Know the Novel 2024 - Part 3

 AND HERE WE ARE AGAIN

it is time

for

the final part

of 

Know the Novel, hosted by the wonderful Christine Smith. Check out her blog for more info on AND other writers'/bloggers' wonderful WIPs.

Wonderful.

Also.

I was looking at my post from last month and I realized I dove right into it without explaining anything, really, about To Die is Gain. In order to rectify that error, here's a quick blurb/overview/ya know what i mean to make the story make more sense:

How much is the truth worth? 

Wilson Tomas has been smuggling Bibles since he was thirteen. Never once has he struggled with why it was so important. But now he finds himself asking, why are these books so important that people are willing to die to possess one? Unable to return home after a smuggling run goes wrong, he allows himself to give voice to these worries, hoping that maybe, maybe, he can rekindle his passion.

Ariel Johnson just wants her brother back. She hates that he's so enthralled by this... religion that he's willing to die for it, but she can't hide the fact that it intrigues her. When she is offered a deal to save her brother's life, she must decide whether to pursue the elusive faith that so many have died for... or whether she can find it in her to betray the only people to actually care.

Yeah, and it's set in backwoods Maine in the ~2050s-2070s, I haven't fully decided that bit?

Anyways.

Part 3.

1. How did writing this novel go all around?

*takes deep breath*

I HAVE FINISHED EDITING DRAFT 2!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am so happy, it went great, one less person died then last draft, it was fantastic.

2. Did it turn out as you expected or completely different? How do you feel about the outcome?

As it was edits, I had a pretty good idea of how it would turn out, so I wasn't too surprised. I was already pretty happy with the ending (which is what I'm been wrestling through this month) from the first draft, so it was really just a case of polishing and fixing some continuity issues.

3. What aspect of the story did you love writing about the most? (Characters, plot, setting, prose, etc.)

CHARACTERS.

all the way. i love writing characters. just in general. The Martyrs Saga is a very character-driven series, so it's good that I like the characters, but Ariel and Wilson hold a special place in my heart. They didn't need a whole lot of work, so I was able to keep loving the original aspects of them, aaaaand this particular section--- I don't wanna say more, because I will literally spoil the best thing I have ever written.

4. What was your least favorite part?

My least favorite part of this book in general is in between chapters 6-9, because they felt very "filler" in the original draft, especially those in Wilson's POV, so there was a lot of rewriting, but they weren't bad, so to speak? I just don't like rewriting.

In that same mindset, I also didn't like the original ending; some of the characters just kinda... fizzled out, but I thiiink I've fixed it now.

5. What do you feel needs the most work?

The supporting cast. I have a few side characters that are either very important to the final climax or will be very important in later installations of the series, and I didn't do a whole lot with them, so in the next draft, I'll be working on taking care of them a bit more.

6. How do you feel about your characters now? Who’s your favorite? Least favorite? Anyone surprise you? Give us all the details!

MY CHARACTERS

MY SMOL CHILDREN

MY--

DEFINITELY NOT weeping their eyes out right now because people dIED

Anyways

My favorite character in TDiG will always be  Ariel, buuuut to be interesting, I also adore Lyra with my whole heart and soul. She's so fun to write and I figured out how to make her snarky AND have depth and I am so happy with her. On the other side, her dad Justin can go die in a whole because I forgot he existed a few times *face palm*

AAAND I CAN'T GIVE MORE DETAILS THAN THAT.

7. What’s your next plan of action with this novel?

Well, I am currently reading through and marking up some thoughts I have, then I'll be sending it to my... Alpha readers? Beta readers? Omicron readers? Idk, I have some people who are gonna read through and give feedback. They're the first ones for this draft. Idk what the proper term for that is.

AFTER THAT and probably after many many more edits, I am planning to-- hol' up, I read the next question.

8. If you could have your greatest dream realized for this novel, what would it be?

Ahem.

After many many more edits, I am planning to self-publish TDiG and Lord willing the rest of the Martyrs Saga. I'm choosing self-publishing for this series because I want complete control over how many and how fast and everything, so we'll say that's my greatest dream right now!

9. Share some of your favorite snippets!

AHHHHHH DO I HAVE ANY THAT AREN'T SPOILERS????

lemme see.

Okay, so we'll cut a few names *nerdy grin* (emojis aren't working today *sob*)

Wilson squeezed her shoulder once before continuing to address [REDACTED]. “This is your first major raid, isn’t it?”

“So?” He didn’t slow.

Wilson stopped walking and waited until [REDACTED] noticed before continuing. “They’ll shoot us whether it’s light or dark out. This whole small area is on lockdown, and anyone moving anywhere near here is suspicious. Tonight, it doesn’t matter if we have a curfew pass. We’re out and about? We’re cavorting with the smugglers.”

~

“What do you want to know?”

Ariel reached into the pocket of her hoodie and pulled out her Bible. She squeezed the book tightly. “Is everything written in here true?”

Wilson met her gaze, waiting until he was certain she could see his sincerity. “Every word.”

~

Wilson stared through the trees beyond the edge of the yard. “Lyra, why do we do this?”

“Do what? Sit on the grass?”

“No. No! I mean, why do we smuggle?”

Lyra cast a sharp eye over him. “You’re the smuggler. I think you would be the one who could answer that question better than I can.”

“That’s the problem. I can’t.” 

I did in fact go in reverse order of where these events actually happen in the story, unintentionally. Tada.

10. Did you glean any new writing and/or life lessons from writing this novel?

I literally don't want to say what I learned (or remembered, more accurately) bc I don't want to spoil things, buuuut yeah I learnmembered things.

I also realized, from the final 5 or so chapters, that thirteen-year-old me was some other level that I don't know where she went. One of the final confrontations has like two minor changes (action related, not emotional *evil grin*). I WROTE THE FIRST DRAFT OF TDIG WHEN I WAS THIRTEEN AND IT'S STILL LIKE AHHH???? 

Something I've experienced rereading my writing is that I have three general reactions:

1. "Ugh, I wrote this?"

2. Hm. I wrote this.

3. I wrote this???

And I've had all three reactions throughout the editing process. Surprisingly, a lot of the final climax fell into the "I wrote this???" category, thinking, "yeah, I plagiarized from someone."

Anyways, before I toss out any spoilers, I am going to stop now, thanks y'all for reading, thanks Christine for hosting...

and now you know stuff about To Die is Gain!

Know the Novel 2024 - Part 2

 

It's official! More than Conquerors is a cursed book that will never be written and will probably never see the light of day! 

In other words, am I about to scrap the 5000 words or so I've written in the past month? Yeah. I am. Very, very sadly. ONE DAY we will figure out how to write this thing, but it is not this day.

So what will this Know the Novel post be on? A story I have mentioned many times on this blog but have never actually elaborated on. I have been editing it for a rather long time now, but I'm getting pretty serious about it over the past few months because I finally decided how the series was going to go and I got it into my head to start researching self-publishing a bit more in depth... although that's a beast I'll tackle a different time.

For now, put your hands together for my very late post discussing To Die is Gain!

A little bit of background that I didn't share in part 1 because that was on a different story, To Die is Gain (TDiG) is book 1 of my series The Martyrs Saga (which might be news, considering how the order has flip-flopped every other day). It is also the first full length story I ever wrote, even if the first draft makes me very angry that it ended at exactly 99 pages. (A bit short for a full novel, yes, but it has grown in the past few years).

Anyways.

Diving in.

Some of you may be asking, "What is Know the Novel?"

Know the Novel is a 3-part tag for writers, one for each of these last three months of the year. Each part features ten questions you can answer on your own blog (or anywhere else on social media!). The questions focus on different parts of your novel and how the writing is progressing. 

Check out the wonderful Christine Smith's blog to see other posts and to get a bit more info on the tag.

Ze questions.

1. How’s the writing going overall?

As it is currently being edited, and this particular section I'm working through does not need a whole lot of changes, it's been going pretty good! So happy to be working with my babies again.

2. What’s been the most fun aspect of writing this novel so far?

Working with my babies again 🤓Have I ever mentioned I love these characters????

3. What do you think of your characters at this point? Who’s your favorite to write about?

Once more, I have fallen into the trap of answering questions before they are asked...! Maybe? 

I adore my characters, and they have reached the point where they are a little less problematic about each other because they are problematic with each other. TDiG only really features one "chaos child" for the whole book, and that's Lyra, but by the end, the others are starting to figure it out a bit more. Especially Wilson. Wilson is learning chaos like a pro. 

4. Has your novel surprised you in any way?

Some of the changes I've needed to make have been... unexpected, I should say. Taking advice from my family who has read TDiG already, the two plot twist characters had a bit of a personality change, which surprised me that it worked a little more but also surprised me that it was actually kinda tricky because I didn't want to reveal the twist... anyways, the editing of TDiG has been much more straightforward than some of the others.

5. Have you come across any problem areas?

The section I am currently working on has been a little tricky, but I wouldn't call it a problem, so to speak. It's a very emotionally and spiritually tricky scene that I really like my original version of, so I just have a few continuity things from this draft that I need to tweak. It is probably one of my favorite sections I've ever written, but I'm not sayin' nothin' because SPOILERS hehehe.

6. What’s been your biggest victory with writing this novel at this point?

Biggest victory is just getting to this point! When I first started editing earlier this year, I was pretty upset to realize I had to cut several chapters and rewrite a bunch, not to mention learning one of my favorite characters was insanely f l a t. So, last week when I realized I had three chapters left to edit, and everything I had rewritten and cut and all was coming together, yeah, that was a pretty big victory!!

7. If you were transported into your novel and became any one of the characters, which one do you think you’d be? Would you take any different actions than they have?

Oh dear. I'd like to say I'm Ariel or Wilson, but realistically... I'm not? I'd have to be Maximus, which means I'm the sidekick who knows nothing, is always being teased by the friends who adore him (and vice-versa), and tries to help save the day but is really along for the ride. I love Max, and he is probably going to get his own side story soon-ish (as in twenty years from now), but he's not quite the most awesome character in this particular episode of the Martyrs Saga.

8. Give us the first sentence or paragraph then 2 (or 3!) more favorite snippets!

OOOOOHHOOOHOHOHOOOOO this is the part I was excited about for TDiG!!!! 

first line/paragraph: 

The shadows hid Wilson, but they also hid the patrolling soldiers. 

He strained his eyes for any movement and crept farther out on the tree branch he was perched on, wincing as it creaked quietly. In the distance, faint lights blinked from the small house that was his destination.

and now a few more... (i'll try to do one for each of the main foursome [Ariel, Wilson, Lyra, Maximus])

Ariel burst out before she could contain herself, “Silas, they sent me to betray you. ‘Get you to trust me and then hand you over to them’ is what Sanders said.” She bit her lip and stared at him, anxiety rising in her chest again.

No way he would want to help her now.

He lowered the Bible and regarded her for a moment before he nodded slowly. “And if you don’t, Israel will die.” He didn’t sound surprised.

~

“He picked a fight with a street rat,” Lyra announced, also peering into the pot and inhaling deeply.“A street rat who won’t be ratting anyone out anytime soon.” She carried herself with an air of satisfaction as she grabbed a spoon and scooped out a bite of the broth. 

Martha’s eyes widened and she pinched the bridge of her nose. “You didn’t punch them, did you?” 

Lyra put on a look of utter innocence. “Of course not.” 

~

“Well, there’s more to it than that.” Wilson picked at the grass again. “When I became a smuggler, the first thing I learned was how to act. Not how to be sneaky. Not code words. I had to learn to convincingly lie.” He glared down at the ground as if everything was its fault. “By now, acting is basically second nature. It just… happens. Sometimes without me planning what my story will be.” He ripped a few blades of grass out of the ground and began absentmindedly shredding them. “That can’t be right, can it?”

~

Maximus shook his head at them. “You guys are so obvious. I mean, so so obvious.”

Ariel grinned at him. “Did we get you in trouble?” 

“Nah. But next time, Ariel, don't stand right in front of a giant window when you know there’s a price on your head.”

Her grin drooped, and her gaze drifted back to the open window. “Sorry.”

9. Share an interesting tidbit about the writing process so far! (For example: Have you made any hilarious typos? Derailed from your outline? Killed off a character? Changed projects entirely? Anything you want to share!)

If SOMEONE had died, I would not say who. BUT. If three people were getting ready to die in the next few chapters.... I still would not say who. As for changing projects entirely, I mean... whaddya think? As a funny note, there have been times that I've reread what I just edited and realized that sections where I switched who said what still had the previous character's name in the action tag... such as Wilson saying something about how ridiculous Wilson was being (it was supposed to be Lyra speaking, btw.) I've also just accidently inserted the wrong name many many times.

10. Take us on a tour of what a normal writing day for this novel looks like. Where do you write? What time of day? Alone or with others? Is a lot of coffee (or some other drink) consumed? Do you light candles? Play music? Get distracted by social media (*cough, cough*)? Tell all!

I DON'T HAVE NORMAL WRITING DAYS 😭😭😭😭 I BARELY WRITE AT ALL LATELY. WHO KNEW TWO WEDDINGS BACK TO BACK COULD KILL YOUR WIRTING STREAK THAT QUICKLY???

ahem.

IF I write, there's literally no routine I follow. I write whenever I finish school, so generally after lunch, but even then I sometimes do other stuff because yeah. So. I don't have anything interesting.

Anyways, that's the end of this post. If you enjoyed this little snippet of To Die is Gain and you want to hear more about it, as in the questions from part 1, let me know and I'll throw together a little something ✨extra✨ for these precious children of mine. Thanks for reading!!

Know the Novel 2024 - Part 1

 

Well I'm back.

I am a very tired gremlin. I don't think I'm a bean any longer; I am officially just a gremlin.

anyways.

I returned for the first of probably just three times this fall/winter. If you read the title of the post, you know why, and you probably know why it's only three times. 'tis time for the Return of Know the Novel.

Unless you don't know what Know the Novel is... if you don't, here's a nice little description by the creator herself, the incredible, amazing, lovely Christine Smith.

Know the Novel is a 3-part tag for writers, one for each of these last three months of the year. Each part features ten questions you can answer on your own blog (or anywhere else on social media!). The questions focus on different parts of your novel and how the writing is progressing.

Here is the link to the post if you want to do your own version after reading my answers. Also, you can check on other awesome author's posts too!

So what am I going to be working on this fall? I am... neutral that you asked. Because I know what I want to be working on... it just isn't ready yet, and I am angry at it. HOWEVER. I am excited about what I am writing instead.

I have mentioned More than Conquerors before, I think. I believe that's the one last spring I announced I would be trying to write in like three months and try to publish. Well, you know that didn't happen. BUT IT'S BACK BABY with a bit less pressure. We have not actually started it yet except for the Chapter 1 header... BUUUUUUT we actually have ideas. So here's what we've got for it so far:

1. What first sparked the idea for this novel?

A short story contest from about two years ago. The theme was trust, with the guiding phrase being unlikely ally. I looked at my recently completed To Die is Gain and Take Up Your Cross, remembered how much I loved those characters/world, and decided I needed to write a side story about a non-smuggler, already a Christian becoming a hero and teaming up with a soldier who's ordered to kill her. 

If you don't know what the other two stories mentioned above are, one of them is scrapped because it's a bit too chaotic to actually be good, and the other is still my soul child. You can find the Know the Novel post for TUYC from exactly two years ago here if you want to hear more about 'em.

2. Share a blurb (or just an overall summary)!

Ugh NOOOOO I hate writing blurbs before I write the book T_T

Felix Owens is loyal. Sometimes he doesn't always know who or what he's loyal to, but he does his duty. Protect the people and rise the ranks. That's all he needs to do. Until he realizes the girl he's been spying on is neither the enemy nor another faceless civilian.

Hesed Blair hides a secret with the power to end her life and save it. If anyone finds out she's a Christian, she and her family are finished. With two soldiers constantly visiting her home, her life is an endless loop of subterfuge and stress, especially since one of those soldiers seems to have taken a liking to her in particular.

When the truth comes out about the agency Felix serves, he must choose whether or not to uphold his duty or save the girl he loves. Hesed must find her courage and allow her faith to give her strength before she loses it altogether.

3. Where does the story take place? What are some of your favorite aspects of the setting?

Well, it takes place in fictional-but-based-on-real-places Ebony, Maine in the 2060's. I initially had planned to relocate the setting to a different city/town somewhere else in the USA, maybe one of the Carolinas since that's where I am now, but I decided to keep it in the same location as TDiG. I love this setting, mostly because I can now pull in some character cameos, but also because I love the rustic-rural vibe. It's in an area (i imagine) close to where I grew up, so it feels very close to my heart and familiar.

4. Tell us about your protagonist(s).

Hesed Blair is (hopefully) a bit different than my usual female protagonists. She's a little less snarky than most of them, she's not a marksman or swordsman or anything like that, she's not a smuggler. The coolest way she can describe herself is that she's homeschooled. She's a Christian, as is her family, but she's scared to do much in ways of reaching unbelievers. 

Felix Owens is also a bit more laid back of a protagonist compared to my norm. He's a soldier-intern-thing in the newly created agency tasked with taking care of the smugglers (I swear, I *have* actual names for these things). He isn't fully aware of everything the agency is doing, but he knows enough to be considering getting out. 

5. Who (or what) is the antagonist?

The primary physical/person antagonist of MtC is probably Captain Sanders (previously only appearing in To Die is Gain, but recently becoming a bit more active in the Martyrs Saga) and there might be some others from the agency, but I think the main conflict throughout the book arises from Felix's and Hesed's internal struggles. And each other.

6. What excites you the most about this novel?

It's the Martyrs Saga again! It's been so long since I worked on a M.S. project, and quite frankly, I have missed it. I love my world, I love my concept, I just love it all, and I am pumped to work on it again!

7. Is this going to be a series? standalone? something else?

Well... 

Yes. It's in a series. It's a bit more of a standapart in the Martyrs Saga, story-wise, since I'm not fully sure if I'm going to tie the characters into the finale book. I'm currently planning on it, but that may change. Order-wise, the events of MtC would be during/just after TDiG.

8. Are you plotting? pantsing? plansting?

Plansting. Hardcore plansting.

9. Name a few unique elements in this story.

Welllllllllllllll I feel like every time I've mentioned the Martyrs Saga I name the same unique elements... I guess almost drowning is new, and that's unique to my stories? Wait, I wasn't supposed to say anything about that---

10. Share some fun “extras” of the story (a song or full playlist, some aesthetics, a collage, a Pinterest board, a map you’ve made, a special theme you’re going to incorporate, ANYTHING you want to share!).

Um I have a collage.

And that's all I've got, folks! See you in a month!!

ANNOUNCEMENT

 

AS IT IS THE END OF MAY

I have an announcement to make.

I am going to take a break from blogging, at least weekly, for the next few months.

Why?

Well, I want to focus on writing Team 14 right now, and every time I go to write when I need to post here, I get either really annoyed or really worried. SO we're going to just put it out there that The Place of Chaos will be a Place of Quiet for at least three/four months. 

I might occasionally drop something random here, like an update on how T14 is going or a highlight from the summer or something like that.

Anyways, see y'all later!

Writing Stuffs

 I currently have nothing new going on with Team 14, except that I'm starting over with *gasp* an OUTLINE. So we'll see how it continues to go.

A quick snippet so this post is actually substantial because I'm nice:

"I suppose this was an experiment, but one that will benefit us all. Besides, as soon as I learned you had who I needed, I immediately called for the bloodshed to cease.”

“Who?” Arlec cut in. “You said who you needed.”

“I did.” Warmian spread his arms out again and raised his voice to address the whole square. “My friends, I am a mage, the greatest of all mages in this era. I am seeking a new apprentice, and one of your young has the potential to become that apprentice.”

Arlec answered for the chief, his voice weary. “Who is the boy?”
Warmian pointed at the crowd, and the warriors drifted apart, most with surprise written across their faces, meaning they were probably moved against their will. An aisle cleared straight from Warmian to--
“Krever?” Larkin grabbed his shoulder as his feet slid forward without him moving them. Her tone was panicked as she gripped him tightly, keeping him in place. “Krever?”
“I don’t want to go with you,” Krever announced quickly. This man was unnatural and twisted. He was the last type of person Krever would ever want as a trainer.
Warmian wasn’t much taller than Krever, but he somehow managed to look down his nose at the boy. “You’d prefer to let your village burn?”

(fyi there are a few bits that i chopped out so it was a little shorter for this sneak peak, but tada)

AND THAT'S ALL I HAVE TODAY SORRY 'TWAS SHORT

April Readings

 

Okay heres the book list im not doing an intro or anything youre welcome im sorry

The First Starborn - Bryan Davis *3.5 stars*

Tales of Light and Life - various authors *4 stars*

The Rise of Skywalker - Rae Carson *4 stars* (hehhhhhhh it definitely did not make me scream and kinda like the movie but them i remembered the movie didnt have all the internal thoughts so it was terrible)

Path of Deceit - Tessa Gratton *3 stars*

Defy the Storm - Justina Ireland *2 stars*

Path of Vengeance - Cavan Scott *3.5 stars*

Calculated - Nova McBee *4.5 stars*

Tuck - Stephen A. Lawhead *4 stars*

Reapers - Bryan Davis *3.5 stars*

i dont know if you actually wanted to see that if you were actually dying to see my reading from april but tada sorry it was late 

April Doings

 

Here we are again.

Welcome back to this Place. Ever wonder why you return?

Hope not, because I'm always glad you do!

APRIL WAS SOMETHING ELSE. As of April, I have officially visited all the colleges I want to, and I believe I have an idea of where I want to go! But we'll get into that at another time.

HIKING

Where? Historic Tour, Mammoth Cave, KT

How long? Stairs? 

Pictures? Thought you would never ask...

(btw I've decided to just use collages. Blogger likes me better when I do...)

PICTURES

The top collage is the TOTAL ECLIPSE as viewed from Greensburg, Indiana (plus doggo's eyeball...)

The middle one is the Ark Encounter in Kentucky -- if you are EVER in that area, VISIT IT. It was so cool. So cool.

The bottom one is a mish-mash. I didn't get any pictures at Cedarville University, but I did get a picture of Boyce College (top right) and my second visit to North Greenville University (bottom right). My cat was interested in my camera (top left) and I have created my first cosplay (bottom right). actually wait that's a really bad picture of the cosplay, let me throw the actual thing up here by itself...

hehheheheh tada

MUSIC

don't-don't look at this section. please.

please.

don't judge me. i'm in a musicals phase.

READING

okay again pleeeeease don't kill me, but I am writing this post in a hotel room in VA, and I do not have my reading log nearby... i don't have Goodreads; I do things the "old fashioned" way and keep a handwritten reading record.

Sooooo thissectionisstayingemptyuntiligetbackandtheniwilleitheraddtothispostorcreateanentirelynewpostdedicatedtoapologiesandtheofficiallist. 

yeah

sorry.

ANYWAYS THERE YOU HAVE IT THANKS FOR READING I'LL PROBABLY POST BEFORE NEXT SATURDAY BYE

May the Fourth be With You

 

Hello there.

It is...

may 4th.

and for those shameful few who do not know what may 4th entails.

'tis star wars day.

ANDFORTHOSEEVENMORESHAMEFULFEWWHODIDNTKNOWIADORESTARWARSSOGETREADYFORSOMEEPICFANGIRLING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyhoo.

Two years ago, I did a ranking of all the Star Wars movies on May 4th as my way to celebrate. If any of y'all are curious to see my opinions from two years ago, check it out. If you're interested in my opinions of the here and now, well, you're in the right post.

WE WILL ONCE MORE BE RANKING THE STAR WARS MOVIES, INCLUDING:

-the OG trilogy

-the Prequel trilogy

-the sequel trilogy

-the three standalone movies

AAAAAAND A SEPARATE RANKING OF: 

-the TV shows (that i have seen, so excluding BoBF)

THIS IS GOING TO BE INSANE

buckle up

#12: The Rise of Skywalker

On the last list, RoS was in ninth... aaaaand then I rewatched it and realized that basically any character development for Rey & Ben had been chucky-cheesed out the window, LEIA SHOULD NOT BE ALIVE, somehow Palpatine returned and ruined everything that mattered in the OG trilogy, and half of these new side characters literally do nothing. So yeah, it's bad now.

#11: Solo

Solo has not moved from it's spot last year, and it most likely will never. It is not a memorable movie, and it does not match who Han Solo is in any capacity. For more thoughts, check out the post linked above.

#10: Attack of the Clones

Has also not moved... just too... well, here. (alert: there is one use of swearing) That video. Explains Episode 2. Better than anything else I have ever seen.

#9: The Last Jedi

So RoS and LJ have switched places. If you read my last random ramblings post, you will see my full review of Episode 8. The main thing that elevated it a bit was just the story works a little better and the romance isn't about sand.

#8: The Clone Wars (movie)

AGAIN has not shifted positions. It's one of those "I like the others better, but it's fine." I do love this movie.

#7: The Empire Strikes Back

Okay, so apparently my taste has not changed at all... Faith, I understand that you said not this time two years ago, but can I still have mercy now?????? I just prefer Yoda when he's less paranoid about seagulls and logs. In all seriousness though, the "hump" of the trilogies aren't always my favorite; I have maybe three exceptions. The fact that ESB was more of a "hey, people like this movie, let's make more!" and not just, "hey, let's continue the story!" makes it a little lower than some of the others. (it also has little to no battles other than Hoth and Leia vs Han in the hallway, so that lowers things a bit too)

#6: The Force Awakens

Sooooo these middle ones are the same as last list.... I just liked the potential in the characters, it didn't feel forced, and the OG characters still felt true to themselves. I am not ashamed to say I liked tFA, even if I can say the other two are AHCKKKNO.

#5: The Phantom Menace

Okay, here's where it got a bit spicy. Because last listing, TPM was #1. What demoted it? Well... I've gotten into filmmaking. Aaaaand there are plenty of things in it that were not necessary and were there for audience thrills. Aaand that lowers it just a bit. I STILL ADORE QUI-GON AND THE DUEL OF FATES IS STILL MY NUMBER ONE DUEL BUT yeah here we are.

#4: A New Hope

(okay, now that's ironic and unintentional... Episode 4 is #4....) Anyways, it's moved up just a little for more or less the same reasons as tPM moving down, since the filmmaking side of it was pretty genius, considering everything was practical effects (at least originally) and it's one of the earliest in its genre. So yeah, here it stands, here it be's. (bad grammar intentional for once)

#3: Rogue One

Again, slightly demoted, but only by one place. The story is amazing, the visuals are amazing, the characters are *sob* amazing. The only thing holding it back is the lack of lightsabers. And no, Chirrut does not count. So basically everything I said last ranking is still accurate.

#2: Revenge of the Sith

Clone Wars has come through once more to push Episode 3 higher again. Also that idiotic child inside me who loves lightsabers... *nerdy grin* Yeah, there's only so many times I can tell myself to shove that movie a little bit lower on the list.

#1: Return of the Jedi

This one may come as a shocker to some, but it's probably one of the ones I've rewatched the most in recent years, other than Episode 1, and I realized that I really like the satisfying character arc completions. And, as someone who was never aboard any Luke-Leia ships, seeing Leia-Han truly finish out together makes me very happy. (also i may or may not have read the scoundrel and the princess, and that may or may not have made me love leia-han even more...)

also, for anyone curious, the pictures were just supposed to be a random scene from each movie, they don't hold aNy emotional significance.

AND NOW FOR THE SERIES.

Since I am not counting Book of Boba Fett, Andor, or Visions since I have not seen them, I only have nine series on my list. I am not providing reasons here; if wished for, I will do a different post expanding on these opinions. Here is ze ranking:

#9: The Mandalorian

#8: Forces of Destiny

#7: Resistance

#6: Tales of the Jedi

#5: Ahsoka

#4: Kenobi

#3: The Bad Batch

#2: The Clone Wars

#1: Rebels

I don't think many will be too surprised by this part of the ranking. But if you are, please let me know, and I shall explain. ALSO LET ME KNOW YOUR RANKINGS.

May the Force (and the fourth) be with you.

bye

this one

 

I recently (as in Monday) decided to torture myself and rewatch Episode 8 of Star Wars. The Last Jedi. I don't believe it ever made it to the spot of my favorite SW movie, due to the lack of true, amazing, dramatic lightsaber vs. lightsaber duels, but I enjoyed it when it first came out. (then again, i've enjoyed every SW movie the first time i saw it and i think all of them have been the fav for a time).

Anyways, I decided today I wanted to let you know my opinion of The Last Jedi and what I think doesn't work about it. The pros and cons, so to speak. If you weren't aware, SPOILERS AHEAD.

To begin on a positive note, I feel like a lot of what Rian Johnson was trying to do could have worked. A lot of his ideas were very interesting, and there was a lot of potential with what he had. The issue was, he did not focus on that potential as much as he should have. 

For example, Poe's arc as a solo, trigger happy hero to a well rounded leader was well done. There was a lot to juggle with all the different storylines to follow, but he had a start and an end point. The transition between start and finish felt very sudden, but it was there. 

On the other hand, Finn's arc from running away to ready to sacrifice himself was not well done. I don't know exactly where the switch was, and there was little to no sign of growth. Just "Oh, I'm running away... and now I'm saving everyone."

The Rey and Ben thing... okay, so I have a love-hate relationship with Reylo. I don't actually mind it if Rey and Finn get together, because one ehhhh thing in SW is that there is literally no media that has a boy and a girl around the same age who are not in a relationship (thinking Ahsoka-Lux, Ezra-Sabine, Anakin-Padme, Obi-Wan-Satine, Leia-Han) so if Finn and Rey are simply platonic, that's great. I think that there could have been a bit more to Rey and Ben's interactions before she ran to him, but I feel like their Force connection thing is not the worst part of the movie (especially since I dEfInItElY haven't used that in my SW stories...).

HOWEVER A FEW MORE THINGS THAT DON'T WORK...

Leia. Oh, Leia. I am not mad that Leia used the Force. I am not mad she survived in space. There is actually a Force skill that lets Jedi survive in space for short periods of time (confirmed in the High Republic series several times, and witnessed in Rebels and I think Clone Wars). HOWEVER. When the bridge explodes... and everyone else explodes... but Leia just kinda Mary Poppins away from everything... no. It doesn't work like that. The ship explodes, all the people explode. Sorry if that's really morbid, but it's truuuuuue. JUST DIE LEIA. 

Phasma. Why did they bring her back? She was chucked down a garbage chute. Starkiller Base EXPLODED. AGAIN. JUST DIE ALREADY, WOMAN. She was literally brought back for the sole purpose of hyping up audiences for the five second Finn-Phasma duel. Hux or any of the other random officers could have done exactly what she did. Disney, when you kill people, LEAVE THEM DEAD.

Snoke. Okay, so Snoke wasn't terrible? I don't mind that he died in 8 rather than 9. Makes it just a little less like a copy-cat of the originals. However, he was on screen for maybe five minutes and just threw everyone around willy-nilly. If you going to make it so shocking that Ren kills him, let him exist a little more.

Luke. I think what Rian Johnson was trying to do with Luke had potential. So many legends are perfect and selfless and never make mistakes with lasting consequences. Making Luke, the sole surviving Jedi (somehow all the Order 66 survivors are ded?), suffer from hubris is actually great! Grounds the characters, makes them more relatable. He had all the responsibility of the Jedi on his shoulders, trying to train all these Force-sensitive kids, juggling being a war hero, the whole works. He's gonna mess up. I just don't think he would have run away and hid the way he did. It's just not who he is. (also, I don't mind how me dies, it's basically the same as Obi-Wan and Yoda, he just fades into the cosmic Force.)

Canto Bight and DJ. So I understand why they were there, I just didn't think they were necessary. Are you telling me that in all of the crazy mish-mash of the Resistance, there is not a single person who knows how to break into a Star Destroyer? Seriously? And Maz doesn't know a single other codebreaker besides this very particular fellow in a casino? It just... no. And DJ is just there to get them caught... and pull a Lando and all that rot... ugh. NO.

So I'll stop there for now. I've ranted for a while, and I could rant a while longer, but I'll stop there. Hope you got a smidgeon of enjoyment from all this, thanks y'all, bye.

Writing Stuffs

 Hello there, one and all! Last week I was not in places with internet enough to post, so you are receiving this now!

AND IT IS EXCITING NEWWWWWWWWS.

SOOOooooo for the moment the Last Phoenix is on hold? We figuring out what to figure out about that crazy little thing. 

INSTEADWEREWORKINGONASTORYTHATSLIVEDINOURBRAINFORTHEPASTEIGHTTONINEYEARSANDISFINALLYHAPPENINGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

and we dont have much about it yet, but i just wanted to let you know whats what.

Anyone who has seen my MUCH older posts has heard of Team 14 (i think i've mentioned it a few times more recently, but not a whole lot about it?) 

AND YES, I have finally decided to work on what is I think the sixth or seventh version to be started.

I don't have much on it yet, but I made a collage.... and I wanted to explain what's happening since I did scream about TLP last month so much.

Anyways.

collage

Team 14 is currently the working title, because I don't know how much of the original idea of where that name came from is going to be incorporated, but it's been called "Team 14 (t14)" for the past probably 8 years, so we're just going with that right now.

Hey, if y'all want a post of all of my past title ideas that will never see the light of day otherwise, let me know! I think that could be fun, but it might just weird all y'all out.

Oh, I also have a Spotify playlist. Enjoy.

SOooooo really short post today, but I don't want to jinx myself with writing this. Just be warned to those who do know something about T14 already, it will be very different. Some of the characters in the "team" proper that have been mentioned won't exist at all, most are very different, and one is already deceased. I'm so excited with how this is turning outttttttttttttt. (the two point one chapters i have so far...)

OOOOOOOH ALSO BECAUSE I AM SO PUMPED ABOUT BASICALLY EVERY ASPECT OF LIFE RIGHT NOW HERE IS ARTWORK OF A CHARACTER:

Zarkah (supposed to be pronounced ZAIR-kuh, but I don't know...?)

okay, I'm going to stop now. EXCEPT SHOUT-OUT to R.F. Gammon, my older sister and fellow author, who gave me the inspiration to actually do this thing!!!!

okay bye

March Doings

 

Aaaaand here we are again, ready to start the fourth month of the year.

How is it already April, y'all? It literally is not time to be spring yet. Has winter even begun? THERE WAS NO SNOW. THERE IS NO MUD. It cannot be spring yet. IT'S OFFICIAL.

Anyways.

On to LIFE.

HIKING

oh yeah i forgot about this.

i didnt go hiking this month... again....

turns out working makes you really busy. who knew?

PICTURES

Okay, soooooo blogger decides it has had enough of my so-so photography, so it has decided to not let me insert all the pictures I want to into this article. Soooo I made a collage. 🤓🤓🤓

From left to right, top to bottom:

1. I have no idea what work is doing to my hair...

2. My future bridesmaid's dress. LOOK AT THE SKIRRRRRRRRT

3. Just some pretty flowers. The only reason it miiiiight be spring...

4. Just a picture I thought turned out really cool, a tree by a little creek. Closest ting to a hike this month, but there was no trail, just a little step out of the parking lot to the river.

5. THE CAT. of e-vil-nesssss.

6. the fiance and fiancee came for a visite.

7. I took part in an Easter choir at my church! I'm the one in the front in the blue shrug looking depressed. Who know spotlights would kill your eyes/sanity/head???

MUSIC

HEHHHHHH do we have to do this one???? 

fine.

For anyone curious, I most certainly am not in a Les Miserables phase...

 but if anyone is interested, i did make a "ultimate les mis" playlist on spotify, feel free to check it out.

i am also happy to answer any les mis related questions you have and am considering doing a post about my favorite version/song/singers/etc of les mis.

READING

well, this was an interesting reading month. it started out more or less book-less, than in the last two weeks, it rocketed again. so here we are:

Escape from Falsaise - John Flanagan *3 stars*

Midnight Horizon - Daniel Jose Older *4 stars*

The Scarlet Pimpernel - Baroness Emmuska Orczy *4.5 stars*

Decree - Tricia Mingerink *4 stars*

Arazan's Wolves - John Flanagan *4 stars*

Blood Secrets - Morgan L. Busse *4 stars*

Uprising - Jennifer A. Nielsen *4.5 stars*

Edge of the Galaxy - Jason Fry *3.5 stars*

A Test of Courage - Justina Ireland *4 stars*

The Secret Academy - Jason Fry *3 stars*

Rebel in the Ranks - Jason Fry *2.5 stars*

yeah, very few Flanagan books this month... not sure why, exactly? but definitely in a High Republic/Star Wars phase. The three Jason Fry books are all based on a side character in SW Rebels, and they were fine with the context I knew. Just lacking a little as books themselves imo and a little too light of reads.

ANYWAYS.

THANKS FOR READING Y'ALL HAVE A GREAT DAY.

I don't know what to call this anymore

 

Today in Kal's Not Necessarily Necessary Opinions, I wish to talk about... Percy Jackson. (apparently this has become my "unpopular opinions" section?) This might get long, y'all, I've got a lot of thoughts.

So I first got into Percy Jackson a few years ago after The Silmaril Awards. I think Annabeth Chase had been nominated for Most Epic Heroine, and I was like, "wait so there actually is someone who has my name/spelling?" (for those who didn't know, my non-pseudonym is Annabeth) I've had people in the past ask me, "Are you named after that girl from Percy Jackson?" No, I'm not. 

Anyways, naming choices aside, I saw that, and I thought, "Huh, okay, let's at least see what we think of this. I've heard it's the modern Harry Potter in the USA, or something?" Aaaaand I read The Lightning Thief.

It was... okay. That was basically my reaction the whole series until the fourth one, which I loved, and then it was just, meh. Interesting. A fun read, but below my usual interests and not really my style. 

Then I heard about some of his other series, like the Heroes of Olympus, and the Trials of Apollo, and one other I don't remember which right now. So I decided to check them out. 

Aaaaand that's where I think it started going a bit downhill?

(SPOILERS AHEAD MOST LIKELY) My biggest issue with Heroes of Olympus for a while was that Rick Riordan made it all too complicated too quickly. He wanted it to be, like, one quest with seven demi-gods. Okay, cool, dewit. No problems there, I do that all the time, just usually zjacknarsions or something instead of halfbloods. But the thing was he introduced all seven and their problems in the very first book (first two, I suppose...) and then resolved it all immediately. 

Jason's and Percy's issue at first was that neither had enough memories of who they were, but they were strange enough that everyone knew they were special. HEH. Middle/near end of the book(s) that got resolved. That one was probably the least problematic, in my opinion, because it could have gotten annoying to go on a quest with two dangerous amnesiacs having no idea what they were doing (oh wait, that happens anyways, just without the amnesia....)

I haven't read The Lost Hero in a while, so I don't remember Piper's and Leo's problems as much, but I think it was basically they were trying to figure out their powers and who they wanted to be? I really don't know, that book didn't stick AT ALL. Because whatever their problems were, they didn't worry about it the entire rest of the time. (actually, I think Piper's was she was worried about her dad being held hostage and whether or not she and Jason were actually a Thing...)

Hazel and Frank, the only ones I truly loved. But...but that was because they were great in the later books? I think Hazel's issue was that she was still living in her past, and Frank's was that he was trying to figure out how to be an interesting demi-god. ONCE AGAIN. Resolved in the middle of Son of Neptune.

And so, the entire rest of the series was either reviving these already resolved issues, or creating new ones that I just... didn't find compelling. 

But all that aside, what really threw me off was in the middle of House of Hades. DEFINITE SPOILERS HERE, NOT THAT I CARE. To cut to the chase, Nico di Angelo reveals that he's had a cruch on Percy for the past like four years, not Annabeth, like everyone (readers and characters) thought, and like how Riordan presented it in Battle of the Labyrinth. There was NEVER any Nico-Percy. And the fact that Riordan decided to add that, possibly just to be able to market as LGBTabc+ whatever, makes me mad.

Percy Jackson was already wobbling along okay-not okay because of the Greek gods and everything that lets the demi-gods *ahem* happen, I guess, but I could look at it as a fantasy story and let it just be the "meh" factor. When Riordan pulled all that into the mess, it was just... nope. I can't fully figure out how to explain what about this particular instance of LGTB mess made me so upset, since it's everywhere by now, it just, felt like too much.

And yet, because I still had terrible judgement and am way to quick to give authors second chances, I decided to read the Trials of Apollo. 

I read the first book, and then quit the whole series.

Someone who's read, was there actually anyone in there who wasn't in a gay relationship? (rhetorical, i knew there were a few, but like, maybe two.) I don't want to get into all that, but still, same thing as the Nico-Percy, except it just existed normally, and it's not normal. 

Aaaaaand then there's the issue of Nero that fully pushed it over. 

So, like I've said, there's always been an issue with the "greek gods are real!" mindset, but this made that issue a little stronger in my opinion.

If you don't know who Emperor Nero is, he was a Roman emperor who strongly persecuted Christians in the Colosseum. I think he may have been the one who had Paul beheaded, but don't take my word for it. 

Anyways, he showed up again. Because, HA Greek mythology brings people back from the dead. Hades, amiright?

But that's not the point, people come back from the dead everywhere, I'm not gonna scream about it. What did make me really REALLY upset was realizing, "hold up, this is the guy who persecuted Christians because they refused to believe the Greek/Roman gods were real, and they refused to worship the emperor as a god...."

See where I'm going with this?

Just like that, one guy brought back from the dead and elevated to god status, Riordan just flushed every single Christian who died under Nero down the drain. And no. Nope. Nup. Not-- no. Just no. 

Anyways, that made me realize that it wasn't just Trials of Apollo who had that, but all of Percy Jackson would have that same issue of "HEY THE FALSE GODS ARE REAL" and I just didn't want to read that anymore. 

I don't know what about Percy Jackson and the Riordanverse makes me so mad, because I still really enjoy Epic: the musical and it's the same Greek gods and everything, and I'm still planning to read the Iliad/Odyssey, but yeah.

Anyways, I have ranted about this for way too long now, and I've probably burned your eyes off. Sorry not sorry if I just ruined Percy Jackson for you. Thank you for reading today!

Writing Stuffs (And I Call for Aid)

 So we're not looking at a whole lot of writing here today, since I am still figuring out what I'm doing with any of my stories. None of them are currently cooperating, so they're all taking a time out while I scream into a pillow.

So what is this post for?

I have a request to make! And an old story to fangirl (sort of) about.

I literally have no idea how to do this, it is a first time thing for me, but we shall give it a go!

I need a Beta Reader for The Last Phoenix. Um. (Am I supposed to add a form here now, or something...? HELP ME please) Someone tell me how all this works, and I'll figure out a form? email chain? whatever? and get it into a later post.

This one is to make you interested in the story.

I think I've mentioned TLP a fewwwww times, and most people who know me in person have actually read it. I wrote it in 5 days (over Easter Break about three years ago) with a solid 40% written in one day thanks to my incredible older sister Sarah who is not a writer but did like sixty Word Wars so I would just WRITE. 

Some current stats:

• 54 pages
• about 14k words
• fantasy quest
• probably leaning towards middle grade?
• series potential, but preferably a stand alone

Now for a little bit more info:

The powerful race of phoenixes has been all but extinct for hundreds of years. Their magic to keep  Myleck and its people alive is dying, and the land with it. Most have given up hope of restoration.
Most, but not all. 
Perpetua Ar-Kan still stubbornly believes that there is a chance to bring back the phoenixes. When she is given a chance to do just that by the last phoenix in Myleck, she is determined to not let anything stand in her way. But when Kalleb Chyr-Ja, the son of a legend, is appointed as her quest partner, a boy who prefers to use charm instead of fighting, she begins to find herself on a very different road.
Opposed at every turn by a unicorn, a mysterious and ancient magician, and the very world itself, Perpetua must decide if she's willing to trust the charming Kalleb or if she can stake the fate of Myleck on her shoulders alone.

So that's the blurb. Here's a little on the characters: 

Perpetua Ar-Kan

Perpetua is a generally rather distrusting, preferring to rely on her bow and knife rather than getting help. She prefer to works alone, because then she can focus on her own abilities rather than worry about what everyone else is doing. She is pretty tough and snarky (like most of my characters) but also very caring and good at being worried. She is sixteen years old.

(think Raya from Raya and the Last Dragon, Astrid from How to Train your Dragon, Jyn Erso from Rogue One, Halt from Ranger's Apprentice)

Kalleb Chyr-Ja

  Kalleb is very charismatic and chivalrous, and although he acts like he has no idea what is happening with the weapons and everything, there is more to him than meets the eye. Unlike Perpetua, he is very trusting, and thinks that all problems should be solved with talking things through and making friends instead of shooting their way out. He is extremely loyal, brave, and caring. He is also sixteen.

(think Sisu from Raya and the Last Dragon, Hiccup from How to Train your Dragon, Will from Ranger's Apprentice, Ezra Bridger from Star Wars: Rebels)

yes the art work was done by me probably like two years ago i havent drawn anything new for them yet i need to its pretty bad imo

And now for a few of my little snippets, and that's all for this:

I glared up at him. “I don’t even know you, and the only reason I might trust you is because you claim to be a Chyr-Ja. Do you even have any proof?”

Kalleb leaned against the nest to consider. “I have their good looks, does that count?”

“No.”

~~~~~~~

“Alright Mr. Homing-Pigeon. What’s the scoop? Did my mom recite a super dark prophecy or not?”

“What did you call me?” Kalleb stopped and spun to face me, eyebrows raised high enough to touch his scalp. 

“You said you have an internal compass. You are officially the homing-pigeon of the team.”

“Great, I love being a bird,” he said sarcastically. Then he paused to consider that statement. “I actually do. Like being a bird, you know?”

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

I will give you one last chance, Perpetua Ar-Kan. Come back down the mountain, and I will spare you.

I stared upward. Only about two yards above me gaped the opening to the geyser. “Give me about twenty more minutes, and I will.”

Prepare to die.

“Oh, I’ve been ready.” I heaved myself up another foot. “Are you?”

So there you have it! I'll be dropping a little more about wanting Beta Readers soon, but if y'all have any suggestions for how to do that, let me know pleeeeeease!

Thank you good bye.