atthequillsmercy

WIP Wednesday: Gettin’ Crafty!

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Since my writing progress has mostly been outlining, editing, and publishing, I don’t have much in the way of word counts. I’ve been working on another one of my goals: Stashbusting.

I’m still working on that really big blanket for my bed (which is why I don’t care if that stain is on it) and a scarf to put up in my shop. I plan to put a fluffy, gray border on that once it’s long enough. It’s easy to do while I’m waiting for Draft2Digital to finish uploading all my stuff to publish, or in between the people going in and out of my house for the repairs. The rest of this week is back to writing since I’m completely caught up with publishing the stories I have finished. It may look like I’m spreading myself thin with doing all these income-producing activities all at once: The blog, needlework, and writing… And you are correct. I am exhausted, but I am desperate. Paying for all this has drained away my savings, and I’m too proud to borrow money. So, I’m busting my ass to make the money myself. I have a bunch of overtime coming up at work, my knee is feeling better, so I can do things on the desk bike, and I outlined a bunch more prompts to work on. I can’t count on my home insurance company not to screw me over. I’ll sleep when I’m out of debt.

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Lenni Reviews: “A Star Brighter than the Sun” Vol. 4, by Kazune Kawahara

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Sae decides to confess to Koki at the school festival, but it all goes wrong, and Koki ends up comforting another girl.

This dragged, going back and forth with trying to find the right moment to confess while prepping for the school festival, and we’re no closer to that by the end of the volume. It felt like we were just circling, and that could have been summed up in a couple of pages, not an entire volume. I’m not a fan of stretching out something like this so long, and I don’t feel like the story moved forward. I feel meh about the whole volume. 3 out of 5.

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Happy Birthday to me!

I turned 45 today! And while I need February to enter slowly with its hands up to show me it’s not as much of a threat as January, I did treat myself to delicious food I haven’t had in a long time. After this, I’m doing a no-spend month while I recover financially from all the stuff going on with the house. If it’s not bills or groceries (or book covers, cause that’s an investment), I’m not buying it.

As for how 45 is going to go, I would like to get healthier. All the stress has been hell on my sleeping patterns, my skin, my weight… In a way, I’m almost glad I have a root canal tomorrow because I am going to make sure my body is taken care of from here on out. And it’s not to be skinny or whatever, it’s to age strong. One of my biggest fears is a lack of autonomy. Not that I want to climb Everest at 6o; I just want to be able to still be self-sufficient. Once the weather turns, I’ll be going outside more – even if fuckwits jeer at me when I run – drinking less booze, and I’m back on my Saxenda at the lowest dose. I’ll also be trying to update the blog more. It’s gonna be interesting, and I hope fulfilling over the next few months. Wish me luck!

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Lenni Reviews: “Kagurabachi” Vol. 7, by Takeru Hokazono

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Chihiro and Haruki face Hirukiko, who has an obsession with Chihiro. Samura decides that the root of the problem is the swordbearers, not the enchanted swords themselves.

With Samura making that decision, the bulk of this volume is protecting his daughter, Iori. There’s a sprinkle of Chihiro working on becoming a better swordsman so he can use regular swords proficiently, which will eventually help him become even better with the magic ones. I’m sure we’ll see more of that later, but this volume is getting Iori. I can see how we got here, and I like the direction this is going. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “On and Off: Work-Life Imbalance” Vol. 3, by Shinnosuke Kanazawa

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Amata knows he should reveal the truth, that he’s the Lolita Aki has been hanging out with, but he doesn’t want to lose this budding friendship.

Since this is a light-hearted slice of life, I doubt the outcome of this confession will be a shock to you if you’re familiar with the genre at all. I do, however, wish to spoil the fact that Mitsu, the local stray cat, is adorable, and I am totally okay with her not only having her dedicated moments but playing a role in Amata and Aki’s friendship, especially now that everything is out in the open. It’s just cute, wholesome, and fun to read. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “A Man Who Defies the World of BL” Vol. 4, by Konkichi

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

In this volume, our protagonist dodges age gap trope, the lost pet trope, and the supernatural/Halloween trope.

It appears the main character is still figuring out the rules.

Whenever the MC breaks the fourth wall, I have to wonder… What is the point? And not in a mean way, I mean will this mean we’re going to keep racing through these tropes, or is there a bigger story around the fact he knows this isn’t real? Especially since he gets his own confession, unable to avoid it. We’ll see, since I can’t seem to give up on this series. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Tsumiki Ogami’s Not-So-Ordinary Life” Vol. 6, by Miyu Morishita

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Tsumiki and Yutaka start their student council duties, where they meet Student Council President: Raizen, a lightning dragon with a strict temperament. They prepare for the last event of the year – the Sports Festival – and then they head into the Christmas season.

We still get tiny glimpses of how lonely Yutaka’s past was, and while it does show how far he’s come, I feel like I need more. I’m so ready for a long flashback session where maybe Tsumiki meets more old classmates of his? Eh, even if we never get that, the slice of life with mythical creatures is still entertaining and heartwarming at times. I enjoy wondering what they’ll get up to next. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Witchcraft” by Sole Otero & Andrea Rosenberg

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

The María sisters wield powerful magic, and as they live through the ages, they have a profound effect on the people around them. 

First off, I adore the art style. It’s beautiful and takes full advantage of the page layouts to evoke this mystical feeling. It can be confusing sometimes, but overall, it’s cool. Since it’s not told in chronological order, it didn’t feel like some of these stories ended; they just stopped. As if a scene was cut. It’s still worthwhile to check out if you like enigmatic witch stories. 3.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Brittle Joints” by Maria Sweeney

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

As a child, Maria Sweeney was diagnosed with Bruck Syndrome. This memoir reflects on growing up with it.

A good chunk of this novel deals with trying to get any relief in a system that isn’t very helpful or empathetic. These stories are so important, and it’s imperative for the people with conditions like this to tell their stories themselves. Since this is a graphic novel, it can show things a regular biography could struggle to convey, since the use of color can augment the author’s words in a graphic novel. I love opening my mind up to more experiences and understanding things I’d never thought about before. Highly recommended. 4.9 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Bug Ego” Vol. 1, by ONE & Kiyoto Shitara

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Hich schoolers Kokudo and Hitsujiya find a book of life hacks. As they try out the increasingly strange tips, the results of using it or failure to follow the rules result in some world-bending consequences.

Okay so…. I don’t have a read on this yet. I’m not sure if this is trying to be weird for weird’s sake or is building up into something bigger and more profound/intricate. There are some cosmic horror moments that are interesting and have some cool potential, but my confusion is outweighing my interest at this point. 3 out of 5.

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