Update: I've Already Reached Book #4 (Back And Deader Than Ever). I Think I Can Safely Say That This

Update: I've already reached Book #4 (Back and Deader Than Ever). I think I can safely say that this book series is mostly mindless fun.

Pros:

Secondary plot threads like the ghouls' weekly spa days are honestly pretty cute.

The monsters (or "R.A.D.s") feel reasonably in-character and well-written most of the time.

The ways each monster type has to blend in with normie society are consistent, relevant, creative at times, and generally well-done.

Candace is a bit more than the stereotypical "dumb blonde." Not that much, since she's a secondary character at most, but enough to make her more fun than annoying.

We stan Brett as our resident monster-lover. The dude legitimately finds bolts and green skin attractive.

Jackson and Holt ("D.J.") exist and are important. This is sadly not consistent in most Monster High media.

Sirens are bird women.

The foreshadowing leading up to Melody's big plot twist is present as early as the first book. I like that.

The Wolfs' monthly transformation and pre-transition symptoms (especially the appetite and irritability) speak to me as a PMS-haver. I think that's what Harrison was going for, so...yeah. Good job.

Cons:

Melody is basically the "Not Like Other Girls" female YA protagonist. Dark hair, frumpy clothes, was ostracized for her appearance in the past, described as effortlessly pretty in the present, quiet until she needs to deliver some plot-relevant sass, secretly "special"... Yeesh.

Bekka's writing takes a hard turn for the cartoonish after the first book.

So many outdated pop culture references. So many.

Holt being flirty? Reasonable, given his characterization in other places. Him being an outright pervert at points? Really freaking weird.

An odd amount of revenge-kissing and other petty relationship stuff

Not enough Lagoona. The higher-ups really did hate her from the beginning. :p

About to read the first Monster High YA novel by Lisi Harrison. I had #2-4 when I was younger, and frankly, I don't remember much. Wish me luck.

I know Marcy is going to win at this rate, but I just want to give a shoutout to my boy Sig. He's great, especially in that one bonus chapter of Puyo Puyo Tetris.

You know the one. That one, with Schezo. Sig's line delivery is just perfect.

Round 1 Part 2

I saw one of these stories on the Sailor Moon subreddit yesterday and thought it was just a Chibi Moon joke, but I guess it's real.

Cool. :)

GUESS WHAT JUST ARRIVED BABYYYYY

LOOK AT THEM RAHHHHHHH

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PRE-ORDERS LIVE !! || TMNT, BATMAN, DUNGEON MESHI, ORIGINALS, AND MORE!

lets gooo baby!!! finally finished my entire lineup of merchandise- pre-orders will be open for the next week, which will be coming with som

As a Donnie fan, agreed. Some people took it way too far last time. Heck, I got a little too into it myself. I hope I didn't hurt anyone.

Let's all strive to be our best selves this year.

Got a post in my reccomended that reminded me of something I need to make clear, that's gone poorly addressed here until now.

Last year, while you may remember it fondly, the toxicity demonstrated by my voters and fanbase regarding who to vote for (especially during the later rounds) was genuinely atrocious. It moved well beyond the point of lighthearted competition and into genuine vile behavior and often ableism that I cannot let slide as we go further into season 2. This extends to (and is primarily relevant to) Donatello fans. I give you guys a lot of credit for the success and fun of this blog, but it is pertinent that you also remember that Donatello fans in particular were credited with the most cruel attitudes in the wake of Mob's victory. I understand being upset because of a loss, but this is ridiculous.

I am not "calling out" or targeting anyone in particular with this. I am well aware that this behavior does not belong to all of you. The majority of yall are darlings and I couldn't be more grateful for your support. But I let you all off way too easy last time.

Let me make it clear: You are voting on your favorite autistic headcanon/canon character. The metric of "autism swag" does not exist, and should never be used to bully or harass other voters. It's a title that was made up and based off of the names of the other poll bloggers at the time, not a real concept. It is not serious, nobody is winning anything besides a PNG that gets put next to their character if they win.

If I catch wind of any genuine death threats, bigotry, or otherwise unnecessary cruelty sent towards any participants during the course of this season, I will start disqualifying characters. If you cannot keep it civil when polls are live, I see no reason why you should be rewarded with your character's victory.

I deeply apologize to anyone who has been by this cruelty. It is my responsibility as this blog's operator to keep behavior civil, and it's something I've been mishandling up until now. This poll has grown well beyond what I originally thought it would be, it has since day one, and I need to prioritize learning how to handle its reach if it's something I want to continue.

The polls will still run as scheduled, this is not an announcement of a delay or cancelation, simply a firm reminder of where I stand on the harassment demonstrated by people in my follower base.

Thank you for your time and understanding. I hope going forward we can all be kinder to eachother, and understand that at the end of the day, we are here to show love towards our favorites, not hatred towards strangers that have done nothing to you.

This time, we make sure Donnie wins!!!!

The Bracket has been set!

This year's competitor pool is hot, with 23 returning competitors and 41 new appearances. In Round 1, the matches will be broken up into 4 waves, divided by the quadrants displayed on the bracket. The matches will all be listed below the cut, for everyone's reference.

SIDE A, PART 1

Donatello Hamato (Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) v.s L Lawliet (Death Note)

Mary Anta (Cemetery Mary) v.s Rui Kamishiro (Project Sekai)

Izuku Midoriya (My Hero Academia) v.s Branch (Dreamworks Trolls)

Snufkin (Moominvalley) v.s Futaba Sakura (Persona 5)

Gordon Freeman (Half Life) v.s Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock Holmes)

Blathers (Animal Crossing) v.s Princess Bubblegum (Adventure Time)

Jonathan Sims (The Magnus Archives) v.s Zane (Lego Ninjago)

Tomoko Kuroki (Watamote) v.s Cloud Strife (Final Fantasy 7)

SIDE A, PART 2

Frieren (Sousou no Frieren) v.s Papyrus (Undertale)

Tech (Star Wars: The Bad Batch) v.s Ferb Fletcher (Phineas & Ferb)

Stanford Pines (Gravity Falls) v.s Twilight Sparkle (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Berdly (Deltarune) v.s Gregory House (House M.D)

Data (Star Trek) v.s Idia Shroud (Twisted Wonderland)

Peridot (Steven Universe) v.s Penny Polendina (RWBY)

Sig (Puyo Puyo) v.s Marcy Wu (Amphibia)

Jotaro Kujo (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure) v.s Miles Edgeworth (Ace Attorney)

SIDE B, PART 1

Monkey D. Luffy (One Piece) v.s Alhaitham (Genshin Impact)

Laios Touden (Dungeon Meshi) v.s Iggy Maxwell (Our Wonderland)

Dendy (OK KO: Let's Be Heroes) v.s Gin Ibushi (Your Turn To Die)

Norma Khan (Dead End: Paranormal Park) v.s Link (The Legend of Zelda)

Starfire (Teen Titans) v.s Luz Noceda (The Owl House)

Siffrin (In Stars And Time) v.s Huey Duck (Ducktales 2017)

Lilo Pelekai (Lilo & Stitch) v.s Saiki Kusuo (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.)

Woo Young Woo (Extraordinary Attorney Woo) v.s Miles "Tails" Prower (Sonic the Hedgehog)

SIDE B, PART 2

Razputin Aquato (Psychonauts) v.s Linhardt von Hevring (Fire Emblem Three Houses)

Ranpo Edogawa (Bungou Stray Dogs) v.s Entrapta (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power)

Murderbot (The Murderbot Diaries) v.s Kieran (Pokemon Scarlet & Violet)

Twyla Boogeyman (Monster High) v.s Marina Ida (Splatoon)

Hiccup Haddock (How To Train Your Dragon) v.s Batman (DC Comics)

Abed Nadir (Community) v.s Red Son (Lego Monkie Kid)

Uzi Doorman (Murder Drones) v.s Bingo Heeler (Bluey)

Gillion Tidestrider (Just Roll With It) v.s Spongebob Squarepants (Spongebob Squarepants)