Monday, October 8, 2018

Subplots and Storylines - August and September 2018



Hey friends, it's been a while! My blogging schedule laughed at me and took a plane to Antarctica, I think. What with the fantastic Silmaril Awards taking place, I haven't written a "normal" post since July. And since I missed the August edition of S&S, we've got a double feature today!



Life Subplots



August:
  • Relaxing
  • Editing The Brightest Thread
  • Preparing for college year 2
  • Picking apples
  • Enjoying fresh corn on the cob
  • College started on the last week of the month


September:
  • The Silmaril Awards 2018 was a smashing success
  • Nature had the nerve to snow on the very first day of autumn (thank goodness it didn't stick around)
  • I got a cold
  • Other than that, my days revolved around school. Because I switched campuses, I now spend 2-3 hours driving back and forth every day.
  • There's been a ton of homework and group work. No solitary Batman gig for me. But that's okay. I'm learning all sorts of cool things about business and marketing.
  • My biggest school project involves building a business with my team--coming up with an idea, validating it with input from real businesspeople, completing a feasibility study . . . and there's lots more to come. So if things are a little quiet here at Adventure Awaits, you know why.


Screen Storylines



August


Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 1 (two episodes)
It's been so long, I honestly don't remember what exactly I saw. It was probably fun, though!


Once Upon a Time Season 6 (two episodes)
Some good bits . . . but also a lot that fell flat. The new villainess (SPOILER: The Black Fairy) just isn't scary. She's hyped up as this dark, twisted being who's behind all sorts of other darkness, but when you meet her . . . eh. I didn't even flinch. Kind of disappointing.


Stay Here (two episodes)
This is a Netflix show about people who renovate short-term rentals like cottages and B&Bs, and also totally transform the owners' marketing strategies. I had to watch one episode for a school assignment, but enjoyed it enough to watch two!


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The Lone Ranger
I've been meaning to see this one ever since it came out. With a generous helping of embellishment and comedy, this wild west story was a lot of fun from start to finish. Johnny Depp is hilarious as Tonto. (And come on, that soundtrack is glorious.)


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Now You See Me
While not kid-friendly, this was surprisingly engaging! The cast was spot-on, the magic tricks were fascinating, the plot kept me guessing, and I didn't see that twist coming. Definitely need to see the sequel.


Related imageInfinity War (rewatch)
You all know how I feel about this one. *proceeds to curl into a ball and sob in a corner*


September


Once Upon a Time Season 4 (just one episode)
Boy, my siblings and I are rewatching OUAT very s l o w l y. We started the season a couple months ago, and we're only on episode four. But Hook is as awesome as ever, and I'd forgotten how much I like Will (as stupid as he is sometimes).
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The Fellowship of the Ring (rewatch)
A friend and I needed a fantasy fix, so we started watching LotR. We were both exhausted though, so we only made it through the first half.


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AREN'T THEY CUTE?
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
The wizarding world is so much fun! Already Harry, Ron, and Hermione look and act a bit older than in the first movie, and I loved watching their shenanigans. Aragog was genuinely creepy. *shudders*


Page Subplots



There's surprisingly quite a few books to talk about, so let's do these reviews blitzkrieg style!*


*lightning war . . . short and to the point? I dunno, does that make sense?


August


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Embers // Ronie Kendig
Loved the concept! A fire-wielding princess trades places with her crippled brother, and he must go on a quest to save her from his own paralyzed fate. Prince Haegan was a well-rounded protagonist whom I quite liked. Definitely some Avatar: The Last Airbender vibes with the fire abilities too. The only snags? The book took a little while to get going, slowed down by lots of points of view. Still, things were being set up for some epicness! 4 stars. (See my full review on Goodreads for more details.)


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The Bones of Makaidos // Bryan Davis
One of my absolute favorite Bryan Davis books ever! Lots of tension as the full cast of characters gathers for war and so many people get hurt. Beautiful themes of sacrificial love are woven throughout. All the plot threads are brought to a graceful, stirring finale. 5 stars!


Fairest Son // H.S.J. Williams
I reviewed this lovely little Snow White novella in August! 5 stars!


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Quiet // Susan Cain
A fascinating (nonfiction) book on the power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking. I appreciated that the author didn't really do any extrovert-bashing in the process of affirming introverts' strengths. I now feel a bit more aware of why I think the way I do, why busy social settings tire me out, how I can create space for myself to recharge, and how I can bring quiet strength into any situation. 4 stars.


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Hacker // Ted Dekker
While it may not be my top favorite Dekker novel ever, it was still a great ride. I've found that the Outlaw series reads more like allegories or extended metaphors than anything else. Hacker took a surprising look at the reality of the unseen world. Hacking the human conscience was a nifty way to go about it. 4 stars.


September


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The Story of With // Allen Arnold
This unique book is part allegorical fiction, part inspiring nonfiction--and its message is life-changing. I had the pleasure of meeting the author at Realm Makers and attending his classes on the very topic written about in his book. (Scroll to the end of the linked post to see how amazing that was!) There were a few typos I wish had been cleaned up, but this is still a book I'll want to reread in the future. And I actually--gasp--attacked it with a pencil and underlined things! 5 stars!


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All seven Chronicles of Narnia audio dramas // C.S. Lewis
On my long commutes, I took to listening to Focus on the Family's radio theater version of this beloved series! Bless my heart, it was so, so good to return to Narnia. I found tears coming to my eyes multiple times as I followed the characters on their wild adventures, encountering Aslan in the most unexpected places. 5 stars for all of them!


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Song of the Ovulum // Bryan Davis
This tale picks up fifteen years after The Bones of Makaidos, with a new generation of characters. The world is now fraught with danger for dragonkind. I really enjoyed rereading Matt and Lauren's adventure, and I love how strong their sibling bond becomes over such a short span of time. Joren and Selah's storyline, too, was really good. "What color is mercy?" is a question that haunts both Joren and the reader, and it is answered beautifully by the end. 5 stars!


Written Storylines



August


I surpassed my editing goals for the month by working through The Brightest Thread chapters 6-11. I'm still not 100% happy with the beginning (#recoveringperfectionist) but I have ideas for how to strengthen it later. The important thing is that I made forward progress.


September


Nothing. Zilch. Nada.


I've relinquished my writing goals during college, so I suppose you could say I accomplished everything I set out to write in September--which was nothing! Yay me! That has actually been one of the more difficult things about school, but I'm consoling myself with the truth that I'm living life right now, and that will mean more life to pour into my stories later.


Thanks for sticking around, fellow questers! I hope to get back to a biweekly posting schedule as promised, but in case all goes silent here, don't panic--probably just doing battle with the Beast of Homework. I still love you guys, and I'm positively brimming with ideas for how to shake things up around here next spring. In the meantime, tell me how your autumn is going. Happy October!

14 comments :

  1. Bones of Makaidos was so so GOOD XD (ACACIA THOUGH WHYYYY) I super super loved the wedding scene XDD

    Song of the Ovulum was very good as well! (I like Oracles of Fire better then Children of the Bard probably, idk XD) Tamiel had me at the edge of my seat!

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    1. I LOVE IT SO MUUUUCH. (Ouch, yes, that always gets me in the feels too.)

      I think Oracles of Fire is my favorite series out of the three as well, but I'm enjoying Children of the Bard more with my reread! Tamiel is one creepy dude.

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  2. Good luck with coming up with the business!

    Ooo, and you read Quiet too? Nice! I’m trying to trudge through it . . . but my word, it’s loooooong. XD

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    1. Thank you! We've got the idea down, but there's a TON of work to be done in creating an actual business plan. XD

      Haha, it is pretty long! For some reason I didn't feel bogged down, though? Some nonfiction is just a struggle to get through, but this one (surprisingly) wasn't for me. XD

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  3. Thanks for the fun update!!! Wow, you read a ton! That's awesome!

    Now You See Me 2 was pretty good. I enjoyed it. Not quite as good as the first one, (but then, we watched them so far apart, I'm not sure I really remember the first one that well.... except for the twist at the end... so... yeah). But the second one was good.

    Ooh, have fun coming up with a business!

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    1. Thank YOU for reading it! Well, almost half of those books were audio dramas, and I had pleeeenty of time to listen last month. XD

      Hm, it's too bad that the sequel blues are so common. But it still sounds like it's worth seeing! :)

      Thanks! It's sooo much work, but incredibly practical as far as learning goes.

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  4. What a happy surprise to see this on my dashboard today!!! I've missed your regular posts! But goodness, I know you've been preoccupied, just a smidge. ;)

    I cannot believe it SNOWED on the first day of Autumn. Because we're still fighting back 90 degrees F here (which is apparently 32 C. I just looked it up. Hehe). That's just insane! We need to share some of each other's weather so it'll be a nice balance for both of us. XD

    It definitely sounds like college is keeping you on your toes with that big project and such. My goodness. o.o But you're getting so much great experience. I'm so proud of you!

    OH. Did I tell you I finally finished all 7 season of OUAT? And yeah, season 6 was pretty disappointing. Really from season 5 on, I just wasn't as emotionally connected. The last 3 seasons weren't exactly BAD, they just weren't really good either. Very mediocre. But still, it was a fantastic show and I don't regret watching it.

    I cannot waaaait to watch the Harry Potter movies! I've just got two more of the books to read, then I can marathon all the movies! :D

    That's so awesome you've been able to get some reading in! And with such wonderful books too! Listening to Narnia during your commute is a delightful idea!

    I'm glad you're not forcing yourself to write/edit during this time. Sounds like you have so much on your plate as is! And just think how pumped and ready you'll be to conquer all those edits and your amazing plans when school ends! You're getting some fantastic experience, and then will have that as a foundation to kickstart all the amazing things ahead. It's gonna be awesome! Again, I'm so proud of you and in awe of all you do!

    Have a lovely October, my dear! <333

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    1. Awww, that's sweet of you to say! I've missed posting regularly too.

      Right? The nerve! Whew, I can't imagine it being 32 degrees at this time of the year. Please do send some of that warmth up here! XD

      It's a LOT, yes, but I'm definitely learning all sorts of useful things. Ideas for future blogging/publishing/marketing things are simmering at the back of my mind...!

      You finished OUAT? :O That's so unfortunate, though, that it wasn't emotionally interesting. I liked parts of season 5 quite a bit, although things were beginning to lag... and season 6 has had a few good moments, but oven all I'm disappointed. Noooot sure at all what I'll think of season 7! >.< That's true--on the whole, it's been such a fun show! It was worth watching for the fairytales and characters. <333

      Yesss, you're going to love them! I mean, I can only speak for the first two movies, but y'know. I can't wait to read the rest of the books--I've been watching you zoom through the series on Goodreads and wanna catch up to you! XD

      Lots of great books! Narnia was a WONDERFUL way to pass the driving time. <3

      Wow, you somehow knew exactly what I needed to hear. Thank you so very much for the encouragement! *many hugs* Happy October to you toooo!

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  5. Congrats on crushing your edits!
    Good luck with college.

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    1. LOL, they feel only about half-crushed right now, but THANK YOU. Have you wrapped up edits on Falling Snow, or is there more to come?

      Thanks, friend! <333

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  6. I don't think I'd be able to take it very well if it snowed first day of autumn.
    I'm sure that it would kill the cranberries, and I love having fresh cranberries for the Thanksgiving table. Speaking of that... Happy (belated) Thanksgiving!

    Those Narnia audio dramas are great for long commutes! Focus on the Family did such a good job.

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    1. Well, it snowed again afterward, but now it's nearly gone again. Whew!

      Thank you for the Thanksgiving wishes! (Is that a thing? Sounds like it should be birthday wishes...)

      They are such fun! I thoroughly enjoyed every single one. <3 Hope your October is off to a great start, Blue!

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  7. Tracey's back! *hugs* Aaaarg, snow already??? I don't think I could stand that, even briefly. :p Here in Virginia we only just started getting truly chilly weather this week, on the tail of Tropical Storm Michael. Believe it or not it was 80 degrees on Thursday afternoon. By Friday morning it was 40. 0.o

    Sounds like you have a good attitude about setting aside writing for college and I think you're right about giving yourself a chance to live life so you have more to put on the page later. :) I hope and pray you find moments of rest and maybe a little writing even in the midst of the college madness, though! It's been good to hear from you. :) Now, go slay that homework beast! ;)

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    1. *hugs back* So good to "see" you again too! Yup, snow has come and gone a few times since posting this, actually. I can't decide if it's terrible or if I'm slowly easing into a Christmas mood already... o.o Yikes, what a big temperature drop for you guys!

      Thanks for the encouragement! <3 We can't always do everything at once, and I wouldn't be doing myself any favors by pressuring myself to write during this season. Funny you should mention rest/a bit of writing, because I *am* slowly plinking away at a little flash fiction just for fun.

      Thanks, friend! I hope your October is going splendidly! *passes you hot cocoa*

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