fell asleep with stains

Books and Book-Like Things
Shadow Magic. By Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennett. I started this in March and finished it a few weeks ago. I was Not Impressed. Although I loved the prequel, Havemercy, I found this one drab in comparison. I didn't particularly like any of the four narrators, and although Caius Greylace teetered on the edge of interestingness, his unusual personality felt forced. Another of the novel's shortcomings was how little action was in it. That is to be expected about a novel that takes place in the aftermath of war, when the tense relationships are all diplomacy and court intrigue and running away because your brother is plotting to have you killed, which was not as exciting as it sounds, but I feel like nothing significant happened in the novel. They ate rice and dumplings. Some insults were exchanged. There was some commotion in a theater and an attempted assassination. I hope the third book, Dragon Soul, will be more thrilling than this one.

Harry Potter Books One, Three, Four, and Five. By J. K. Rowling. This is my third time reading through most of the series, and like the first time, I am in love with Remus Lupin. (The second time, I was most interested in Sirius, our resident Peter Pan.) This readthrough had be gushing love out my pores for all knowledgeable and competent characters, though, in particular Severus Snape, Ginny Weasley, Fred and George Weasley, Minerva McGonagall, Albus Dumbledore, and Harry Freakin' Potter. (I think I am too used to Hermione being knowledgeable and competent, and Harry is too used to Hermione being knowledgeable and competent, for me to be especially impressed.) I had tears, tears, many tears at the end of Order of the Phoenix. I didn't even mind Harry's constant state of capslock, such was my sympathy for him. I am starting to get annoyed by the overuse of ellipses; some days, it seems like every single page has at least two paragraphs that end in ellipses and at least five that contain them. The story is remarkably well-organized, structured, and plotted, though, so I forgive all flaws in the prose.

Shoebox Project AAAAAAH. AAAAAAAAH. AUGH. SO MANY TEARS BUT SO MUCH JOY. ♥

Television
Doctor Who. I'm five or six episodes into the first season, and I am pretty impressed. I rather like the Doctor, and I think the plant lady in the second episode may be one of my favorite one-shot characters, despite my inability to remember her name. (I like people with shiny skin. The Oracles from Angel are also on my list.) The show does seem a bit overdramatic, though. Even taking into account that the Doctor is a time traveller, does the fate of the world need to be threatened in every single episode?

LOST. I've taken a hiatus in favor of watching Doctor Who, but I think I like LOST more. I had just finished episode 13. Episode 15 is written by one of my favorite TV writers, Drew Goddard, so I will definitely be returning to the show eventually.

Comics



Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8. Finished this a few weeks ago. As a whole, the season was entertaining, but I cared so little. It's a shame; great and terrible things are happening to my favorite characters and I just don't give a shit. I think the art style may be to blame because Georges Jeanty's lineart just isn't very emotive. However, read it for the army of tiny vampire teddy bears screaming, "EAT THEIR #%&@ING OVARIES!"

( More: 'My glimmering hope is so large it eclipses the sun and the moon!' )

Havemercy
I finished reading Havemercy. EXCELLENT BOOK.

( No spoilers, I don't think, save for extremely vague references )

Final Fantasy VIII
I finally defeated Diablos. It's a bit sad, really, considering the Garden's already going crazy and all my other GFs, save for Brothers, are at least level 20. But I tried and tried and could not beat Diablos until yesterday, when I stole all of my non-party members' magic and beefed up my party's stats like whoa. I also had plenty of Cura this time around instead of lowly Cure. Even then, Diablos nearly owned me with two Gravijas in a row, and Rinoa KO'd twice. He also knocked Quezacotl out, even though birdy boy has the most HP out of all my GFs.

I've been thinking about how the GF system in FFVIII is so much better than the Summon system in FFVII. In VIII, you actually give a shit who has what because the GFs directly affect stats and abilities. Plus, you actually use them because you don't have to conserve MP, so conservative as I am about magic, I have no qualms about using Shiva against a T-Rexaur six times in one battle. GFs take a long time to summon, but they deal enough damage that it's worth it, and the Boost system makes the player actually appreciate longer summoning times.

GOOD GAME, THIS ONE. But when NORG's followers started unleashing Grats on me, I had to wonder if they were serious.