Tyler > Recent Status Updates

I like this in general. I just wish there was less badly rhyming poetry and spells.

Excuse? Trans daddy werewolf?? Heeeell yeah

Ooh. Charmed vibes~ Hopefully this trio of queers is more responsible than the Charmed ones were with their new responsibilities.

Hm. Some beginner's writing issues here and there. (Having a character look into a mirror to give a description of them. Three times.) For example But otherwise charming so far. Kind of getting Halloweentown vibes.

Aaaand. All the tension is just dropped. And this near vampire kidnapping could've been something. And this aftermath could've been really heart wrenching from the betrayal. But I don't care. The characters have only seriously interacted twice and the chemistry is not strong enough to carry this scene. We're almost halfway through the book! The chemistry should much stronger by now! Ugh!

Like. Vampires here still need to eat actual food in addition to blood. Can't go out in sunlight. Can't transform into bats. They have venom to soothe the humans they bite and their spit heals the bite? And super strength and speed. Not immortal, just eternally the age they were when bitten until they die of old age. It feels so...defanged. If you'll pardon the pun. Dead and Breakfast did a similar thing.

Also not sure how I feel about the way this book is using 'vampirism as a metaphor for queerness (with queer people actually present)' with the text treating vampires primarily as oppressed in the same way queer people are in real life, but actual queerness seems normalized? And it's doing everything it can to soften vampires to just being people with special needs and a couple powers.

I've got mixed feelings on the "vampires are already public knowledge and kind of integrated into society" thing. I think it kills some of the excitement for me.

Mmmmmnya. On the fence about this one so far.

I'm generally enjoying this and it's concept of 'average Joe turned vampire has misadventures he is *not* equipped for'. But this really needed another round of editing clean up all the weirdly structured and overdone sentences. Even with the conceit of it being Fred's memoirs and him being awkward and verbose, the writing ends up feeling awkward to actually read.

Suzette, you may want to look into therapy yourself. Not just for the PTSD and your struggles with your daughter. I think you might be a little too codependent on Alex and his useless ass. Hoo boy these people are a mess.

I realize Suzette is mentally, emotionally, and physically overtaxed. So I'll bet she just didn't have the werewithal for this. But I do think it would have been a good idea to save Hanna's note saying 'Fuck Mommy' and tape it back together as proof for Alex, rather than just tossing it. I doubt it would do any good, but it's a thought. (Alex hasn't even been onscreen and I'm reading him for filth 😆)

On the fence so far. I really feel for Suzette, all her stress and trauma and a lack of real support. Alex sounds like one of those blandly pleasant fathers who are supportive. As long as they don't have to be the bad guy or deal with the harder choices of parenting. And they will do mental acrobatics to avoid that part of their responsibilities at all costs. So Suzette is really dealing with Hanna's issues alone.

I'm calling it now. This damn plant is going to corpse puppet someone to escape. I suspect it's been experimenting with Pablo and Eric and now it's working out how to control Amy's corpse. It might also be working it's way into Stacy through her unprotected feet!

In fact...maybe it's had Mathias this whole time... He's awfully quiet and we've never had his PoV. We haven't had Pablo's either...
Red string everywhere

I now worry Pablo has been dead for a while and is just a corpse puppet the vine is using to fuck with the group. It seems like something it would do. The plant is an asshole.

The plant has been actively engaging in psychological warfare. It just constantly repeating "Bitch-Slut" several times seems like it should be funny. But no. It is actually very unnerving. That gave chills.

Unsure if Eric actually has the plant inside him. Also unsure what would be worse. It eating him from the inside out. Or him maiming himself to no purpose in a fit of delirium.

*squirms at all the body going on* Oof

I love how the characters trade the role of designated asshole around so they all get chances to be relatable and chances to be hateable. They're all just very flawed, scared, traumatized. That's good casting chemistry.

And the vine continues to be just absolutely terrifying in that it is *smart* and *likes to play with its food*. It is actively cruel and malicious.

I'm actually really digging this. The characters are all terrible in really relatable ways. So even as they frustrate me, I'm dreading the terrible things happening to them (often as a result of their own bad decisions). Yes good.

And the monster is so sinister and creepy. 😆

Dude. It's literally been a day. Maybe 2 since thus started. You're not even sure your wife is dead yet. And she's other even sure about her husband. What is the point of these two boinking?

Aaaaand you're going to think about your wife during it. And she's thinking about her husband. Probably. Not David anyway. Fiiiine. I guess it's a trauma response. But it still feels kind of out of place.

Probably doesn't help that the narrator is voicing Mrs. Carmody like Roz from Monsters Inc.

"If you doubt, then go on out! Go on out and say 'Howdy do!'" Mrs. Carmody
Am I supposed to be intimidated by her at this point? Or am I supposed to think she's hilarious? Because the snort I made at this line.

Also the narrator keeps *whispering* to be ominous and I am hard of hearing. I already have the volume up beyond the recommended levels. It can't go much higher. The sound balance is not working to make it listenable without straining myself.

Meh. I'm honestly finding it kinda hokey, at least in the writing style and characterization. It kind of feels like it's trying too hard to have the narrator be the likeable everyman. And it's a 70s-80s everyman to boot, so it's not clicking easily with my queer millennial self. (Not the text's fault, really, just generation gap there)

Yeah, I don't think this one's working for me. 😑

There's definitely fun ideas here, but I think it could have used another round of editing.

And unfortunately I'm not sure this one is clicking for me. :/

I'm enjoying the story, but the reader could stand to emote more.

Ah. Back in my cozy place. Slow burn M/M romantasy. Then it will be time to return to the Horrors! 😆

Yeah, don't think I'm finishing this one. The dialogue is overwritten, it's too over the top for me, and apparently the protag's disability gets miraculaously cured halfway through? And then soap opera drama. Nah. Not my flavor of romance, unfortunately.