Liebster Blog Award

Drumroll please.

I have received my second Liebster Blog Award!! Huge thank you to Briana @Reader, Writer, Critic. You are beyond fabulous.

Ahem. Now, before I forget, here are the rules. In my opinion BAH WHO NEEDS 'EM. (Actually, I do, but shhh)

11 Facts About Me

In the words of Hazel Grace Lancaster, I am quite unextraordinary. But here goes...

1. I have a tendency to scream at the TV when something happens that angers me. (I'm She-Hulk. Shh, don't tell.)

2. My current favorite TV show is Teen Wolf, despite the cheesy name. Scott McCall is good incarnate.

3. I finally read my first John Green book recently. And cried. Big, ugly tears. Everywhere.

4. One time I sobbed so hard after watching a particularly emotional episode of The 100 that my mom burst into the room to ask me what was wrong and watched in fascinated confusion as I blubbered helplessly.

5. I have two personalities when meeting new people in real life. a) I'm super friendly and tend to giggle a lot b) I'm quite mean and spout sarcastic retorts to ev-er-y-thing. There is no in between, which is horrible.

6. I want to be a dragon. Badly.

7. One time I tried to draw my own comics. I stopped after four/five pages because a) I had no idea what direction my story was going in and b) drawing people hurts my brain.

8. I need a leather jacket. Badly. Preferably a black one.

9. I wear a lot of black. If you met me in real life, I would probably be wearing at least 90% black.

10. One time I reflex-slapped my sister because she scared me half to death. It was night-time. I was almost asleep. I was pretty sure my heart was going to stop beating.

11. Last one. Whew. My favorite animated character, when it comes right down to it, is Edna Mode from The Incredibles.

Briana's Questions! 

1. What post are you most proud of? (Link us to it please!)

Okay, okay. I'll tell you. But only because you said please. 

Possibly my Top 5 Animated Characters post, because I think I'm funny.

2. If you had to pick two fictional characters to be your parents and raise you from baby to adult who would you pick and why? (They don't have to be from the same books.)

Oh, Lordy. Okay, um... I'm trying to think of characters I love that aren't complete psychos. (It's very hard.)

For the dad, I'm going to say Halt, from Ranger's Apprentice because even though he's ol' Mister-Cranky-Pants, he cares. Plus, he could teach me how to be a boss fighter. *ninja kick* Hyah! 

Um. Mom. Moommmmm. Hm. Penryn from Angelfall? I dunno. There's some creepy age difference going on between my mom and dad here. 

3. If you had to take the place of a character in a book, whose place would you take and why?

Probably Giannine in Heir Apparent because a) people aren't dying left and right and b) she gets to be literally inside the game. INSIDE. That would be beyond cool.

4. Everyone always asks about your favorite part of blogging, but let's be real, there have to be things that you don't like. What is your least favorite part or the part that is the most challenging?

Deadlines. I really just don't like deadlines.

5. What has been your favorite read this month? (Or pick a few if picking one is too hard.)

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. It's also the only book I've read this month.... oops?

6. If you were to make a book cover that represented your life and personality what would it look like?

Awesome as heck.

Ahem. A bunch of chaos, but put together in such a way that nothing outshines anything else-- it's all beautiful and meaningful. It would be bold. Dramatic. (Sorry, I'm quoting Edna again.) 

7. Of course you love books and blogging and all that good stuff but if you didn't spend time doing either one of those things, what would you spend all your free time doing?

Writing. Singing. Bothering my sister. Watching TV. Eating. 

All that good stuff.

8. What's your favorite and least favorite genre and why?

Favorite is probably... dystopian.

Least favorite? Romance. Historical romance that just magnifies the romance until it's all that's there. The entire plot. Romance. It physically pains me sometimes.

9. What makes you want to read a book (more than other books)?

Covers. Ehehehe. 

If it's about the supernatural, then I'm all for it. Also, when my sister suggests something. We very rarely disagree about books.

10. How do you feel about book covers? Do you judge books based on them? Is it ok to? Ect.

Book covers should reflect the book itself. And yeah, sometimes I do. I think it's okay, but I don't think it's right to base an opinion of a book on the cover itself. Keep your mind open. *spreads arms*

11. If you were to pick an author to write a book based on you and your life, who would you want to write it?

Oh.

Oh.

Ehm. Probably John Green or Cassandra Clare. Oh! Susan Ee, too. Could there just be one gigantic author collaboration?

The Nominees

Anyone who wants to join! (Which is another way of saying I'm a lazy-butt.) You want to take a swing at the Liebster Blog Award? You are more than welcome. If you should chose to accept, let it be known...

You are the most talented, most interesting, and most extraordinary person in the universe. And you are capable of amazing things. Because you are the Special.

Please tell me you got that. (Lego Movie, peoples. Watch it and laugh.)

11 Questions for the Special...s.

1. What is your current favorite song? (I know I'm evil.)

2. If a book character was to be your best friend, who would you want it to be?

3. Favorite snack while watching a movie?

4. Use one word to describe yourself. It has to be a nice one. ;) (Also, yes, I am aware this is not a question.)

5. What's your biggest pet peeve in books?

6. If you had to be a mythical creature, what would you be?

7. Music genre that best describes your personality?

8. If you were an author, would you use a pen name or your real name? Why?

9. Who is your favorite villain? From a book, movie, etc.

10. Do you put your ketchup all over your french fries, or do you put it on the side?

11. What was the last movie you saw?


Another huge thanks to Briana for nominating me! Also sorry this took me so long, I've just been super busy. :(

Reviewing: Divergent *Movie

I will have a post up sometime tomorrow. I apologize for my absence, but my school starts really soon (in a couple days) and I'm trying to pull everything together because a) it's a completely new school system b) I have to work out a schedule with the people at my local library for volunteering and c) I have to write an introductory paragraph to all the kids and teachers in my classes. Ahem. To the movie review.

Recently I watched the Divergent movie. It'd been a while since I read the book, so of course I wasn't able to scrutinize every single detail, but I did remember the key points.

 Spoilers will either be shown by going

[start spoiler] spoiler [end spoiler]

or [like this] meaning you'll have to highlight the blank area to read it.

Ahem.

Now that we've moved past the Spoiler System, I would like to move on the actual movie.

Divergent is an awesome book. I'd have loved it if the movie included all the details that showed how corrupt the government actually was and not just that the government is evil because they're scared of divergents to the point that they will kill them. Also, the movie lays on the whole "Divergent" theme so thick that it's hard to focus on anything else. Also, I get it. There's a lot going on. Tris and Four's relationship needed time to grow. But while it grew... you didn't really get to read about the friendships or mere acquaintances that really added to Tris's growth as a character. [ Peter stabbing Edward in the eye. Christina and Will's relationship was merely hinted at.... giving Will's death less of an impact. ]

So, while this is a good movie, some things felt out of place and rushed.

5 Minute Plot-Maker

I am, quite obviously, blogging about a five minute plot maker. I'm also here to tell you that this may take longer. Like, maybe ten minutes. I know, I know. False advertising. But, seriously, who's counting?

Now, I am a pantser when it comes to writing. Plotting. Is. Exhausting. Usually the realization that plotting might be necessary happens to me when I'm 70% done with the book and still don't know how it's going to end.

I came up with this idea when my sister was bemoaning to me about how she couldn't for the life of her figure out the plot of her book. Well, future book.

Basically, you go through five steps.

1. Pick a genre.
2. Pick a word that describes the feeling you want your book to have.
3. World-build, using the genre and word choice.
4. As Pacific Rim says, make sure your character and world are "drift compatible".
5. Give your character a kaiju.

I am totally aware that it might take more than five minutes. But the whole meaning of this thingy is to learn not to over think. When you answer the questions, you only have the backbone of what your story can become. Now, I'm no doctor, but I'm pretty sure the human anatomy has a bunch more bones that all come together to make one, big, massive skeleton. Bad analogy, I know, but it sort've works.

You should already have a story and character in mind when you start. Just use whatever pops into your head first. And an arch-enemy? Make it whatever the heck you want. What if ninja pops into your head first? Okay, then. Make it a ninja with whatever twists you come up with. What if creepy twins is the first thing you think? Creepy twins it is.

The point is not to get every detail right the first time. It's to learn that everything your story will become will start with two simple words-- Chapter One. Or just one. Like Prologue or something.

Also really quick, um, sorry for not posting in eons. I have no excuse other than I'm lazy and over-stressed and those two things don't really go hand-in-hand.

Like, at all.

Later,

Tansie G.

Reviewing: Girl v. Boy by Yvonne Collins and Sandy Rideout

All’s not fair in love, war, and high school journalism.

Sixteen-year-old Luisa Perez is not looking to win any awards for school spirit. In fact, she and her friends make it a point to avoid all activities considered “extra-curricular.” So when her English teacher volunteers her to be an anonymous columnist for the school paper, Luisa’s first impulse is to run. But, unlike her high-school dropout sister, Luisa does want to go to college—it may be her only ticket out of a life spent working at the cowboy-themed diner where she waitresses part time—and it would be nice to have something on her applications.

Her first assignment is to cover her high school's latest fundraiser, which pits the girls against the boys. Luisa will cover the events from the female POV, while another anonymous writer provides the male perspective—or, at least, that’s how it begins. The two columnists soon find themselves engaged in an epic battle of the sexes—a battle that Luisa is determined to win. Just who does this guy think he is, encouraging his peers to act like Neanderthals with their girlfriends? And why can’t Luisa shake the very sinking feeling that her new unidentified nemesis might also be her new boyfriend?

Please note; I am not judging the entire male population within this review. I'm judging the guys in this particular book. If there happen to be guys exactly like or almost exactly like those portrayed (which is very likely), then yes. I'm judging them.

I know next to nothing about how a guy's brain works. I'm kind of glad I don't. I've heard it's mentally scarring. In Girl v. Boy, the boys mentioned gave me migraines. The girls did too. In fact, I kind of felt like flinging the book across the room a few times. Not because I loved it so much I hated it, but, because of the characters, I was feeling particularly violent.

Lets start with Mac Landis. (I wrote this a few minutes after finishing the book, so the anger is still fresh.) I don't have a sever disliking for him because he's a bad person as in evil bad. I have a severe disliking for him, because he is a severely unlikable person. He's a pervert without a mouth filter, a first-class prick with no shame, and quite honestly, a potatoe with eyes.

Just kidding. That was Joey I-Can't-for-the-Life-of-Me-Remember-His-Last-Name on Holloween. About Joey. He was sweet. Like, put him in the rain and he'll melt, sweet. But, just like all boys in this book, I got mad at him.

Like, really mad.

Like, madder than I was at Mac, mad. I was ready to slap the bajeebers out of him.

That brings us to Russ and Tyler. Russ seemed like, at first, a distracted puppy. But puppies are already distracted!, you say. Well, yes, they are. But take that puppy, take away all it's focus ever, make it obsessed with sports of all kind, and give it something that doesn't enjoy sports and wants atleast a teaspoon of attention, and what do you get?

Tyler was nice. I kind of felt like Lu should've chosen him, because he tried -- and so many others didn't.

Now it's the girls' turn.

Mariah was evil incarnate. The only reason she was popular was because she wore next to nothing. Her insults were... well, they were immature and, quite honestly, ridiculous. She called Lu Coconut. Yeah. Coconut. That's just embarrassing. I was kind of disappointed that she was just your typical mean girl, but what was I expecting?

Rachel and Izzy are Luisa's two best friends, and they are awesome. Grace is Lu's older sister that dropped out of school and has a little girl named Keira, whose dad is Paz, who works at a factory and has a gang of friends (including Joey) that are hilarious and often drop by the diner than Lu and Grace work at.

Grace is tough, edgy, and has a seriously bad temper. She searches every single sentence for an insult, and if she finds one, Lord help you because you will be aching for the next week or so. She loves Keira with all her heart. I feel like she's been attacked by her peers for so long that she automatically fights back-- even if certain ones aren't fighting back and never meant to offend her.

Now, down to Luisa. There are a lot of things that happened in this book that just isn't believable. Lu goes from being shy, unnoticed by any guys ever, to never not having a guy have his eyes on her. Why? Well, it all started because she finally attended school dances and got involved in school things. I have no experience with these things (they sound horrible in my opinion) but I'm pretty sure getting in on the school spirit is not the one and only way to get a guy's attention.

She was smart, sarcastic, and opinionated, but jumped to conclusions a lot and sometimes didn't think things all the way through.

The plot was pretty simple. The plot twist was well delivered-- I was not expecting "Scoop" (the dude's penname) to be who he was. It just clashed so hugely with who I thought he was that I was just like

I am going to tell you that after everything sort of smoothed over I was almost/sorta/kinda/not really able to forgive Scoop completely. I was still angry that he said certain things he did. Playing a part or not, it doesn't matter.

Anyways, it was a good book that I might read again just for fun, but it's not one of my favorites or something I'd force my friends to read. But don't let me rain on your parade. If it sounds like something you'd like, try it out!

Liebster Blog Award

I, peoples, have received a Liebster Award. *cue ridiculous dancing*

Ahem. Sorry about that. Anyways, I got nominated by the fabulous Skylar @ Life of a Random. (Thank you Skylar. You're awesome.)

11 Facts About Myself

1. I started writing and blogging because of my sister.

2. I can very easily get tired of pizza. In my family, that is weird. Like, in-need-of-medical-attention weird.

3. I have a dog named Dora whom I love.

4. I almost never cry when watching movies or reading books but I cry fairly easily otherwise.

5. I go through music-phases. Sometimes I listen to only classical for a week or more, then only metal, then only pop, then only rock, then only dubstep. Rap has yet to be on the list.

6. I can come up with hundreds of papers of research on a single topic, but I can't for the life of me write a good research essay.

7. I remember details about people crazy well. I'm serious. I remember birthdays, hobbies, favorite fast-food restaurants, goals, full names, etc. after hearing them once.

8. I enjoy blasting rock/country (nothing else) music and slamming an air guitar/line dancing by myself when I'm supposed to be cleaning my room.

9. I sang in the shower until I heard my sister doing the same thing and was aghast to realize literally everyone in the house could hear.

10. I started writing in journals when I was seven.

11. My favorite genre of movies is action.

Skylar's Questions

1. How did you come up with your blog's name?

My sister and I came up with the name Tansie for a pen-name, then I went "Oh, Totally Tansie sounds slightly okay!" and so it was Totally Tansie. But now when I look at it all I think is that is totally sounds like a cheesy TV series where the intro consists of me flipping my hair, making an exaggerated happy face, and gushing/bordering on squealing: "I'm totally Tansie!"

2. Given the choice between having blue hair forever or a dragon tattoo on your arm forever (duh), which would you choose?

Probably blue hair forever. #fabulous

3. Do you like reading book blogs or watching booktuber videos better?

Book blogs. I don't really know why.

4. Do you have a bucket list?

Nope.

5. I couldn't live without my computer... or books, obviously. BUT, excluding your computer, books, cellphone/phone (you know, the essentials), what's one thing you couldn't live without?

Food and water, obviously. And clothes. That would be embarrassing.

6. What's your least favorite food?

Tomatoes and some ungodly concoction called millet.

7. Do you make up new endings in your head for books or movies that stunk because they were so sad?

Yes. Tears. (Ex: War Horse. The Book Thief. Hachi. I could go on but I think I might start bawling.)

8. What does your handwriting look like? Picture please. 

"Hello, peoples, I am handwriting. Sometimes I look nice and sometimes
I just spazz out really bad oops."

Taken with a terribly low-quality camera. Oops.

9. What do you want to accomplish in five years?

I want to graduate from high school, publish a book, and get into a good college.

10. Hardcover or paperback?

Either one is good for smacking faces.

Sorry, that was mean.

Okay, umm... probably hardcover. I love just sitting there and stroking the cover like a completely normal person.

11. What is your favorite sound?

Leaves rustling (like, in a non-creepy way), rain, and all of the noises you hear at the ocean excluding people.

Nominations

Anyone who wants to join in! Comment with a link to the post and I'll check it out :) I honestly have no idea who to nominate. It's not just because I'm a severely lazy person with no ambition.

My Questions

1. What's your favorite movie genre?

2. What's your favorite food?

3. Tattoos, piercings, or neither?

4. What's your favorite quality for a person to have?

5. Book that most effected your view of life and/or people?

6. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?

7. Have you ever read a book because of the hype for it, then realized that it was just not for you? If so, name it!

8. Opinion on book-to-movie adaptions? Do they ruin the book for you, or make it come to life?

9. What's the last song you listened to?

10. What's the last movie to make you cry?

11. If you had to choose between being an elf or a dwarf, which would you prefer?

Beautiful People Tag

This awesome tag is hosted by the even more awesome blogs/bloggers; Sky and Cait. You can join in at either one's blog. It lasts all month (which is pure awesomesauce) and starts on the 5th of every month. So basically it is always happening. The character I've chosen is the main character of Shadows Dancing, a futuristic/dystopian novel.

1. What is their full name and is there a story behind why they got it?

Robyn Anise West. There is no story other than the fact that I saw the name Robin with a y and I liked it. (Also, I only just figured out what her middle name is--shhh don't tell anyone.)

2. How old are they, and when were they born?

She's fifteen, and she was born January 4, 2062. (Date is subject to change. Since I also just came up with it. *facepalm*)

3. Describe their physical appearance. (Bonus questions: 1. What is their race/nationality/ethnicity? 2. Do you have a picture of them? If so, include it.)

Robyn is blonde. Her hair is long and wavy. It's a pale blonde--there are only a few darker highlights. I don't really know how else to describe it. She has a button nose, wide blue eyes, pale skin, and she's the epitome of petite. When you look at her, the first word to pop in your head would probably be innocent.

This isn't pefect, but it's really close.

4. Describe your character's personality first in one word, and then elaborate with a few sentences.

Everything about Robyn is quiet. She blends in, she doesn't talk much, and she likes making herself disappear. It's a hobby. She can, however, be brave. It usually happens when she gets angry-- either at herself, or, more likely, Caster. She is very sympathetic and kind, always trying to see the best in people. She is also naïve. 

5. What song fits their personality and story arc?

This one fits okay...

go to 0:22 to skip intro

6. Which of the seven deadly sins describes your character?

A little bit of envy.

7. If they were an element (fire, water, earth, air), which would they be?

Air.

8. What is their favorite word?

Probably "alive" or "life" or something. 

9. Who's one person they really miss? (It could be someone who's passed away, or someone they're not close to anymore, or someone who's moved away.)

One person? Umm... I guess her mom. 

10. What sights, sounds, and smells remind them of that person?

Wildflowers. Her mom loved wildflowers. Also rain.


Later,

Tansie G.

Reviewing: Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor

I read Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor and immediately wondered how they were going to find people beautiful enough to play the characters. Because I watched Catching Fire and The Book Thief before I read the book (in fact, I still haven't read them. I'm a bit terrified to read The Book Thief. I think my tears will contribute greatly to the Pacific Ocean.) I was able to judge them as movies, not how they compared to the book-- but it's awesome when you've read/watched both and can compare.

Like with The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones. Comparing the characters to my mental image was pure awesome. (Jace and Clary were nothing like how I imagined them. Neither was Alec. Or Valentine. Or a lot of other people.) I watched Rubinrot (ahem. German movie of Ruby Red.) and loved it, even though there were a few changes. 

Anyways. I am going terribly off-topic. 

I figured I should review DoSaB (I'm calling it that because I'm lazy) before I forgot everything about it. The below notes are my attempts at remembering/organizing my thoughts. 

Apparently I think very little.

The beginning I liked. It was to the point, introducing the characters and the drama and the love interest. You get to know the main character fairly quickly. (She has blue hair. Naturally. Well. Not naturally, but naturally.) She's kick-butt. She's smart. She's drop-dead gorgeous. She speaks a mind-boggling amount of languages.

The love interest is fierce and intimidating in the eye of his beholders, but once I read in his POV (point of view), I felt like he was an awkward puppy. Weird I know, but very true. Instead of thinking of him as mysteriously hot, all I could think was: this guy's adorable. He gets more adorable as time goes on. Be warned. He's kind of obsessed, though. Like, seriously, dude. Stop stalking. It's weird.

(Also, they're apparently the two most attractive non-peoples to exist. One thing I didn't get is: angel girls are beautiful, right? Just as beautiful as the angel-dudes are. So why is Akiva so taken with Karou's beauty? Shouldn't he be used to it?)

The plot twist (well, the main one) was a bit hard to grasp at first. At least, it was for me. A few chapters were dedicated to explaining how it all went down, which felt a little weird. Yeah, it all made sense after I read them, but if your plot twist has to be that twisted then maybe it should be spread out more, not just all in one huge chunk that leaves you leaping between worlds. Worlds that also would need a few chapters to explain.

The characters were well-thought out, even though I felt like a couple had no purpose whatsoever. DoSaB does a good job of showing the good and bad in each side. The angels are awesome-- unlike most angel books, where they have no reason to be swooping down to earth to conquer and destroy, this one did. I was so relieved. I thought I was just going to be sitting there like... wait. Why are they leaving handprints everywhere again? (obviously, because their hands are fabulous and the world needs to admire them.)

I have one tiny complaint about the angels. Their names. I don't know if Laini Taylor was going for biblical renditions (which, actually, is the only rendition.) but angels don't get named Akiva. It sounds epic, but angel names always end in El. Raphael. Michael. Gabriel. Zaphael. (I could go on, but I won't, because I blanked.)

*After checking out angel names because of reasons I realized that some names didn't end in El. My bad.

Mid-book gets a bit... slow. Well, as slow as you can get with a potential war brewing. And then everything speeds waaay up, and I, for one, was a bit confused.

The ending leaves the possibilities open, and Karou mad as heck.

I need the second book.

Later,

Tansie G.