I'm Alive!

 I bet you thought I wouldn't be back, didn't you?

Silly you.

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So what have I been up to in my six-month-long blog absence?

I went to Realmmakers.

And had a great time! (No younglings were harmed in the making of this photo.)

I learned a lot about writing and injuries and had a bunch of fun with my sister and Jaye L. Knight and Tricia Mingerink, my roomies. Definitely recommend! (Although my bank account cried because of it.)

I got all As in my college classes!

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I just about went crazy doing it, but I survived! 

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I wrote a bunch of Star Wars fanfiction!

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And I'm not even sorry. It kept me sane while my brain was sucked away by papers and I had none left to get unstuck in my original work.

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I learned some things in my foray into the world of fanfiction along with having a great time. 

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First of all, no one understands how to spell discreet. It's not discrete, it's discreet. Merlin did not sneak down the hallway like a whole number, he snuck down the hallway attracting little notice. 

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There is no such thing as Force suppressors besides ysalamiri, yet people are obsessed with putting it in their works. 

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Most Star Wars fans that write fanfiction take the side of Anakin without stopping to consider that the other characters had very valid points and that Anakin's view is incredibly colored and biased.

#disappointedbutnotsurprised

Also, some people in this world really need Jesus.

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I have been horrified by some of the ships out there. Padme/Han, Leia/Boba Fett, Luke/Boba Fett, Luke/Din Djarin, Anakin/Ahsoka, Jango/Obi-Wan, Vader/Tarkin, Ahsoka/Maul...

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What is wrong with some of you guys?

Also, I really wish books had AO3 tags. It would make it so much easier to find the books I want to read without being shocked by main characters dying at the end, making me want to throw the book across the room (but I can't because it's on Kindle. Ugh.) Enemies-to-Lovers, Angst with a happy ending, Hurt/Comfort, Whump... I just need AO3 tags on my books, please.

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Not related to fanfiction, I have learned I really hate the old people Facebook memes bashing the current generation because back in the Revolution they were real men, not wimps, they didn't have allergies and chronic illnesses and mental health issues and such.

I read a lot of great books!

And some...not so great ones.

What even was that incest plotline in City of Bones? Why would you write that? What is wrong with that author? Somebody spent a little too much time watching The Empire Strikes Back.

And Jesus and John Wayne was just...there are no words.

I also got a cat!

Isn't he a beauty? I named him Pippin and it fits so well, crazy guy.

All in all, it hasn't been a bad year. Here's to a new one in which I don't drop off the face of the earth for six months!

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Soial Distancing Fun

   Because quarantine is frying my brain, this post is going to be disjointed and random. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

   I saw a post recently on Buzzfeed about what people would do if they became God, and over half the people said, "Give proof that I exist." Obviously, that infuriated me, and while I could talk for a while about how much evidence there is for God's existence and how if God literally coming to Earth and dying for us isn't enough, nothing is, but instead, I'll leave all those people that complain about nobody being able to "prove" God's existence with this: Philosophers can barely prove that they themselves exist. They're not really sure about you. Everything else could easily be a fever dream; there's no proof either way. You really expect them to be able to prove the existence of a higher power? You expect too much of them, my friend.

   I'm the only history major in my Western Civ class, and so I understand that I'm going to be the student that usually knows the answers to the professor's questions, but some of the stuff is so obvious that there should be other people that know it, like what the Rosetta Stone is. There's one of two things going on here: either nobody remembers anything they ever learned in history, even if they just learned it a semester ago, or other people know things and I'm the only person who feels like speaking up. Either way, I'm not impressed.

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   What is everyone else doing with their quarantine? I'm procrastinating.

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   On the subject of quarantine, everything's shut down in my state right now, which means I get to keep the thirteen books I had out from different libraries for, like, about two or three months; in other words, long enough to actually read them all. Naturally, of course, instead of reading my library books, I'm rereading Ilyon Chronicles, listening to audiobooks I digitally borrowed, and doing my 2000-piece Star Wars puzzle. How can there be so many plain blue pieces in one puzzle?

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   I'm also using this time to work on my current novel, which, somewhat appropriately, is a dystopian. Not featured in my novel, however, are pandemics, toilet paper shortages, or social distancing. Instead, I've been writing about brutal interrogations, labor camps, "brutal" eighty-degree summers in northern New York (so jealous, tbh), and impending medical experimentation. Included in my research for this novel is brainwashing, the effects of tasing, and the soil composition of New York. Also bench presses, for reasons.

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My Year in Books

   As a voracious reader, I measure my year in books. Also, by political happenings, because I'm involved in politics. I started a Goodreads account late in 2017, so this is the first time I can track my reading throughout an entire year.

January

    In January, I reread the Dragonkeeper Chronicles, the inspiration for my all-time favorite series ever, Ilyon Chronicles. I really missed the characters (namely Bardon the Amazing), so it was nice to be able to come back to them. I finished rereading A Wrinkle in Time so I could review it before the new movie that I didn't want to watch came out. I reread The Lost Stories (Rangers Apprentice) and By Darkness Hid, because I really love both of those stories (though The Lost Stories is not my favorite Rangers Apprentice). I read Wonder for the first time, and loved it. I also read The Poison Kiss, a couple of Star Wars books, the last three Series of Unfortunate Events books, four books about biological warfare (for writing research, obviously), an indie published zombie book, and October, which is very impactful and unforgettable. 

Book of the Month: October.

February

   I read twenty books in January. In February, I read two. That's right, two. And one of them doesn't even count, because it was a drawing book. I checked out How to Draw Incredible Ocean Animals so I could draw an otter for a logo of a book review blog I'm probably not going to keep up. Also, I read Auggie and Me. It was good, but I have no idea why it took up the entire month. I really enjoyed Julian's chapter, and how he wasn't being mean to Auggie because he hated him, but because he was scared of him. 

Book of the Month, by default: Auggie and Me.

March

   I returned to my voracious book devouring in March. I read my first Beverly Cleary YA book, and I don't know why I waited so long. Her YA books are even more amazing than the Ramona and Henry Huggins books. I finished a longer book about biological warfare (I told you, writing research) and read an Andrew Clements book about kids who just want to sit and read all day (#me) and it was amazing. Almost all the books he mentioned were longtime friends of mine. Great book. I read an okay Shannon Hale book. Also, I read the last five Betsy-Tacy books, though I'm fairly sure I read those in February and just shelved them in March, which would explain why Goodreads says I only read two books in February. I read Lysbeth: A Tale of the Dutch (and was rooting for Adrien the entire time), the entire Moonlighters series because I got the first and third ones for my birthday, and reread Exiles. Because it's a comfort read of mine.

Book of the Month: Exiles. Because Exiles. 😍😍😍😍😍😍

April

   In April, I finished a lot of school books. Advanced math (of which I will have no more until college algebra), physics, an incredibly dumb book about Christopher Columbus, Man, Economy, and State, Desiring God, The Normal Christian Life, Human Action, Much Ado About Nothing (It really is about nothing; it was the most boring Shakespeare play I've read), Standish of Standish, Monezuma's Daughter (of which I read half in one day), The Fifth of March, The Real Benjamin Franklin, and Voyager's Tales, from which book I remember almost nothing except some Muslim government official paid one guy quite a bit in gold to stand by him all day and occasionally hold his cloak. I want a job as easy as that. On the fun side of things, I finished rereading the Blood of Kings trilogy, reread The Royal Ranger and didn't hate it so much this time (but I will never forgive John Flanagan for killing her), and reread a sweet short story collection about two people falling in love. I read the entire Maze Runner trilogy, accidentally stumbling into another zombie book. I keep doing that, which is weird, because I don't really like zombie fiction. The series was honestly pretty disappointing. My favorite book was the prequel with none of the main characters in it. I also read If I Live (another good Terri Blackstock book), a bunch of picture books, and reread Mary Ware in Texas and A Captain's Heart (or at least most of it). 

Book of the Month: Montezuma's Daughter. Because "Heart to heart, though far apart" doesn't really count if you've been chosen as a sacrificial victim by a bunch of Aztecs. Also, Henry Rider Haggard does the whole "Native-American-culture-being-destroyed-by-outsiders-as-witnessed-by-the-European-adopted-into-the-tribe" story line better than most people.

May

   Once upon a time, an innocent young reader picked up the book The Kestrel from the library and read it, unaware that it was the second book in a trilogy. Needless, to say, I was hopelessly confused, even after reading the first and third books. I later bought the first and third books at a library book sale (but frustratingly, they didn't sell their copy of The Kestrel. If they had, my whole set could have matched), but for the longest time could not find the second. Last year, I finally got it, and, for the first time, read the whole series in order, which happened in May. It makes so much more sense now! I also read a couple of books for a research paper about British soldiers during the American Revolution, another amazing Beverly Cleary YA book, and a picture book and a Lois Lowry book I bought at a library book sale. At the very end of the month, I reread Cinder and Scarlet because I bought Cinder at a library book sale and I love Kai. I read the books where Nanny McPhee came from, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (which would have been so mysterious if everybody on planet Earth didn't know the big plot twist), The Summer of Broken Things, The Penderwicks at Last (Baffrey forever!), and Dagger's Sleep. Dagger's Sleep was so good. It's basically a genderbent Sleeping Beauty in a fantasy world with a Native American feel. So cool. Even though I totally shipped the wrong ship with this one, I enjoyed it anyway. It's so beautiful. And I want more Alexander. Also, I started reading War and Peace this month because I made a New Year's resolution to myself to read it over the summer. 

Book of the Month: Dagger's Sleep. This isn't the cover I read it with, but I love this one so much more.

June

   I started out this month reading Cress and Winter (my poor Wolf baby 😢😢😢😢), and War and Peace, of course. I read the second Elsie book and a picture book, listened to The Penderwicks at Point Moutte (poor Jeffrey), and listened to an audio drama of The Fellowship of the Ring. AND TOM BOMBADIL WAS CUT OUT AGAIN!!! WHY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING???? Also, it was really weird for Ian Holm to play Frodo. My sister brought home The War That Saved My Life, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The Bottle Imp was a very interesting short story by Robert Louis Stevenson. My mom made me read When God Writes Your Love Story and it was great. And I beta-read Bitter Winter and it was amazing.

Book of the Month: Bitter Winter. Because Ilyon. And Jace is my baby.

July
   I read some really good books this month, and one REALLY awful one. You know, the kind where the more you think about it, the more you hate it? It wasn't even remotely scientifically plausible, or written well, but it was still horrific and will haunt me forever. It's supposed to turn people against abortion (how? abortion is illegal in the world of this book), but all it really accomplishes is scaring people away from organ donation. Seriously? The underlying message of this book? "Organ donation is creepy because if you give someone a kidney they'll share your soul." Um, what? Enough about Unwind, though. I read the sequel to The War That Saved My Life (so good), On the Far Side of the Mountain (kind of lame, and I hated the stupid decision of letting Frightful go free. She's lived all her life as a pet! She'll die on her own), Clifford's First Autumn (don't ask why, I don't remember), and reread To Kill a Mockingbird out loud with my family. To Kill a Mockingbird is so good, and not actually about racism or Tom Robinson or his trial. It's about Scout Finch growing up and about Boo Radley. And it's amazing. I beta-read Lacy, which is really good even though it didn't have Jace in it. Here's my full review, if you want to read it. I reread The Lightning Thief and Old Yeller, then read the sequel Savage Sam for the first time, in which Travis get tortured by Indians! Also, I was still reading War and Peace, obviously. My grandpa told me this month I'd be thirty before I finished it, but he was proven wrong. Not this month, though. It is over a thousand pages, after all. I'm no Charlie Brown.
Book of the Month: To Kill a Mockingbird, because it's amazing. Honorary mention of Lacy, because Ilyon.

August
   School started back, so I read several books because of that this month. Are You Liberal, Conservative, or Confused? (confused; labels can mean anything nowadays), The Second Treatise of Government (though I would have read that one for fun), The Children of the New Forest (gotta love classism), and Savior or Servant? Putting Government in its Place (disappointingly, the book never delivers on the title). I reread The Destiny of a Galaxy, The Arm of a Starfish (I love Adam Eddington), and Tarzan of the Apes (more classism and some racism, but I love the book anyway). We read My Side of the Mountain as a family, and it wasn't as big a hit as To Kill a Mockingbird. I had read the book myself a while ago, but the rest of my family hadn't. I read The Official SAT Guide 2018 (riveting, I know), The Worth of a King (which I beta-read most of), Orphan's Song (I finally finished it! I'd been meaning to read it for years), Love Defined (Dear non-fiction authors: please stop asking me to do activities at the end of each chapter; it's not going to happen), The Unexpected Life of Oliver Cromwell Pitts (which I did not know was part of at least a duology until I reached the end and it was a ciffhanger), A Little House of their Own (what can I say? I've never cared for the Caroline series), The Player King (I love books that bring back into memory obscure history stories I forgot), and The Battle of Hackham Heath. Yes, this was the first time I read it. I was avoiding it, afraid it would be boring, but the rest of my family suddenly got into Ranger's Apprentice for the first time, so when my sister brought it home from the library, I couldn't not read it. It wasn't as boring as I thought it would be, and I love spending time with Halt, Crowley, Duncan, Abelard, and baby Gilan.
Book of the Month: The Battle of Hackham Heath. Because Halt and Crowley. 'Nuff said.

September
   School books: Planned Chaos (snorezilla), The Real Thomas Jefferson (I relate to this guy: when he heard his house burned down, he immediately asked if his books were okay; sadly, they weren't), The Emergence of Liberty in the Modern World, a.k.a. when people finally stopped building theocracies, and The Real George Washington. I admire that man so much. He single-handedly saved America. Don't believe me? Just imagine what would have happened if he had taken up Alexander Hamilton's offer to lead the army against Congress and become king of America. The Red Fox Clan came out this month, and I'm glad John Flanagan's writing is getting better again, though we need more Will and Horace together. Sheesh. I reread From the Dark to the Dawn again, because I can't get enough of good stories about Ancient Rome. I read Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker and The Empire Strikes Back (don't judge). Wow, George Lucas is such a terrible writer! I can definitely see where the idea to put Leia in a metal bikini came from. Yeesh. But, it still being Star Wars, I enjoyed it nevertheless, especially the references to backstory that so clearly and obviously changed when George wrote the prequels. Also, Luke's nickname being "Wormy" never gets old. And I finished War and Peace! If you're wondering, yes, it's a novel, and yes, it's worth it. The story is all about the characters, though Tolstoy can philosophize a bit too much. I wasn't very happy that a certain character died, but it led to a better relationship than the current one, so I'm happy. Also, legitimizing illegitimate sons of nobility so they can inherit titles is a wonderful idea which I think certain authors should bestow on certain beloved characters.
Book of the Month: War and Peace. It's really good and it's really worth it.

October
   School books: The Social Contract (yikes), The Articles of Confederation (double yikes; not for the same reason, though, just...no wonder the country almost fell apart under these!), Walden (OHMYGOSH, why does this book exist? Read my review here), Liberty of Conscience, Common Sense (wow), Christian View of Men and Things (doesn't exactly deliver on the title, but I really enjoy philosophy, so I liked this book), The 5000 Year Leap, and Silas Marner. The part on the back cover doesn't happen until near the end. I really think it needs a new description. I read a lot of picture books, because my dad brought home a big box of free ones from his work and I read through them to decide if I wanted them. Also, my sister brought home Cat & Mouse: A Delicious Tale from the library just so we could see how bizarre it was. And it is bizarre. It's the strangest book I've ever read. Perhaps Jill and Eustace should have started craving Puddleglum after seeing Marshwiggle in the giant cookbook? And why call it a "delicious" tale? Is the prospect of eating your friends delicious? So weird. I finished Martin Chuzzlewit, which I'd been working on for a while. I didn't appreciate how he portrayed Americans, but other than that, it was a pretty good book. David Copperfield is still my favorite Dickens book, though. Also, we finished reading The Education of Little Tree as a family. It was certainly an interesting book.
Book of the Month: Cat & Mouse. Not because I liked it --I would never read this to a little kid-- but because it's just so bizarre it's ridiculously memorable. It's worth a read just to laugh and shake your head at. Also, Martin Chuzzlewit, because it was actually pretty good.

November
   School books: The Making of America, a wonderfully informative book about the US Constitution, Uncle Tom's Cabin, a good book that sadly furthers certain stereotypes, Democracy in America, a book that makes my eyes bleed because while de Tocqueville has great things to say, it's REPUBLICANISM, not DEMOCRACY, for crying out loud, and In the Valley, a riveting book about a Dutch New Yorker in the middle of the Revolution who is unfortunately somewhat racist. I read three Fancy Nancy books because I bought them from Goodwill, a picture book my sister bought about a fox traveling to Noah's Ark. I also read Bitter Winter again (an ARC this time), and Decree, the unexpected Christmas present from Tricia Mingerink, a.k.a., The Lost Stories of Acktar. IT WAS SO GOOD! I missed Leith and them so much, and love seeing their future. (Read my full review here.) And I'm beyond pleased there's going to be a sixth and seventh book to the series.
Book of the Month: Decree, because it was absolutely fantabulous and I can't pick Bitter Winter twice.

December
   School books: On Liberty, The Discovery of Freedom (amazing book), On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection Or The Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life (what can I say? I like long titles), and The Federalist Papers. Also, the Anti-Federalist Papers, but I didn't add that one to Goodreads. I started research on Poland for a paper I'm writing, and read Poland and Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe 1945-1953 for that. I read Lacy again (ARC), read From the Mouth of Elijah (and started planning out a scathing review that I unfortunately have to finish the series to write), and Precisely Terminated, a really good book that the rude library people neglected to buy the sequels to. Don't they realize they're there so poor students don't have to buy good books? I reread Children of Exile and Children of Refuge so I wasn't totally lost when I read Children of Jubilee, which was fantastic, by the way. I received some free books I won in July, among them After, yet another zombie fiction I stumbled into. I really enjoyed this one, especially as this one was set in a fantasy world, so there's an excuse why they're not calling them zombies. Another one was Cora and the Nurse Dragon, a delightful children's book about raising dragons. I read Reflection, Part of Your World, A Whole New World, and As Old As Time, all part of the Twisted Tales series about AU plot threads in Disney movies. I really liked Reflection and Part of Your World, but hated A Whole New World (read my review here). As Old As Time was okay. I read The Girl With 500 Middle Names, which means I have only two more Haddix books to read before I've read them all. I read A Christmas Carol, as I do every Christmas season. It's a great way to spend Christmas Eve. I got Wonder for Christmas, so I read it again. After that, I read The Mysterious Benedict Society, because I had to read it since I just got it, and Mary Poppins, because we watched Saving Mr. Banks and Mary Poppins. The last book of 2018 was Tales of Ever After, another free book. It was a short story collection of fairy tale adaptations and very enjoyable.
Book of the Month: Precisely Terminated. The worst/best dystopian I've read. Panem's got nothing on this. At least Katniss has sunlight.

   And that's it! I could always have written my year in politics instead, but that would be stressful, not fun. Even more stressful is the new year in politics. The presidential campaign has begun, after all. Bookswise, I don't know. I hope to read many good books, and not suffer another Unwind. Ugh. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everybody!

The Liebster Award

   I've never actually done the Liebster Award before, so when my lovely sister Morgan left her Liebster Award post open for takers, I jumped on the opportunity of doing it instead of actually finishing one of my blog post drafts or reading more about the British during the Revolution for my research paper. Thanks, Morgan!

The Rules:

Thank the person who nominated you

Answer the 11 questions they gave you

Name 11 facts about you

Nominate 11 bloggers to do this tag, and let them know

Give them 11 questions to answer

1. What is your favorite song?

You mean I have to pick? You evil person! Let's see... *scrolling through my "Favorites" playlist on Spotify*  Currently it's a tossup between "SHERlocked", "Song of Captivity and Freedom", and the entire Ratatouille soundtrack. Also "That's What Friends Are For (The Vulture Song)", "The Breaking of the Fellowship", "The Ellie Badge", and "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer". I'm indecisive, okay?

2. Do you play an instrument? If so, which one, and if not, which one would you like to learn?

Yes. I play the piano. I've been taking paid lessons since 2008, with just a little gap the year we moved. I was my first teacher's first student.

3. Which book have you reread the most?
I'm not sure, but it's probably one of the Ilyon books. They are my comfort reads, after all.

4. What is your favorite day of the week?

I don't know. I'd say Sunday, except Sunday comes right before Monday, so it's a tossup between Sunday and Saturday. I also like Friday, but Friday generally contains school or work, so ick.

5. What is your favorite vacation place?

Disney World. Hands down. It is the happiest place on Earth, after all. I only wish I could go more. And that I could visit all the other Disney resorts.

6. Do you like spending time outside?

No. I would if there weren't so many stupid bugs outside, but I can't handle being in their home territory. Plus, the growing things want me to die, or at least lead a very miserable life. And I'm a wimp about extreme temperatures. But I do enjoy being outside, when the weather is mild and I'm all caught up on allergy meds and the bugs are away. Or it's winter. I do like winter. But chances are, I'd probably choose being inside over being outside.

7. What household chore do you dread most?

It used to be putting out pine straw and mowing. But we don't use pine straw in our landscaping anymore and our yard is too steep for anybody but my dad to mow (and occasionally my mom, if she goes a certain direction down the hill with the mower). So I can honestly say I don't know. Maybe doing dishes, but I don't hate it all that much.

8. Do you like driving? If you don't have your license yet, are you looking forward to getting it?

Yes, I do, when it doesn't terrify me. But no, I'm not looking forward to getting my license. Why, do you say? Because having your license means you have to pay for gas. And insurance.

9. Do you like sweet tea or dirty water (unsweet tea)?
Gross. No. Yuck. I hate cold tea. The only good tea is hot tea with plenty of milk and sugar. I refuse to pick a side in this culture war.

10. Are you registered to vote, or planning to register as soon as you are eligible?

No, I am not registered to vote. (Muahahaha!) I am counting down the days to after this year's election so I can register. I'm just upset there won't be anything to vote for next year.

11. What is the saddest movie you have ever seen?
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. That was the worst movie on the planet. The worst thing about it was it wasn't even plausible. SO WHY RIP VIEWERS' HEARTS TO SHREDS LIKE THAT???

1. I've never broken a bone or been stung. *knock on wood* I was not a very rambunctious child. And was banned from climbing trees because my mom thought I would hurt myself. I am accident-prone, so she was probably right.

2. I have walked into the wall before. PSA: Don't watch TV and perambulate.

3. I used to love The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror until it made me sick on my last Disney trip. Now, I refuse to go on any rides that drop straight down.

4. I have watched the National Dumpling Day Parade, the only parade that goes both ways at once, the only parade that spends zero dollars on floats, and the only parade that you don't know you're in until you hear them talking about you on the radio. Visit Disney's Hollywood Studios today and you can probably catch a similar parade in honor of Dinosaur Day or National Chocolate Chip Day or Straw Hat Day.

5. We used to have a "pet" green tree frog that always stuck around our house and sat outside on our dining room window at nights during the summer. He moved with us to our old house living in our grill. We named him Preston. But he died a few years ago.

6. I went door-to-door for Barry Loudermilk when I was three years old. He was running for state house and my dad and older sister were always going door-to-door for him. My sister and I would rather have actually gone door-to-door than sit in the car and watch other people do it, so my dad took each of us to a few houses. I wanted to keep doing it, but my parents wouldn't let me.

7. Gagging yourself doesn't quiet you. Neither does putting Scotch tape over your mouth. I would know, since I've done both.

8. I once asked my family to tie me to a post in case I was the next Harry Houdini. I wasn't.

9. I have legitimate arachnophobia. I stepped barefoot on a daddy long legs when I was three and have been uncontrollably terrified ever since.

10. I don't like getting dressed. I'd rather just wear pajamas. Getting dressed involves too many decisions.

11. I hate Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Luke Skywalker is my hero and it is not okay to portray him like that. He refused to kill his own father when his father was Darth freakin' Vader and you expect me to believe that he tried to kill his nephew when he just saw hints of darkness in him? NO. #NotmyLukeSkywalker (other things I hate about it: Rey's "big reveal" about her parentage, Snoke's death and Hux's consequent non-reveal as a big bad Sith Lord, green milk, Carrie Poppins, the whole Finn and Rose side-plot, and Admiral Holdo for starters. Finn and Rose are my NOTP.)

I'll try and nominate eleven bloggers, but unless they read this blog post, they probably won't find out about it, because I'm super shy and will not reach out to them and tell them.

Kendra Ardnek (you probably won't do this, but I'm nominating you anyway)

RhoXie Mans (did I spell it right? anyway, you know who you are)

Jaye L. Knight (you're probably super busy, but I'm doing this anyway)

Melanie Crone (you've done this before, haven't you? I hope you won't mind doing it again)

J. Grace Pennington 

Jack Lewis Baillot (I don't mind if you only get around to doing this in a year or so)

Tricia Mingerink

Maddy Crone (except you have a photography blog, so I don't know if you do stuff like this)

Aaaaaand that's all the people I know. Welp. At least I tried.

1. What's your favorite breed of dog?
2. What, in your opinion, is the worst movie ever?
3. Did you see Infinity War? If so, what did you think (especially of the ending)? If not, what outdated piece of technology are you sad is now obsolete?
4. Who is your favorite president?
5. If you found a magic lamp, what would your three wishes be?
6. Did you see The Last Jedi? If so, did you love it, hate it, or somewhere in between? If you didn't, how and why have you escaped for this long?
7. What upcoming movie are you most excited about?
8. What is your favorite childhood memory?
9. What is your biggest pet peeve?
10. Most favorite and least favorite things about growing up?
11. On a scale of one to becoming an isolated hermit, how disgusted are you with your generation?

The 2018 Writing Scene

   Some of you may know that I have been working on rewriting the draft of a story I entitle Condemned Patriot Book One: Awakened. I have since learned that I have absolutely no love for one of the two (or maybe three) protagonists of the book. I have further learned that it is impossible to write a satisfactory book when you do not care for one of the protagonists in question. Writing of this book has since been tabled.

   I have abstained from writing Awakened for most of the holidays, and over the course of the past month or so, have been slowly learning to love my poor neglected protagonist. I expect in the next few months, I will be attached to her and be able to build up her story and continue writing. In the meantime, you can be satisfied with my Pinterest boards for the story and a snippet:

   “I’m no fool, Mr. Larak,” the arrogant young officer said. “Give us all the papers in your desk and reveal to us where you illegal terroristic textbooks are, and perhaps I won’t take further action.”

   The last of Peter’s hope died. They knew it all, then. There was no saving this situation. If only the students stayed frozen at their desks and they didn’t discover the gun in Mr. Larak’s desk, they might escape with their lives.

   Mutt growled, his hackles rising. He stared at the policemen near the door.

   “Shut up, Mutt,” Peter hissed. He placed his foot on Mutt’s harness leash. His heart pounded so hard it almost burst in his chest.

   “I can’t do that for you.” Mr. Larak’s voice shook.

   Peter uncurled his fingers of their death grip of his pencil so he could pet Mutt and calm him down. He placed the pencil down and snaked his hand out.

   The arrogant young officer strode down one of the aisles and stopped beside Peter’s desk. He strode in front of it and pulled his pistol out.

   Peter stilled. He stared up at the man, barely breathing. The man’s face was hard, his eyes unreadable.

   The arrogant young officer placed the barrel of the pistol against Peter’s forehead. Peter’s muscles froze. Slowly, he forced his shaking hands into plain sight to lie flat on his desk. He stared at the top of his test paper.

   “Let me repeat my command.” The arrogant young officer’s voice filled with steel. “Give me all the papers in your desk and reveal to us where your illegal terroristic textbooks are, or I shoot the boy with the service dog.”

   I've started working on a different story while Awakened is on hold. It's temporary title is Sacred Truths. It has to do with slavery and politics and mines and manors and is set in an equatorial fantasy country filled with jungles and stuff. Here, enjoy the tiny Pinterest board. The story is partially inspired by the movie Amazing Grace, which is personally one of my favorites. The characters are ones I really love, and I'm really enjoying working intimately with politics. I currently have the British pages on how a bill becomes a law in their country bookmarked as research for this story. I don't exactly have a plan, but I think writing this book is going to be a fun ride. 

   I hope to have the draft of Awakened I've been working on finished by the end of the year. Other than that, I have no writing plans.

   So long, farewell, and have a snippet as you go!

   (from Sacred Truths)

   The open windows did nothing to relieve the heat of the sun oppressing the stuffy senate chamber. Edmund loosened his neckerchief and rested his chin back on his hands. Weariness overtook him and his eyes slid closed.

   “We cannot allow this bill to destroy the livelihoods of our mines.”

   Edmund jumped and focused on Lord Duilo Brook, still railing against some boring mining bill in the well. Wasn’t debate over this bill supposed to have been tabled fifteen minutes ago?

   Edmund glanced around the half-circle of legislative desks. Most of the legislators had their heads pillowed on their desks or tilted back in their chairs, sound asleep. The slaves and legislative aides were also nodding or fast asleep.

   Edmund glanced over at Ronny beside him. He was chewing on a thumbnail and staring wide-eyed at Lord Brook. Edmund elbowed him.

   Ronny started and glanced over at Edmund. “What? What is it?”

   Edmund leaned over. “Should I stand up and say something?”

   “Only if you don’t want me to be sound asleep when you present your bill on the floor,” Ronny said.

Merry Christmas!

   The Christmas season is here! Also the cold and flu season. And snow. All that to say, I am sitting in bed with a cold listening to Christmas music and looking at the snow out my window.

   I'm rather peeved about the existence of the snow, actually. I live in Georgia. We never get snow. Never seven to twelve inches. And certainly never in December. Regardless, here the snow is to prove us all wrong. And despite my hatred of snow, it was still exciting. I had two snowball fights, built a tiny snowman, and a tiny Barad-dur, complete with the Eye of Sauron. Barad-dur is still standing.

   Also, it's Christmastime. The most wonderful time of the year. I've been listening to Christmas songs since September... If you can't tell, I like Christmas.

   I don't have anything else in my brain, so Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I'll see y'all in 2018!

Disney World!!!

   You probably didn't notice my absence from the Internet a couple weeks ago. (I guess sporadic schedules are useful after all.) Well, instead of just procrastinating on finishing unfinished blog posts, I was at Walt Disney World. Yeah, I have a great excuse this time. And I got a lot of pictures.

The welcome sign at the Fort Wilderness Resort area

   There's nothing that can be compared to staying at a Walt Disney World hotel. Staying on site at Disney World is so different than booking in a hotel in yucky Orlando. Yes, it's more expensive, but it's soo worth it. Stepping into another world, Disney World, and not leaving for a week or more is just so refreshing. There's a reason my dad got addicted to Disney World vacations.
   This was our first time ever staying at the Walt Disney World campground. Ridiculously cheaper than the other resorts, but still with that touch of Disney magic. The campsites were perfectly level, the bath houses were amazingly clean, and the cast members were, as always, incredibly nice and accommodating. Our campsite was right across from the bath houses and the bus stop, and right next to the trash, which was all incredibly convenient. And we didn't even need flashlights to walk to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Our stay at the campground featured: tiny frogs the size of beetles that were adorable, large frogs that emerged during the rain (one of which took a ride on my sister), lizards everywhere, bold squirrels, and deer.
   We got up very early in the morning (I'm talking 3 or 4 am) to drive down to Disney (cause we're just nuts like that). Despite the car's air condition blowing out halfway through the trip, we made it to the campground in plenty of time to leisurely set up camp, stop at the pool, stroll around Downtown Disney, sorry, Disney Springs, eat dessert at Ghirardelli's, and sit out on the campground beach and watch Magic Kingdom fireworks. It was a nice and relaxing day. Also, the only relaxing day of our vacation. What can I say? We're just not relax-for-a-week type of people.
 

Spaceship Earth at EPCOT with the Food and Wine Festival decor

   This was our first time going to Disney World during the EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival, and it was an...experience. I definitely prefer the Christmas season to Halloween decorations and drunk visitors, though. Also, the Christmas season is a lot cooler, which is a big plus, considering the 90-degree weather we had to push through all week.

   EPCOT is so cool. All the different countries are so interesting, and the rides in Future World are so cool. Fun fact, Walt Disney himself actually planned EPCOT out, though he intended it to be an actual city (hence the name Experimental Prototype City Of Tomorrow). You can see his original plan for it on the People Mover in Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom.

   The new Soarin' is amazing. Flying all around the world is so cool. Mission: Space (the tame version, naturally) has an all-new video flying around the Earth. The video is crystal clear and very amazing. I don't hate the new Test Track as much as I used to; it seems they're making it a little more abrupt, which is good. And the single-rider line for Test Track is a life saver, practically a walk-on. What are a few strangers compared to a non-existent wait time?

   The new Frozen ride in Norway isn't all it's cracked up to be. Sure, it's fun, but it's exactly the same as the old ride, Maelstrom, except with Frozen decorations instead. Cool, but not worth the ridiculously long wait times.

   For the rest of it...here, just look at some pictures. They are in no discernible order.

"Bubbles!" fish from Finding Nemo in The Seas building.
There was a Dory fish as well, but I couldn't get a good picture of it.

IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth, EPCOT's night show

The greenhouses in Living with the Land.

Mickey head in the shrimp tank at Living with the Land

This is a model of the moon outside Mission: Space.
Those spots on it are all the lunar modules left behind in its surface.

My parents in front of Spaceship Earth

Spaceship Earth

A stained glass window in a shop in Germany

Water Chestnuts on Living with the Land

   Ah, Magic Kingdom. Probably my favorite park. Although it wasn't half as good with Splash Mountain closed for refurbishment. So not fair. It would have been wildly popular, too, because of the heat (90-degree weather every afternoon). One would think that the rain on the last day would have been refreshing. It wasn't. Thankfully it didn't last long. 

   I'm not used to so many people being at the Magic Kingdom with me. It was really annoying. I'm not used to people being able to afford going to Disney World. And I'm really not used to so many people wearing Disney merchandise. Oh well, it was still amazingly fun.
   Highlights of Magic Kingdom included: watching a new (and disappointing) fireworks show, my dad getting chosen to be Randall at the Monster, Inc., Laugh Floor, a couple dressed as Yzma and Kronk from The Emperor's New Groove in line for Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin (unfortunately, I didn't think to take a picture), and getting evacuated off of Space Mountain.
   Yes, I was evacuated off of Space Mountain. It was my first time ever getting evacuated off a ride before. We were going up about to take off on the roller coaster part when the ride stopped. A few seconds later, the lights turned on. That's when I knew it was really broken. We took pictures and waved at the people riding by in the People Mover while listening to announcements that "a cast member will come to assist you momentarily." Finally they came, got us out of the ride vehicle, told us not to take any more pictures, and led us out. We actually walked under the track (and had to make sure not to hit our head and get electrocuted). We were given fastpasses that allowed us to go back on the ride when they fixed it later in the day, so that was cool.

My dad's selfie inside Space Mountain while waiting for the cast members to come rescue us.

My dad's picture of us and the hill we were about to go down. That's me in the very front.

The inside of Space Mountain with the lights on, courtesy of my sister. My pictures came out blurry. Yes, those walls are cinder blocks, so far as I can tell.

Here are the other pictures from the Magic Kingdom, these ones all from my camera.

Ariel and Eric on the Under the Sea ride.

Beast's castle

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad from The Liberty Belle.

The first float in the Festival of Fantasy Parade.

The finale of Great Moments in History...But Just the American Parts! conducted by the Muppets in Liberty Square.

A hearse outside the Haunted Mansion

The entrance of the Magic Kingdom

Buildings on Main Street, U.S.A. with fall decorations

Fall decorations on Main Street, U.S.A.

This robot was wandering around talking to people outside Space Mountain. He gave a lady his number.

Roy Disney and Minnie Mouse on Main Street, U.S.A.

The Eighth Wonder of the World...the Backside of Water!
Find this and more on the world famous Jungle Cruise, famous around the world for being world famous.

The Magic Carpets of Aladdin, which is basically just like Dumbo with spitting camels.

This sign is hanging above the entrance to the Magic Kingdom. I got just one picture as we walked by.

   Next we visited Disney's Hollywood Studios, a park that is in a constant identity crisis. The fewer attractions open let us enjoy a slower pace when we were there. The second day we visited Hollywood Studios, it rained. But that didn't stop us from enjoying some wonderful Star Wars fireworks.

   I've always enjoyed the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. It drops straight down in free fall, giving its riders the experience of zero gravity. Well, it's never messed with me before, but now it's apparent I'm not cut out to be an astronaut. The instant it dropped the first time, I became sick. Thankfully, I kept my lunch, and recovered while chilling out with my dad watching the 1,999th Annual National Dumpling Day Parade, the only parade that goes both ways down the parade route at the same time, and you don't know you're in it until you're already being talked about.

The radio commentators on the National Dumpling Day Parade, which was basically just these two guys making fun of everybody that walked by.

   I had a fastpass for Tower of Terror on the second day, but I wasn't eager to repeat my experience, so we managed to get my fastpass switched to the Frozen Singalong my mom and sister were already going to and attended that instead.

My sister and me outside the hysterical Frozen Singalong.

   There is a lot of Star Wars: The Last Jedi merchandise in Hollywood Studios. I did my very best to scour it and try and figure out what the new movie is about. My scavenger hunt turned up: a girl X-wing pilot named Rose, a mysterious little creature called a Porg which is adorable and the plushies are ridiculously soft (they feature in the new The Last Jedi trailer, in case you're wondering), a shirt containing a kneeling Kylo Ren staring at his helmet, and The Last Jedi trading cards featuring Rey and Anakin on the box. Portends of an Anakin Force-ghost? Who knows. But I really want to see the movie now.

   Oh, and I might have spotted the construction of the entrance into Star Wars Land. But I didn't take pictures. Here are some of the pictures I did take:

Army man welcoming people into Toy Story Midway Mania.

The Beauty and the Beast Stage. My favorite part of the show is the crowd laughter at the phrase, "Through a series of strange circumstances, Belle ends up at the Beast's castle."

The Chinese Theater, the emblem of Hollywood Studios now that my beloved hat is gone.
Also the future home of Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway. I'm excited for it, but I still really miss the Great Movie Ride.

The finale of the show "Star Wars: A Galaxy Far, Far Away."

I still hate this guy... we skipped meeting him in the Launch Bay when we met Chewbacca and BB-8.

Because who doesn't want to ride a high-speed roller coaster while listening to "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)"?
Also, the Single Rider Line for this ride is a life saver.

The entrance to Toy Story Midway Mania, still one of the most popular rides in Walt Disney World.

   What's next? Animal Kingdom. The only reason most people are going there right now is for Pandora and the rides there. Well, when we got there, they were broken. Both of them. For half the day. The boat ride was broken all day, and the next day as well. The banshee ride was fixed in the afternoon (but broke again the next day). Annoyingly, this flooded the park with all the people that were only there to ride the Avatar rides. Also, I came down with a cold that day. And it rained pretty much the entire afternoon. But it still wound up being fun.

   I wasn't a big fan of the movie...okay, I absolutely hated it. It creeped me out. It squandered a lot of potential (like the high concept and the beautiful settings and the science they could have explored with their weird religious spirit tree). And it was basically the movie Pocahontas with blue people. But, as I said, the settings were beautiful. And so was Pandora land in the Animal Kingdom. And I can totally understand why people are waiting two, three, even four hours for the Flight of Passage ride. It really is that amazing (though I'm still glad we had a fastpass). I don't think that ride will ever get less popular, honestly.

   After dinner, my mom and I were tired and wet and we didn't care to see the night show, so we went back to the camper and chilled. We drank tea and watched Star Trek and stayed warm and dry. It was nice.

   Here are my pictures.

African plain on Kilimanjaro Safari.

Animal Kingdom entrance.

Fake baobab tree that never actually blooms.

Beetle carving on the Tree of Life.

Mysterious blue things in Pandora. I'm not sure what they are, but they look cool.

Elephant carving on the Tree of Life. It can be seen in line for It's Tough to Be a Bug. I hate it, but it has air conditioning.

Elephant pool on Kilimanjaro Safari. Notice the steps.

Flights of Wonder stage. Not the Pandora ride, a cool bird show. It got rained out, but they invited everyone to stay in the seats, because they, unlike the stage, were out of the rain.

Floating mountains in Pandora.

This gorilla got right up to the glass.

Sleeping lions on the Kilimanjaro Safari.

Pandora gardens. I'm not sure what that cord in the middle of the picture is.

More gardens in Pandora.

This mysterious-looking object was a misting station just inside the entrance of Pandora.

The pavement in Pandora. It's cool, alright?

Fake termite mounds on Kilimanjaro Safari.

The Tree of Life.

The Tree of Life from underneath.

This lovely turtle can be seen on one of the walking trails in the Animal Kingdom.

Waterfall and floating mountain in Pandora.

   Not all of my pictures were exclusively Disney things. I got a couple cool ones of flowers and one of wood grain on The Liberty Belle.

   This post is already ridiculously long. But I really want to show all the wonderful characters I got my picture with. I met so many cool people this trip!

Minnie and me in Magic Kingdom.

Mickey and me in Epcot.

My sisters and me with Chewie in the Star Wars Launch Bay.

Minnie  and me in EPCOT.

My sisters and me with Goofy in EPCOT.

My sisters and me with BB-8 in the Star Wars Launch Bay.

My sisters and me with Belle in EPCOT.

Us with Chewie in the Star Wars Launch Bay.

My family and me with Daisy in Magic Kingdom.