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Showing posts with label Novels. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Novels. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 2, 2021

Happy November!

Gyaru Gal Pixel Autumn

It's November! It's time for mashed potatoes, Christmas music, Yule planning, gifts and the warm cozies as we decorate for the third most fabulous time of the year! The first is birthdays and anniversaries and the second is Halloween and Samhain! 

I'm starting November by trying to do as much as possible... Continue working on my November bullet journal pages, exercise (not gonna happen tonight .·´¯`(>▂<)´¯`·.) and so much more.

I have done some stuff, though and I should be proud of that, right?! Right! I can't let myself get caught in the negative. I will admit that my executive dysfunction can make starting anything, from stuff I absolutely love doing to stuff I have a very hard time with, extremely hard. The best way I can describe executive dysfunction, which is part of ADHD, is this: you have a hobby you LOVE and there's something you REALLY want to do involving it and yet you just cannot get yourself to do so. It's like physically and mentally being held back, even if it's easy.

Alright, for real now... I WON'T let myself get caught in the negative. 

Tonight I've started reading one novel and have another queued up. The one I am reading now is Custom Made Demon King and so far it's SO GOOD! I love these kinds of novels a lot. 

Here's the summary: 

Roy’s life was nothing special. The only thing commendable was the last few moments when he saved a mother and her child from a drunk driver.  

... 

 
It’s really an egg! Damn it, what kind of monster have I become? Did I fall into Hell instead of making it to Heaven?? 

Join Roy as he ventures through various worlds with the Custom Made Demon King System—a system that allows Roy to draw anything he can imagine and create it through exchanging souls!

Koji and I are reading this one together and I can't wait to read more! The one I have queued up is one that was recommended on a sponsored Instagram page, haha. The MC (Main Character) is FEMALE!!!! which is so rare for me to find and she's involved with death and demons, the kind of stuff I love. It's called The Keeper of Night and here's the summary:

Half British Reaper, half Japanese Shinigami, Ren Scarborough has been collecting souls in the London streets for centuries. Expected to obey the harsh hierarchy of the Reapers who despise her, Ren conceals her emotions and avoids her tormentors as best she can.

When her failure to control her Shinigami abilities drives Ren out of London, she flees to Japan to seek the acceptance she’s never gotten from her fellow Reapers. Accompanied by her younger brother, the only being on earth to care for her, Ren enters the Japanese underworld to serve the Goddess of Death… only to learn that here, too, she must prove herself worthy. Determined to earn respect, Ren accepts an impossible task—find and eliminate three dangerous Yokai demons—and learns how far she’ll go to claim her place at Death’s side.
 

I really think that this will become a favorite novel of mine, but of course it's too soon to tell!

Outside of novels, fashion! I bought a new pair of jeans. They're skinny jeans which I rarely wear, but I. want. BOOTS! I want Uggs or similar boots as well as big furry boots like I see on gals in Japan. The jeans are a very dark blue, inspired by a gal I found online wearing ane gyaru. I feel like this fits my style, as I am not comfortable with shorts or skirts yet and I love being comfy. Also, not just gyaru, but another huge fashion and lifestyle love of mine... Mori Kei and the other nature themed styles. Jeans aren't often used in Mori Kei, but I can totally make them work, right?! Right! Gyaru and Mori Kei are complete opposite fashion styles and lifestyles, but they are each part of me. I realized long ago that wearing just one style while longing for others and living just one lifestyle when others called to me just wasn't good for me. 

I'm sure there are people who think I can't be Gyaru and Mori Kei... But that's their problem!

I also bought Astrid a spinner ring, myself a bullet journal (my November theme is crafty) mini calendar stencil and Koji some new incense, both a favorite scent and one that's new to him!

Oh! Astrid bought me a fidget Slug. His name is Sluggo! She found him completely by chance on Etsy and I absolutely needed him. Here's a picture AND he actually will turn colors when you hold him:

Fidget Slug

He's so cute!!!!

Finally and yes I realize that this post is all over the place... I made a new friend at work as well as a pen pal, my pen pal being from the International Geek Girl Pen Pal Club! She already wrote me a letter and I wrote one back! I can't wait until it's delivered. She's my first pen pal!

Also, Shoo, my friend who I met via work, told me about Slowly! It's a Pen Pal style app where you can find (platonic!) matches and send them long letters. The best part is, depending on how close or far you are, the letters take a while to get to your new friend so there's no feeling of instant messaging! I love that so much! 

Okay, my last shift of the night starts in half an hour, so I'll wrap this up. Soon, I'll have a little Witchy post! So watch for that!

Take care!
- Angie



 


Tuesday, May 11, 2021

Wuxia and Xianxia Book Club

 An opened book with written Chinese inside

Hi, friends! Today I am trying to see who'd be interested in a little idea of mine. To start with, I love Chinese and Korean media. Novels, manhua and manhwa and live action TV series' and of course, anime. Traditional Chinese and Korean music is also beautiful and I like Chinese pop, as well. Anyway, moving on!

For years, I've loved the idea of being in a book club but never have found one that fits me. Whether it's trashy romance novels or deep romantic drama novels, I've just never been involved... Until I thought of starting my own for wuxia and xianxia.

Wuxia (武俠 [ù.ɕjǎ]), which literally means "martial heroes", is a genre of Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists in ancient China.

I like wuxia a lot, but even more so, I love xianxia...

Xianxia (simplified Chinese仙侠traditional Chinese仙俠) is a genre of Chinese fantasy influenced by Chinese mythologyTaoismBuddhismChinese martial artstraditional Chinese medicineChinese folk religion and other traditional Chinese elements.

Let me give you an example or two or three or four.

This one, Nano Machine, is the manhwa I recently read and caught up on (and have now started the novel!) It's so wonderful and the MC (main character) is the morally grey, out for himself but still cares for those under him and his friends, that I really like. I also like villainous MCs. They aren't cartoony villains, either. They're hardcore and I love that. 

Nano Machine
Summary:

After being held in disdain and having his life put in danger, an orphan from the Demonic Cult, Cheon Yeo-Woon, has an unexpected visit from his descendant from the future who inserts a nano machine into Cheon Yeo-Woon’s body, which drastically changes Cheon Yeo-Woon’s life after its activation. The story of Cheon Yeo-Woon’s journey of bypassing the Demonic Cult and rising to become the best martial artist has just begun. 

Now, I did say I don't like trashy romance novels, but... There is a harem romance novel that I absolutely love. In fact, it's my favorite Chinese novel. Yes, that's right, my favorite! Especially because of how badass the female characters are in the story. It's called Dual Cultivation.

Summary: 

Su Yang is a powerful Dual Cultivator who was imprisoned after he offended the Heavenly Emperor.

His crime?

He committed adultery with the Moon God’s wife, kidnapped the Dragon King’s younger sister, seduced the Divine Goddess, and he even tasted the forbidden fruit that is the Heavenly Emperor’s beloved daughter.

Inside the prison, Su Yang meets a mysterious old man who offers him a chance to leave this place, but that method requires him to experience reincarnation.

In his new life, Su Yang swears to reunite with his partners and hold them in his embrace once again, all the while finding new ones along the way.

Disclaimer: Dual Cultivation is a unique method of cultivation where a man and a woman cultivates together by having sex.

So whether you want to read about something in ancient China or Korea, something more modern, a romance or even a more feminine story, I really have found something for everyone and I even plan on writing my own one day! All this to say... If you want to be introduced to wuxia and xianxia or isekai novels, for that matter, you've come to the right place. Should I make a book club? Would you want to be part of one? Let me know below!