Itsuki feels he can’t be a burden to Tsugumi and breaks up with her, allowing Koreda to swoop in as her support. But Tsugumi can’t seem to catch a break as she must leave Tokyo and go back to her parents due to a medical emergency.

Geez, just throw everything at this poor woman all at once. But, this volume shows how strong she is and Tsugumi keeps moving forward and doing what she needs to do. I think Koreda is being an opportunist no matter how nice he’s being. In my opinion, he should have let Tsugumi process the breakup before immediately taking Itsuki’s place. But, nobody is really terrible in this series. Even Tsugumi’s parents are sympathetic in their own way. I think things are portrayed realistically and that’s important for this subject matter. 4.9 out of 5.

June 28, 2022June 28, 2022 atthequillsmercy

Today’s Workout: So far so good?

Yesterday I did do my bodyweight workouts but I will tell ya, I felt so freaking tired around 4pm, I called it a day, did all the stuff I needed to do, and went to bed early. I have no idea what happened. I got up early for a day off, did a few chores, then it was like someone flipped my night-night switch and all I wanted to do was sleep.

And yet, in some ultimate fuckery, I spent the night tossing and turning without actually getting any sleep.

But, thanks to coffee, I have a fair amount of energy today. I had a quick walk, did the above workout on my Wirk peddler, and I think I’ll have enough energy to grab the kettlebell after dinner.

Also, shameless self promotion, my new book is out in two days! If you’re one of my Patrons, you already got a sneak preview. This is the third in a complete trilogy and you will not have any idea what’s going on without reading one and two. Hope you check them out!

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June 27, 2022June 28, 2022 atthequillsmercy

Finished Blanket!

I finally got this up into the shop! This is made from acrylic yarn and is 29in. x 32in. If you’re interested, this is the link. I have a scarf finished, too. I just need to weave in the ends and photograph it.

Things aren’t going to be all pink but someone did give me a ton of pink yarn so I’m stash-busting. After the scarves, I’m thinking maybe some hats? We’ll see how far I get with what I have on hand. I’m trying not to buy any yarn until I’ve used up what I have. More neck warmers will be on the way and maybe some hand/wrist warmers as well. My goal is to get this shop full before the holidays. I like to do needlework to give my brain a rest from writing in-between stories.

I am giving myself days off to rest my hands. The last think I need is to end up with tendonitis again.

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June 26, 2022June 24, 2022 atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “Gigant” Vol. 3, by Hiroya Oku

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With Rei in danger, Chiho decides to come out of hiding and defeat the creature attacking Tokyo. Now the connection between the E.T.E. website and these insane events are public knowledge as well as Chiho’s identity and abilities.

This series is bananas. It’s madness and I’m somehow completely okay with that. I’m invested in Chiho and how she’s going to factor into these weird requests to the E.T.E. and we see there are other giants like her in other countries. So, there’s some moves happening that we don’t know about and I am here for the ride! 3.7 out of 5 because we’re getting more sex scenes than I’d like. I kept skipping them to get back to the story.

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June 25, 2022June 24, 2022 atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “Mizuno and Chayama” by Yuhta Nishio

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Mizuno has to put on a happy face as her father is the mayoral candidate in their small town, Chayama is the daughter of a wealthy family and heir to a tea company that rivals Mizuno’s father. As their families are at odd, they must keep their relationship a secret.

This volume follows them through high school as they fall in love and struggle with the pressures of their familial obligations and small town life Chayama is frequently bullied while Mizuno is put on a pedestal due to her father’s status. It’s a pretty good story but jumps around at the end but it is a tense read. It’s not explicit but there are some suggestive scenes; done tastefully in my opinion. They make a cute couple and the art suits the overall tone. A worthwhile addition to the yuri genre and I’d suggest it for older teens due to to those suggestive scenes. It’s less graphic than what they’re watching on the CW these days. 3.9 out of 5.

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June 24, 2022June 22, 2022 atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “Perfect World” Vol. 3, by Rie Aruga

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Tsugumi is recovering from her accident and while her parents come to help take care of her, her parents insist Itsuki is unable to properly care for their daughter and beg him to break up with her.

A mild nitpick here that’s slight spoilers: Nagawa (the aide) who helps Itsuki is a former nurse and we find this out when Itsuki needs a DRF (don’t click if you can’t handle poop) when he ends up in the hospital. She tells the doctors “Yeah, I was a nurse. I can do it.” Can you just do that in a hospital? Just say that and the doctors say “Well, if you say so, go ahead?” Without any proof? I dunno, that made me pause…

Other than that, this volume amps up how disability can put extra pressure on a relationship; the stress, pain, and embarrassment… Especially when you remember being able bodied and needing all this help. I like how this series is handling it. Nothing feels like it’s checking off a box on a list. It reminds me of With the Light. 5 out of 5.

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June 23, 2022June 21, 2022 atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “Gigant” Vol. 2, by Hiroya Oku

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This manga is recommended for mature readers.

While Chiho gets used to her powers, Rei finally gets up the nerve to ask her to be his girlfriend. Meanwhile, the E.T.E. (Enjoy The End) website continues to send strange and horrific events to Tokyo; including a giant that arrives the same day Rei is in the city with his parents.

Most of this volume is Rei and Chiho dating and the action is a cliffhanger at the end. While mundane, it is a chance to get to know Chiho, which I think is important because both in and out of this universe, people sex workers are human beings deserving of respect. However, this could have been done with less downtime and less sex scenes. I get that Rei is a horny young man but I don’t need to see every time he gets laid. I’m here for the giant woman punching giant monsters. 3 out of 5.

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June 22, 2022June 23, 2022 atthequillsmercy

Today’s Workout: Weights Time! And a cool thing I made.

I not only dusted off the ole kettlebell, I did 50 squats, some arm lifts, and leg lifts. I’m going to try to aim for doing weights 5-6 days a week even if it’s only 10 minutes while making sure to take a rest day for my muscles to recover or if I’m too sore. I wanna get stronger not hurt myself.

Tomorrow is my late night and I’m stressed the hell out so I’m probably going to use that as my rest day. It’s been a LONG week and I’m so looking forward to Sunday when I can finally have a break. And by “break” I mean do laundry and clean while I watch YouTube.

I also got creative with some of the pulled pork I made last weekend so I don’t get bored with the leftovers.

I made some black garlic ramen and put some of the pork on top. It was so good. A little salty with the combined seasonings of the pork and the ramen flavor packet but so satisfying. And don’t judge my liberal amount of scallions. I love me some scallions and the crunch they add to the dish. Helped out with the salty flavor, too. I would absolutely make this again but maybe with plain ramen noodles and just a dash of sesame oil.

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June 22, 2022June 21, 2022 atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “Cat + Gamer” Volume 1, by Wataru Nadatani

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Riko Kozakura doesn’t socialize with anyone at work, preferring to take care of her duties and go straight home to game. When a security guard at the office finds a stray kitten, she is compelled to take him home. But she doesn’t know anything about cats so she must level up her pet owner skills.

This is another cute cat slice of life manga with the hook of a gamer for an owner. It’s unique that Riko sees learning about her new friend as leveling up a character like in her RPGs. She clearly cares for him so it’s not her brain disconnecting to her gamer space, it’s leveraging her interests to focus her energy. Just adorable. 4.5 out of 5.

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June 21, 2022June 22, 2022 atthequillsmercy

Today’s Workout: I need to change it up.

I did my usual bike and took a walk on my lunch break to get a birthday cake for my kid but while that burned a bunch of calories, there are some fairly reputable trainers that I follow on Instagram and Tiktok that have been making me rethink my strategy completely. I am big on cardio, thinking the pure caloric burn will help my weight drop faster. I would throw in weights here and there but those trainers have been staying that it should be the other way around; about 75% weight training and 25% cardio. Whelp, I’m gonna give that a shot. Starting tomorrow, I’ll be doing more kettlebell and bodyweight workouts instead of cardio. I’ll still do cardio three times a week but I am hoping switching it up will help with my progress.

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