Life, Hope, Truth, Trust,
Faith, Pride, Love, Lust,
Pain, Hate, Lies, Guilt,
Laugh, Cry, Live, Die.
Some friends become enemies.
Some friends become your family.
Make the best with what you're given.
This ain't dying,
This is living!
-"Movin' On" by Good Charlotte

What I finished reading: Fanfiction; Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury; The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch; The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie; Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes; Sledding Hill by Chris Crutcher; Sold by Patricia McCormick; Ever After High: The Class of Classics: An Original Graphic Novel by Leah Dragoon; American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang; Night by Elie Wiesel; Boxers & Saints by Gene Luen Yang; The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fist Fight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie; Animal Crackers: A Gene Luen Yang Collection by Gene Luen Yang; The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald; Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud; Americus by MK Reed and Jonathan Hill; Level Up by Gene Luen Yang and Thien Pham; Rat Girl: A Memoir by Kristin Hersh; The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger; The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, adapted graphic novel by Peter Kuper; Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky, a Pocket Classic graphic novel adaption; Maus: A Survivor's Tale Vol. 1-2 by Art Spiegelman; Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters Vol. 1-37/38; Sugar Sugar Rune Vol. 1-7/8 by Moyoco Anno; Dairy of a Wimpy Kid 1-5 by Jeff Kinney; Cirque du Freak/Darren Shan manga adaption vol. 1-12 by Takahiro Arai; Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick; Born a Crime by Trevor Noah; Henchgirl by Kristen Gudsnuk; Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol; Page by Paige by Laura Lee Gulledge; Persepolis Vol. 1-2 by Marjane Satrapi; El Deafo by Cece Bell; To Dance: A Ballerina's Graphic Novel by Siena Cherson Siegel and Mark Siegel; The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton; Blankets by Craig Thompson; Americus by MK Reed and Johnathan Hill; The Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov; The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky; Wonder Woman: The Hiketeia by Greg Rucka; Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons; The Arrival by Shaun Tan; Cowboys and Aliens by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg; The Shadow Hero by Gene Luen Yang and Sonny Liew; Incognegro: A Graphic Mystery by Mat Johnson and Warren Pleece; Ye by Guilherme Petreca; Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels by Scott McCloud; Reinventing Comics: The Evolution of an Art Form by Scott McCloud; The DC Comics Guide to Writing Comics by Dennis O'Neil;

What I am reading: Fanfiction; various Amazing/Spectacular/Friendly Neighborhood/Web of Spider-Man comics; The Amazing Mary Jane comics; Marvel's Gwen Stacy mini series;

What I plan to read: Fanfiction; Ever After High: Fairy Tail Ending (A School Story) by Suzanne Selfor; Brave New World by Aldous Huxley; 1984 by George Orwell; Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury; The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood; Blood's Echo by Isabella Maldonado; A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess; Distortions by Ann Beattie; Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky; Lord of the Flies by William Golding; Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe; Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck; Dead Man Walking by Sister Helen Prejean; Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? graphic novel adaptation by Philip K. Dick, illustrated by Tony Parker; The October Country by Ray Bradbury; The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams; The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury; Dust to Dust by Chris Roberson and Robert Adler; The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury; Memorial by Chris Roberson and Rich Ellis; The Simpsons #245, Bongo Comics; War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells; A Frozen Heart by Elizabeth Rudnick; The Time Machine by H.G. Wells; The Gambler by Fyodor Dostoevsky; We Can Remember it for You Wholesale and other classic stories by Philip K. Dick; The Crow by James O'Barr; City of Dust by Steve Niles; Bradbury Speaks: Essays on the Past the Future, and Everything in Between by Ray Bradbury; The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupery; The Journey that Saved Curious George: The True Wartime Escape of Margret and H.A. Rey by Louise Borden and Allan Drummond; Dairy of an Awesome Friendly Kid: Rowley Jefferson's Journal by Jeff Kinney; Cirque du Freak: The Saga of Darren Shan 1-12 by Darren Shan; The Sculptor by Scott McCloud; Spider-Man: Goblin Moon: A Novel by Kurt Busiek and Nathan Archer; Monster High/Ever After High The Legend of Shadow High (Ever After High: Monster High) by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale; The Book Thief by Markus Zusak; Man on Wire by Philippe Petit; Art Objects: Essays on Ecstasy and Effrontery by Jeanette Winterson; Spider-Man: Life Story #1-6; The Stories of Ray Bradbury by Ray Bradbury; I, Robot by Isaac Asimov; The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman; Secret Coders by Gene Luen Yang and Mike Holmes; DC's Before Watchmen; Circus: Fantasy Under the Big Top edited by Ekaterina Seida;

What I should read: Any school assignments (grad school pending); Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters Vol. 38; Spider-Man: Blue; Spectacular Spider-Man #200 [I know I should read it; I just don't want to]

"Good books retain their flavor after a hundred readings," Chinese proverb

Update 2/15/2020: My senior project has been green lit! For my final English class as an undergrad, I'll be working on and submitting an original graphic novel. I spent January reading books by comic book theorist Scott McCloud (Understanding Comics, 1993). I'll be creating my own original story and designing original characters. As I'll be meeting with my professor throughout the semester, I'm looking to finalize the plot in February, work on a script and thumbnails in March, draw out the entire story in April, and submit it all plus a reflection piece in May. Because of this, I won't be on here often. I may jot down fanfics here and there, but nothing will be posted until the end of the semester. Wish me luck!

Update 3/5/2020: My synopsis for my story has been approved! I have drawn out and finalized three character designs along with their bios. Now begins the grueling work of WRITING a comic book script. If that doesn't kill me, I'm hoping to complete a rough draft by the middle of March and start thumbnail sketches. I would like to use April to just draw and draw and draw. Wish me luck!

Update 4/8/2020: When I originally put together and submitted my proposal, I said I wanted to do a graphic novel with a full script, character designs, thumbnails, the actual drawings, and a reflection piece. I also put if that wasn't possible I would like at minimum to submit a completed graphic novel script. That would include how I plan scenes and what exactly the characters will be doing if they were to go on the actual drawn out pages. With all that is happening, and with the end of the semester approaching in a month, that is the route I'll be taking. I'll be meeting with my professor weekly instead of every other week. I would like to complete the script, so I'll be writing and writing and writing. And, who knows, maybe I'll complete the graphic novel drawings another time? I'm just gonna push on through. Stay safe, everyone!

Update 5/8/20: Six pages. I had completed six pages of a script for my final. Writing only in script format has to be the hardest creative writing I had every done for my career as an undergrad. I couldn't rely on narration in the traditional prose manner. Because I was pressed for time, I chose to write a scene that contained the main conflict between two characters and the theme of the story. I also submitted a synopsis, the drawings, and a reflection piece. One perspective I gained from the project was a more understanding of scripts. I may write another story for fun. I posted the scene on my FictionPress account. Also, as we are slowly re-opening, remember to stay safe, everyone!

FictionPress . com account: RubinaLadybug

https://www.fictionpress.info/~rubinaladybug

AO3: RubinaLadybug

Update 7/4/20: I opened up an ArchieveofOurOwn account (AO3). It's under this name. It also has finished stories from my old account. I posted my completed work from this account to there as well. I will be updating or posting new stories later this month. Stay safe, everyone!

Update 8/21/20: I really did try writing and updating. I missed the four deadlines I set for myself. I'm having trouble writing, and anything that I wrote I'm not happy with. I will be using the remainder of the month to finish an old story from my old account and see if it can be done either by Aug 31 or Sept 1. Stay safe, everyone!

Update 9/25/20: It's really difficult to keep up your spirits in times likes these.