unknown and bringing back their parents.

25. I don't enjoy andie per say, but they're therapeutic to write in a way? I dunno it's just nice having all these horrible traits in one character and it just gives me a way to vent about the shit ive had to go through. They are not meant to be enjoyed, andie was created to be a projection of the way ive been treated. I also want to say I don't condone any of andie's behavior nor do I intend to romanticize it. (And also I use they for andie not because they are agender or to demonize agender people, but as a reflection of andie's view of themselves. They see themselves as greater than male or female, so their pronouns reflect that. However, if anyone has a batter alternative please let me know :) )

Oh my god this literally took hours but it was so worth it! Thank you again for these asks it was very sweet of you (thank you for letting me be the attention gremlin that I am lol)

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moon: what is your astrological sign? - Aquarius Sun, Taurus Moon. Wouldn’t seem like it, since T moons are generally known for emotional stability while I am quite the opposite. This is likely due to my other, more problematic aspects coming into play. gingerbread: your moral alignment - Neutral. I have no significant inclinations towards good or evil. I am generally passive, though I will, more often than not, prefer to benefit myself at the expense of others when I gather the courage to do so. birdseed: family or friends? Neither, I tend to abhor both. On the odd occasion, I feel grandiose love and affection for some of them, but more often than not, it tends to fade back into resentment. sheets: your sexual orientation Mostly straight, though I appreciate beauty in every gender. I’m female, and I am (unfortunately) attracted to males (considering how awful they can be). warm milk: when do you usually fall asleep? Depends. If I’m exhausted, it can be as early as 7 pm, but usually no later than midnight. pot of honey: your gender identity. Cisgender Female. snow: what is your favorite time of year and why? I don’t think I have a favorite time of year anymore. I used to love the fall and Halloween. yarn: what are your most enjoyable hobbies? I don’t particularly enjoy much nowadays. If you count binge-eating as an enjoyable activity for a fraction of the time, I guess that would be it. bicycle: what are you talented at? Nothing in particular. Forcing myself to be academically responsible, perhaps, although my intellect has dulled greatly in the past few years. folktale: what stories remind you of your childhood? I would read plenty of fairytales as a child. There will always be a place in my heart for the Warrior Cats Series and some Disney. woods: where do you feel at peace? Like the name of this very prompt, the woods truly do make me feel at ease. Beautiful places generally produce a calming effect within me. chicken feet: what is your emotional “flaw”? I have many. Notoriously, I cannot repress negative thoughts or emotions all that well. If I feel sad, angry or hurt I let it be known. I can (rarely) go off on the person who hurt me, or let it all spill while talking to someone. I also react angrily towards the people who surround me. Dark emotions tend to eat me up inside and it burns to keep them there. This is likely a byproduct of repressing emotions throughout my younger years, which gradually lead me to become depressed. Due to the fact that I don’t want to be as sad as I used to be, I feel the need to let my demons escape through speech and writing. red cheeks: what makes you nervous? Many, many things. I am quite easily disturbed in terms of nervousness or anxiety. Speaking to someone new, eye contact with someone I am not comfortable with, talking about certain subjects, when someone notices that I become nervous or am acting strangely because I am anxious, feeling judged, etc. sunflower: what do you love and cherish? I don’t think I truly love anything. My feelings of “love” tend to be intermittent and obsessive. Let’s say, food during binges, liking someone new only for that feeling to falter as soon as they do something “wrong”, that feeling when I look at my body after slimming down, myself when I think I look pretty, and the list goes on. Perhaps my laptop would be the sole exception to this rule, as I appreciate it more so than any other living thing. bells: what sounds are your favorite or calm you the most? Rainfall, without a doubt. The Cello fragment in one of my favorite songs, Midnight in a Perfect World, though I’m not sure if I should count this in, since it makes me feel rather nostalgic, above all things. turnip: what is a food you could eat everyday? So many things. Mostly Italian food though, it’s amazing. spit: do you get jealous easily? Yes. mushroom: list unique things you like about yourself. On those rare days in which I have the audacity to be vain: I like my long, curled eyelashes, my softly chiseled cupid’s bow, the golden flecks which dapple my otherwise ordinary brown eyes, my soft porcelain skin when it’s not scratched and damaged, the dimples beneath my ass,  the delicate collarbones and the curve of my waist. I seem to love a lot about myself despite loathing my appearance the vast majority of the time. cupboard: a good childhood memory eyebags: what do you think makes a person attractive? Physically, Mentally or Emotionally? These are the major aspects I take into account for attractiveness. Physically, I can be flexible, I can overlook this aspect when someone is incredibly attractive, both mentally and emotionally. I like traditionally masculine features, strong jawline, chiseled cheekbones, but I can appreciate a softer appearance as well. Mostly, the eyes do it for me. I love people with an intense, emotional gaze. I like lightly muscular bodies or those on the slimmer side. I prefer people who are at least 4 inches taller than me (I’m 5′3), they make me feel safer for some reason. I prefer shorter hair over longer, and I tend to appreciate formal attire over casual, too. I have a bit of an aversion towards reddish hair, though I could definitely get over this. (I used to like someone who had ginger hair and things didn’t end well). Mentally, someone who is inquisitive and thoughtful. Someone who knows when to pay attention to detail, is mature, level-headed, perceptive, passionate, assertive, patient, sweet and understanding. Preferably, someone who brings out the best in me. Emotionally, they should be kind, gentle, a balance between sentimentality and sobriety. A person who knows how to both support and motivate others and isn’t afraid to say what they’re feeling.                                                                                  fallen log: something you’ve gotten over that you never thought you would. I’ve never gotten over anything. Any trauma that has ever made its way into my life still churns within, gradually corroding my insides. Physically? I don’t know if I would say I never thought I’d heal, but I feared I’d never recover when I had Tuberculosis.                                                                                                    dagger: your worst fear I’ve always felt it’s “bad luck” to talk about your worst fear. Mentioning it helps it materialize, and therefore, more likely to occur. whisper: do you have any secrets? Well, I used to masturbate tons before I got a UTI which pretty much wrecked me, since it hit me while I had a weakened immune system due to my being underweight. I masturbated thinking of a guy I really liked who I also remain somewhat close to.                                            wild boar: which person do you feel closest to? I would have to say my mother. There is too much she doesn’t understand or care about, so I can’t truly say that she and I are truly close. I tell her a lot, mostly because I have nobody else to, but she is like a child in may ways and this frustrates me. Ideally, I would want to be closest to someone who could provide me with levelheaded insight about how to become a better person and how to deal with the more difficult aspects of life.

sweet: what candies or cakes are you fond of? I love, love, love apple pie. Chocolate fudge brownies are also amazing. footprints: do you remember your past lives? I don’t think I believe in past lives. If I did have one, however, I was likely an unfulfilled, unhappy soul just like I am now. Something tells me the person that I used to be was even more wretched than the one I am now. fur: name an animal you feel connected to. None at the time. Ages ago, I felt a connection to Tigers, but it’s all a farce. Allow me to explain. My concept of what a Tiger represents relates to everything that I wish I was, rather than what I truly am. I doubt this could be called a connection, but it’s the best I’ve got. In my mind, a Tiger would be powerful, leader like, assertive, confident, charismatic and bold. I am weakened, passive, lacking both passion and focus, preferring to revel in thought rather than action, insecure and absolutely self defeating. vodka: do you drink? No. I have an addictive personality, I’m afraid I’ll end up adding another self-destructive habit to my current repertoire. sour cherry: an obscure tradition from your family? None that I know of. pine needles: what is your favorite scent? I have a few. Lavender, roses and vanilla, just to name some of them. heart-shaped: do you believe in love? are you in love? I believe that love is fleeting. I’m talking about romantic love, when everything is beautiful and nothing hurts. I do not know whether or not I am truly capable of feeling love, though I do believe that other people might. My feelings of “love” are dauntingly obsessive, based on the perpetual idealization of the object of my affection. Needless to say, this is an undeniably unhealthy way to feel this “love” which is spoken of. In its better form, love can mean caring for someone even more than you care about yourself, wanting and supporting their wellbeing, teamwork, solidarity, intimacy, and making each other better people all around. A true balance would be the perfect love in my eyes. This is when two people complement each other, counteracting each others’ weaknesses and building up strengths. I was in “love” (read: obsessive idealization) with a “friend” a while ago. He does NOT feel the same way, this I know and I thought we could get along without there being any kind of romantic involvement. Boy, was I wrong. I started to feel things for him after us not talking for quite some time. He also has a girlfriend and I absolutely do not want to be with someone who doesn’t want to be with me, and me only. I also wouldn’t feel at ease with myself knowing I helped rupture a relationship. It’s complicated and I’ve decided not to speak to him anymore. home: where do you dream of living? In a beautiful little town, within a one-story home that is both quaint and spacious with a feline friend or two. The walls are made of wood and sunlight flows in mingled with fresh air each morning. There’s an ocean view from my bedroom window and I don’t have to drive any sort of vehicle to move about. Alternatively, I could live in a bustling city in a medium sized apartment within a building with gorgeously traditional design. The city I live in is culturally rich, dappled with lovely little cafes all over. It’s a place where I can take nightly walks while feeling safe and where I never run out of things to discover and explore. I can visit museums and watch musicals tirelessly. I can work up the courage to talk to strangers every once in a while, making friends here and there. I can waste my endless supply of time whilst losing myself inside of labyrinthine little bookstores. spice: list your favorite herbs I don’t know, don’t think I’ve got any that are explicitly favorites. mud: something you’re insecure about but trying to love. My breasts, since they’re quite small. The fact that my legs are thick, despite the me being relatively slim. tobacco: do you have any addictions? Binge eating. sock: how would you describe your clothing taste? Mostly feminine, but casual. cuckoo clock: are you a morning, a noon, or an evening person? I used to be a morning person, evening now. wooden fence: a favorite memory. Going to the beach with my parents after school back when I was in elementary. I remember wearing my uniform and pulling up my pants so that I could play in the ocean waves. As dying sunlight stroked my face a salty breeze would tousle my gold flecked hair. The ocean waves were crisply cold and shallow as a stark contrast to idyllic warmth of that afternoon. My dad would smile and play with me along the shore while my mother sat by and watched us rejoice from afar.

Writing this really helped clear my head. March 24th, 2018.

Ezekiel Elliott

          Over the summer, and into the fall, Ezekiel Elliott has been wrapped in a controversy in which the end is not in sight. Elliott, who plays running back for the Dallas Cowboys, is the focus of perhaps the NFL’s highest profile domestic violence investigation. Elliott is a dynamic player, in fact, he led the league in rushing yards last year as a rookie! However, this case could lock him away from the field and keep him on the sidelines. The Elliott saga is a very complicated one, with little details and confusing stories. Here, I will explain what we know in this controversy.

          It all began on February 12, 2016, before Elliott was drafted by the Cowboys in the NFL. Elliott was visiting his girlfriend in Florida. On this date, Elliott’s accuser called the police for the first time. She claimed Elliott had gotten angry with her, and then hurt her shoulder by forcefully pushing her into a wall. Elliott told authorities that the woman had gotten angry over a “social media incident”, and they had been arguing, but he never said it turned violent. In the end, no charges were filed. The NFL never investigated this incident because Elliott was not yet in the league.

          During the week of July 17, 2016, the accuser told police Elliott had been abusive to her on five separate occasions. The first of these incidents took place at about 3 am on the 17th of July. The accuser claimed an argument about their “unhealthy relationship” escalated when Elliott attempted to hit her. The woman had bruises from the incident, and later, said that she was choked in this conflict as well. In photos taken by the woman and later obtained by the NFL, she had bruises and scrapes. The next night, Elliott and the woman had gone out separately, and the woman claimed that after they returned, the star running back had become angry, and choked her. She told the prosecutor’s office that Elliott had threatened to smash parts of her car, and that he snatched the keys out of her hand and then twisted her arm, also leaving a bruise. However, a witness who stayed overnight with the two reported no altercations took place, and another who spent time with the woman the next day saw no signs of any bruises or injuries on the woman, who was wearing “the equivalent of a bikini.” 

          Two nights later, there was another reported incident. The woman said she was thrown against a wall, and Elliott said she was “lucky that he hasn’t killed her yet” in the police report. However, she changed her story in an interview with the prosecutor’s office. She mentioned an argument they’d gotten into in the dark hours of Tuesday morning, the 19th. She said Elliott had called her a “puppy dog”, and when she tried to leave, he cursed at her and eventually used force to keep her. He grabbed her, threw her on the bed, and started poking her face. All the while, she was demanded not to move. Later, the woman once again snapped photos of herself, in which she had many bruises. She texted these photos to her mother, and much later, the NFL obtained them.

         The fourth reported incident occurred on the night of July 20. The woman claimed when the all-pro running back returned to his apartment after going out, Elliott “lost it” after being asked a question. This time, the details are brutal. During her intake interview, she said, first, Elliott threw her, causing her to head to hit the wall. She said she “felt dizzy”. She claims Elliott then dragged her into the bedroom and tried to intimidate her. After, she said “he grabs my neck, pins me down to the floor” and, “he gets on top of me, starts shaking me. I start gasping for breath.” Elliott then continued acts of violence, such as yanking, lifting and throwing. She reported Elliott essentially dared her to leave, which made her to scared to do so. Once again, two witnesses claimed they didn’t see any altercations throughout the night. However, for the third time, the woman took photos of herself which clearly showed bruises and injuries from the incident the night before. These were later obtained by the NFL as well. However, despite all the conflict, the accuser still hadn’t dialed up the police yet.

          The fifth and final incident in question took place on July 22 in the early morning hours. Just before 3 am, the woman called up the police, and said that Elliott attacked her during a conversation in the car. She also mentioned the other incidents over the week. In a separate call, she said, ‘“he’s been doing it for the past five days” and had hit her “all over.”’* That day, the police department took photos of her, with bruises clear. Elliott then denied any abuse at any time. He also said that he never lived with or dated the woman, but did have a sexual relationship with her. He also said that he paid her rent. When asked about the bruises, Elliott claimed the woman got them in a fight at a bar. Multiple witnesses said there had been no altercations between the two that night. The same friend that  saw the woman’s bruises on Thursday said Elliott hadn’t turned violent at her. She said that she was asked to lie to the police by the accuser in the form of a text message. A statement made by this witness said that she went out with the accuser that night and left at around 2 am. She claims the accuser was attacked by another woman, which prompted her to grab her friend and pull her away to try to separate the two in this altercation. This fight was confirmed by two off-duty police men among others. After the fight was broken up, she said they headed off to meet up with Elliott, who hadn’t arrived yet, but did shortly after. When he arrived, the accuser got out of her vehicle and proceeded to yell at Elliott, and one of the things she said was she was going to “ruin his career”. During the friend’s meeting with the intake counselor, she confirmed the version of events in her statement, and said the accuser called the police because of the previous incidents, not because of an altercation on the 22nd. Elliott ended up not being charged because they couldn’t confirm the incidents, nor could they verify whether Elliott and the accuser ever lived together. Ohio state law says domestic violence charges can only be brought when the two people involved live together. The police then released all the evidence they had received, which included documents, photographs and much more. These clearly showed that the accuser had lied about the events on July 22.

          That same day, the NFL opened an investigation on the matter. The investigation dragged on for over a year. Elliott interviewed with the NFL in October. Over the course of the next several months, the NFL met with around a dozen witnesses. Not much else is known about the first nine months of the investigation. In May, the NFLPA gave Elliott’s phone records to the investigative committee. Then, in late June, Elliott and his team met with four “outside advisors”* of the investigation. One of them said they had reviewed “hundreds” of documents and “statements and information”, as well as information collected by the NFL. In this meeting, the Cowboys star gave his version of events during the week in question. Each advisor had a separate meeting with commissioner Roger Goodell to give their opinions. Goodell wasn't at any of Elliott’s hearings or interviews. Goodell also didn’t talk to the accuser, who was reportedly cooperating fully with the NFL investigation.

          Then, on August 11, 2017, the NFL announced a six game suspension for Elliott. They had determined that Elliott had been violent with the accuser three times during that week. They concluded that the accuser lied about the fifth incident, but that Elliott had been violent in the first, third and fourth incident. The NFL’s chief disciplinary officer sent a letter to Elliott giving him detailed reasoning for the suspension. He mentioned that the decision was 100% Goodell’s, nobody else’s. He also said Goodell determined “there has been no persuasive evidence presented on your behalf with respect to how [the accuser]’s obvious injuries were incurred other than conjecture.” One of the advisors who met with Elliott and his team in June agreed, as he claimed Elliott’s attorneys gave arguments and reasons for the injuries that weren’t supported by any witness or evidence. 

         The decision being solely Goodell’s raises many questions. First of all, why can the NFL do their own investigation after law enforcement, and effectively override them? Second, why does Goodell have so much power? Does he have so much power? Is he overstepping his boundaries? In the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiated between the NFL and the NFLPA, the authority to make these decisions himself is given to Goodell. Whether it should be this way is not up for discussion, as the current CBA isn’t set to expire for three more years.

          Shortly after the suspension was handed to Elliott, he and his team said they would fight it. They said the investigation was full of “factual inaccuracies and erroneous conclusions”, and a few days later, the NFLPA officially filed an appeal. Goodell had the option of hearing the appeal himself, but instead, appointed Harold Henderson. The hearing lasted three days. Kia Roberts, the only person to interview both Elliott and the accuser, was not part of the appeal hearing. On September 5, Henderson made the decision to uphold the suspension. 

          However, on August 31, the NFLPA and Elliott’s team filed a federal lawsuit with the request to block any suspension resulting from the appeal. They believed Elliott hadn’t received a fair trial or hearing. On September 8, just days before the Cowboys first game, the request was granted. A judge concluded Elliott had not received a fair trial. Elliott would be eligible to play until the situation plays out in the courts, which could be any amount of time. Throughout this whole process, the NFL and NFLPA had been going at it, with many wars of words. They had another one after the suspension was blocked. 

          Elliott played in week 1 against the Giants, which was an easy win for the Cowboys. 

          The NFL filed an appeal of the injunction and an emergency stay. This is likely because the appeals process is very long, usually taking almost a full year.  An emergency stay would force Elliott to serve his suspension now. Of course, the NFLPA asked the court to block the appeal for the emergency stay, saying the NFL would face no harm if the case doesn't go their way, while Elliott and the Cowboys would be harmed if the appeal for the emergency stay is not blocked. The NFL said if no decision was made by the next day, they would try again with a higher court. This is exactly what happened. “’The NFL argued that ‘no one’s interests are served by delaying that discipline based on a misguided order by a district court that lacked jurisdiction.”’* The NFLPA as well as Elliott’s representatives “wasn’t having any of it”*. They released statements essentially accusing the NFL of injustice, and said every negative thing you could possibly think about the NFL. The NFL wanted a ruling by September 26. On September 18, the first file for an emergency stay was blocked. The higher court did not abide by the NFL’s request. Instead, they set up oral hearing on October 2nd in New Orleans. On October 2nd, the hearing took place. Meanwhile, Elliott played in his team’s week 2, 3 and 4 games. 

          Currently, it is October 7, and no decision has been made. If the court sides with the NFL, Zeke serves his suspension. If they side with the NFLPA, Elliott can play. In this long complicated controversy, there are many opinions and sides. Now that you understand what this is all about, we want to know what you think, and why. How this will unfold is still a mystery. The ball is in the hands of the court. All we can do is watch and wait.

* denotes I am quoting SBNATION

Review #46 - Adam, Enough Said

Adam, Enough Said Author: Lynda LeeAnne Genre: Contemporary Romance, Law Enforcement, Pregnancy & Babies Rating: �� Recommendation: not worth it; once was enough Summary: Mia and Adam have a history—a messy and complicated history that continues to tie them together even when they haven’t seen much of each other in years. One phone call from jail by Mia to Adam brings the two of them back together. The question is, will their past continue to tear them apart or will they find a way to move forward and toward a future together?

Female Lead: Mia… Ugh. Mia needed to be more convincing and hold her convictions. For someone who was constantly described as this terror of a woman to of course match her blazing red hair, she never held her ground. Sure, Mia easily jumped the gun and called Adam out for his words and behavior. I enjoyed that. What I did not enjoy was that she never stuck to her words. She never backed her words up with action. She constantly threatened to leave Adam, but she always went right back to him with or without his own possessive threats looming over her head. Mia was flat out just a weak character. Yes, some circumstance had to do with that—her being a foster child and alone for most all her life. But for all her independence and making it on her own through different foster families and facing homelessness, all of it was negated when she let Adam barrel into her life. This woman didn’t finish school, though she might of had an okay reason for dropping out. She barely had a job; or at least, LeeAnne never actively wrote Mia working. Unemployment wouldn’t even have been a problem had Mia had more conviction and motivation in life. But she didn’t. She was just there basically for Adam to control. It was… pathetic and yet sad. Male Lead: Adam is the epitome of the worst kind of possessive alpha male. So many things were wrong with this dude that I surprised myself by finishing the whole book and putting up with all his words and behavior. Dear Lord, he was so controlling and manipulative. I mean, at one point during the first half of the book, I actually felt for him just a smidgen, but he quickly wiped away any sympathies I had for him. He didn’t give Mia a say about anything. ANYTHING. He had the worst and most erroneous reactions to everything, which made every situation worse than it needed to be. The worst part? He knew! He knew what he was doing was horrible, and his inner monologue always said he knew and that he was sorry for it and that he was going to change or whatever to make it up to Mia. But did he? NO. He never changed. This wasn’t just about him being an arrogant and possessive jerk. This was about Adam, utilizing destructive and dysfunctional behavior to fix his problems that were brought on by that exact destructive and dysfunctional behavior. There was something wrong with this man! HE FLUSHED MIA’S BIRTH CONTROL PILLS WITHOUT HER PERMISSION OR KNOWLEDGE. I was so sickened by this, by all of him. Plot & Writing: If you think I have anything glowing to say about Adam, Enough Said after reading the above two paragraphs, you are sorely mistaken. LeeAnne’s writing was unpolished and rather amateurish. Her characters were flat and weak and exacerbating. The whole book was unnecessarily long and overly dramatic. Again, I was seriously surprised that I made it to the end of the book and didn’t peace out way before. Maybe I just wanted to finish so I could write this scathing review for no one to read but myself so I can remind myself just how much I hated this book and will never read anything else written by this author.

Let me continue talking about characters for a moment. The female characters in this book. WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THEM? LeeAnne, what did you reduce these female characters to? The answer is nothing. All the female characters in the book were nothing but decoration for their males. Mia was obviously a prime example by seemingly having no life or substance outside of her relationship with Adam. Her character was defined by her relationship with Adam. Even for all the years they were separated, we still only saw her other relationships in the light of how they affected Adam. There was no growth or development. And then all the other women in the book, which included Adam’s ‘friend’, Trish, and his sister-in-law, Lex? They solely existed for the purposes of their male companion—meaning, both were wives and pregnant/had kids. No mention whatsoever of careers or lives outside of their marriage. And listen to me, I am not knocking stay-at-home moms whatsoever. I am knocking the horrible way LeeAnne wrote her female characters by degrading them into existing for nothing else other than their man. Women are and will always be more than that. It was extremely disappointing to read the way LeeAnne treated her female characters.

I already kind of touched upon this in the characters section, but I must continue my rant on just how repulsed I was by Mia and Adam’s dysfunctional relationship. This was not a healthy relationship whatsoever. Adam got mad at Mia all the time about every little thing whether it was her fault or not. He just blew up at her! And Mia, she just either yelled right back at him or threatened to leave. It was ridiculous. There was zero communication between the two. Even when they promised they would try and fix their respective mistakes, they never did. They never changed. They fell back on old, destructive habits and banked on their supposed everlasting love to fix their problems. The worst parts to read were when they referred to their shouting matches and horrible behavior toward each other as ‘hey, that’s us!’ Threats, possessive behavior, and constant fighting don’t make a loving relationship; they make a unhealthy and dysfunctional one that anyone should get out as soon as possible.

There was at one point during the first half of the book where I thought I might even rate this a tick higher than it deserved because there was a lot of angst (because I am admittedly a lover of angst). But geez, LeeAnne quickly squashed any hopes of that happening as the book dragged on. And it DRAGGED on. First of all, the ‘Part II’ header struck again! I know I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: nine of ten times, for me at least, a ‘Part II’ is a huge no-no. The story would’ve been better off as a frame story that solely focused on showcasing Mia and Adam’s past and how they fixed their mistakes to move on in the present. But no. LeeAnne wrote this second half that not only did not fix the issues of the past but also did not progress toward a better future. I skimmed the last couple of chapters because I really just wanted to be done, and it was a very good idea on my part because LeeAnne decided to include this wholly dramatic and unnecessary fight/life-threatening scene for her excessive subplot involving Mia’s boyfriend, who she cheated on with Adam, and his involvement with the drug cartel or whatever. Seriously, if LeeAnne chopped off at least a fourth of the entire book, it might have been better off—not that eliminating scenes, though, would save the book from its underdeveloped characters and unpolished writing style. Favorite Part(s): When Adam’s mother hit him upside the head once. He needed more of that. A lot more of that. Final Thoughts: SKIP. SAVE YOURSELF TIME AND ENERGY AND SKIP. Adam, Enough Said is not worth it. Enough said.