The Best of 2016

Well, there goes another year. 2016 was perhaps the craziest and most toxic 12 months in this decade for various reasons (namely all having to do with the US presidential election). However, there was still some legitimate fun to be had. Although I read less than I normally do, I read some absolutely wonderful books (and even started reading advanced reader copies thanks to a really good friend of mine). Even though pop music was kind of a dud in the mainstream, I still found some great stuff to listen to. And, to top it off, the anime I watched are definitely going to be cherished for some time (primarily regarding one character we'll talk about later). Also, Zootopia was amazing. It's easily one of the best Disney movies I have ever seen, and it included such a positive and inclusive message right when we needed it.

It wasn't even the material stuff that made my year. I made some new friends, was on stage for two plays at my school (one student-directed, one through the school's theatre, and another student-directed one to come in January), and have finally accepted my identity and am going to roll with it (I'M GAY! YAY!).

So why don't we get started and shine some positive light for 2017's sake? Here are the best things to come out of 2016.

Luke's Music Reviews #6: Beautiful Lies by Birdy

Have you ever thought something was effortless? Maybe it was a piece of art somebody drew or painted, maybe it was someone singing a solo at a choir concert, or maybe it was a video someone edited that looks amazing. You know that it took them ages to master what they do, but you still can't quite fathom how easy it looks. It may elicit jealousy, but, really, you're more amazed than envious because OMG THEY'RE SO AMAZING!

That was my reaction when I first caught wind of Birdy at 14. A girl who went to my junior high (and who also goes to my high school) sang her rendition of Bon Iver's "Skinny Love" at the talent show my 8th grade year while two dancers accompanied it, and I was blown away by it all. I had to find the original source, and when I did, I couldn't believe it. Birdy had first recorded that cover when she was only 14? She played piano on most of her material? She wrote her own songs, one that was even featured on The Hunger Games soundtrack? I had found my dream artist right here!

Later that spring I got the treat to listening to her second release and debut album of all original songs (aside from "Skinny Love" and another cover, "People Help the People", because if you didn't buy the first album, look, bonus goodies!), Fire Within, on iTunes Radio's First Play (back when that still existed), a week before it was supposed to be released in the US. I was blown away by the way she wrote love songs and by her absolutely beautiful voice that was delicate and strong. There were sad pieces, there were happy ones, and some not even focused on couples but rather on family and friends, and it pretty much made me happy for a while and inspired my songwriting. Of course, revisiting it later raised my appreciation for it, but I kept Birdy in the back of my mind to turn to whenever I needed to play Pandora. Her appearances in The Fault in Our Stars movie were met with praise by me in the meantime.

However, that all changed when, just as 2015 ended, a new single announcement came that I wasn't expecting. "Keeping Your Head Up" was officially released on the first day of the new year, and I was completely floored. Sure, the production was more pop-flavored and packed to the brim with explosive percussion, but it was still Birdy. Her voice had matured and was more powerful than ever, the piano came back with a vengeance, and there was something more distinctly uplifting with the lyrics that I had never heard before. It was a taste of what was to come, and I couldn't wait to see what would happen.

Fast forward a couple weeks later and we had an album announcement, two months later there was a sampler on Apple Music at the end of spring break (which I still think was the work of God itself), and a week later, the album was here and I listened to it all gleefully. Now that it's been out for half a year already, articulating my thoughts instead of earlier (whoops), what did I think of Beautiful Lies? Was it the worst of a deceitful lie, or was it straightforward and actually beautiful?

Happy One Year Anniversary

Well, here we are. It's been one year since I started The Writings of Luke Reynolds, and it's kind of hard to believe. The last part of 2015 and most of 2016 have flown by in the blink of an eye, and today, August 5th, is the day that I decided to shut down my normal swell of indecision and just write something other than novels. Although I've mostly done reviews for books, music, and anime, I've also tried to do things more random, such as a scathing post on how to make romance work well (most of which I still stand by, but there's one I'm a little more lenient on if you've been following my work outside of the main books I've been writing) and glimpses into how I crafted those novels that I appreciate so much. 21 posts have been published so far with this being the 22nd, and although most of those are from last year, it's still pretty incredible to see all of the things I've written for this blog. The books I've read, the shows I've watched, the music I've listened to, but, especially, all the thoughts that came with those that I normally scream about to myself and tell my brother I decided to write up here on this blog. It's been pretty surreal how I divided time between this and other stuff and to see this little thing grow. It's incredible that I've been doing this for a year, and I'm so happy I stuck with this and didn't give up.

Of course, there was that lull period where I struggled to write anything. Some of that is to be expected, of course: I'm still in school and have to deal with all the homework. I also have other things I write, including novels, fanfiction, songs, and the occasional sporadic poem. However, most of that can be attributed to a lack of inspiration. Everything piled on top of everything and I just felt drained to the point where I was scrolling through my phone or pacing around my basement with my thoughts in tangles. The reason I write this blog is to get my thoughts out there, but there were times where it felt more like a chore than something fun, which is something I never want to talk about with writing (although my personal stuff never feels that way, if I'm being completely honest). That's why I had to close the tab, write some more of a novel, do AP European History reading so I could prepare for the exam (which I passed, yay!), and just take a break from the computer and breathe.

However, I had an epiphany while writing my Kiznaiver review, which was an anime series that I really enjoyed. This came in two parts: the first that I realized more recently, the second which has been building for a while that is so close to falling off my tongue and being out in the open. I'd like to share both and discuss as to how they're going to help me as this blog continues.

Luke's Anime Reviews #3: Kiznaiver

Hype: we see it in all forms of media, mostly for movie commercials. The action, the glowing reviews, the moments that make you laugh: all of those are there to entice you into buying tickets and being part of that popcorn bucket lugging and red cushioned movie seat experience. It doesn't even matter if the movie got a 13% on Rotten Tomatoes because the corporation will just use the quote and put a positive spin on it.

However, there's another side to hype where things get extremely passionate: the fans. These are the ones that post glowing tweets, who are there from the first preview until the final credits roll and can't get enough, who talk nonstop about it to their friends and family and order them to get involved. It's basically just a way for more money to be spent (or for things to be streamed), but it really isn't for the fan's gain. They're only really spreading the love for something they enjoyed, and if the word gets out, that's all that matters to them.

In terms of anime, I don't think I've really seen as much pre-show hype for a show like I did for Kiznaiver. There was promotional videos with animation, voice actors talking about their characters, character clips, and even a pre-air episode that served as an introduction to the world, the staff, and had the voice actors jumping rope. I was immediately swept up in the colorful and gorgeous art that advertised a story of teenagers being forcibly bonded through their wounds against a backdrop of a futuristic city. I couldn't deny that it captivated me and practically drove my desire to watch this show. Add to that a promising cast, dynamic colors, and the prolific likes of Mari Okada (a writer most famous for her work on shows like Anohana and Black Butler), animation studio Trigger (Kill la Kill), and Yuki Hayashi (score for DRAMAtical Murder and Death Parade), and I was automatically signed up.

In the end, was Kiznaiver worth the hype? Or did it falter and disappoint?

The Story Behind The Popularity Games

The Popularity Games evolved a lot from its first incarnation. However, it was always going to be a mystery novel. I loved reading Nancy Drew and learning about true cases growing up, and I went through a detective phase where I would carry a magnifying glass around and search around the pine trees outside in the pitch dark back when I lived in a brown and orange house before it got flooded out when I was eight. It may have been short-lived (I only filled out two diary pages as a kid about imaginary cases and perhaps real ones in my life), but it's always stuck with me. I don't know if I've read a full-fledged mystery novel in a long time (This Is Where the World Ends may count),

However, my narrator wasn't always going to be a snarky redhead with a courageous drive to figure out who murdered the popular girl in school. Yes, the original TPG was about the death of #1 at a high school, but the original redhead wasn't going to be at all strong. In fact, she wasn't the only narrator. It also wasn't originally supposed to be humorous or even have some of the snappy dialogue that I've included in the final product of the first draft.

Do you wanna know what the original TPG was going to be about? My 13 year old self was proud about it, but the me of now? I kinda just want to cringe thinking about this.

Here we go. Brace yourselves *takes deep breath*. The Popularity Games was originally going to be about four high school girls: a rebellious tomboy who played football, Ann; a supermodel (that's all I got), Joana; the principal's secret daughter who was called in from overseas to investigate something, Riley; and the BFF to the most popular girl in school who was nasty yet had a soft side to her, Star (I think her real name was Stacey). Combine those four first-person point of views with an incredibly prestigious private school called Robin Crest (which was borrowed from something I tried to write in fifth grade that was more of a slice of life drama, Little Rock, which was also just as tacky; there was a girl named Falcon) and popularity being a literal game (probably my favorite part of the original concept), and we have our story, ladies and gentlemen. Think of it like Pretty Little Liars meets whatever thriller you can find, and presto! Instant classic!

Luke's Music Reviews #5: Dangerous Woman by Ariana Grande

Artists tend to evolve over the course of their careers. Whether it's just a natural development like growing up or a switching of record labels to state more of an independence, music styles could swiftly change and the singer, if they haven't had the chance before, could take a shot at writing some of their material.

One example of a person that shifted their career trajectory is Miley Cyrus, former Disney Channel darling who broke out of that mold (and out of the associated record company), chopped off all her hair and bleached it, and became associated with twerking and 'dancing with Molly' in the summer of 2013. It was an abrupt but not exactly unexpected swing, what with the more sexual imagery involved with her 2010 album Can't Be Tamed (which was pretty much just a typical Miley Cyrus album at the time, TBH) and the fact that Hannah Montana was ending, and with no hope of appearing on a future Disney show, it shouldn't be a surprise that something did happen. However, I was still shocked by these changes. I grew up watching and adoring Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus, and I guess I was still stuck in time or expecting that she would be the down to earth girl like Hilary Duff on Lizzie McGuire all those years ago. Besides, my 13 year old brain was baffled and confused by the idea of Miley Cyrus still being a role model for young girls when she was talking about doing drugs in the bathroom in "We Can't Stop" (which was fine until it was played to death at a camp I went to that summer; after that I wanted to scream every time I heard it).

Fast forward another two years, and Miley had established the non-profit organization The Happy Hippie Foundation (which sounds pretty cool, actually, although I'm not exactly sure what they do) and released a new album you could stream for free: Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz (yes, that is 'pets' with a 'z'). It was an experimental record that was panned by YouTube critics and baffled me from the little that I listened to on Soundcloud (although I have listened to almost all of "Dooo It!" and the entire "BB Talk", which will be eight minutes of my life that I unfortunately won't get back). While I understand the idea of Cyrus wanting to exert more creative control, that didn't help the album from being very uncomfortable to the bits I listened to and for me to cringe at the lyrics I read. It's a complete jump into the pool of debauchery, and while that might be fun for some people, I prefer my cereal without milk, thanks.

Let's step off the Miley train and start talking about the evolution of Ariana Grande instead. She first became popular on the Nickelodeon show Victorius as Cat (the redhead who progressively got dumber as the show went on) before skyrocketing onto Top 40 radio with her debut single "The Way" with Mac Miller (she had released her first debut single called "Put Your Hearts Up" in 2011, which she later scrapped because she felt it didn't represent the style she was going for and felt inauthentic). Her debut album Yours Truly was a pop-R&B crossover that was cutesy and fun but didn't really deviate much from its main template, even though her voice was easily one of the strongest points on the album (it was also a really consistent and strong record overall). Her next record that was released a year later, My Everything, showcased Grande hopping from genre to genre with the help of several different producers, including Zedd, Tommy Brown (who had produced some of the tracks on Grande's first album), and some of Sweden's hottest that have produced countless pop tracks: Max Martin and Ali Payami. Although that album wasn't nearly as cohesive in the production, Grande grew as a performer vocally and thematically, opting for more sensual material that really elevated her to the next level (plus, she had a couple more songs she co-wrote). Both records have their own strengths, and it's been really fun to re-listen to them in preparation for Dangerous Woman.

Originally titled Moonlight coupled with the lead-off single "Focus", the idea was scrapped ("Focus" wasn't included on any of the album editions except on Japan's deluxe) and Dangerous Woman came to life with the title song being the new first single. It was definitely an edgier style from Grande that I wasn't expecting, and it definitely made me more excited for the album to come, especially since it seemed she was taking one more step into making her material as mature as possible.

So how was Dangerous Woman? Was it the treat that I was expecting it to be? Or did it disappoint and made me view it as more of a trick?

Luke's Book Reviews #8: This Is Where the World Ends by Amy Zhang

Do you ever have those authors who wrote a first book that you absolutely loved, and because of that, you wait for their next title with bated breath? That happened to me with Amy Zhang's debut Falling into Place, a skillfully written novel about the most popular girl in school attempting to commit suicide following Newton's Three Laws of Motion. Not only was the novel published when Zhang was only 18 (*applause*), but I remember sitting on the couch back in December 2014 and reading the last 100 or so pages while holding back tears/squealing because I loved it so much. The book was written in an interesting fashion, utilizing the nonlinear style and an interesting narrator to tell the story from multiple points of view. Although the subject matter itself had been seen before, it was done in such a unique way that I couldn't help but find it a gem.

Due to my love for her debut, Zhang's second release was eagerly awaited by me, and although all it had was a title for nine months, I was excited nevertheless. When the cover came out, I was more excited than ever because a) LOOK AT THE PRETTY! and b) the synopsis sounded amazing. However, reviews for the ARCs started rolling in a couple months later, and a lot of people had mixed feelings about it. For one thing, they said that the synopsis actually had a huge spoiler in it (you might be able to guess it from the cover), and that although the writing was good, they didn't seem to like our characters and found them really unlikable. I was surprised by these reviews, most notably because I wasn't getting any particular predictable vibes from the novel, and the fact that Zhang had made Liz sympathetic in Falling into Place even though she could be incredibly cruel to her fellow classmates and even her friends. I had some mild hesitation going into this, but I still had high hopes, and once this came into the library on hold for me, I swooped it up and immediately dug in.

So, how was This Is Where the World Ends? Was it on the level of Amy Zhang's debut novel, or were there some pieces missing to make everything complete?

Luke's Anime Reviews #2: DRAMAtical Murder

DRAMAtical Murder is perhaps one of the most well known video games of this decade. Originally released in March 2012, this BL (abbreviation for boys' love) R-18 (not for the kiddos) visual novel catapulted to the tops of Tumblr blogs and wedged a way into the hearts of fangirls everywhere. Following a young man named Aoba Seragaki, players were put into his shoes as he tried to take down a utopian society. However, that wasn't what was on everyone's minds while they were playing it or watching walkthroughs on YouTube.

The choices that the player makes as Aoba in the game also influences which of four guys could be his lover for life. You have the token best friend character who's very protective, the seemingly cold and aloof guy, the adorable and upbeat guy who calls Aoba by a nickname, or the tough and actually cold older man who doesn't seem to care about anything. Besides trying to figure out the best way to take our villain down, Aoba will also kiss and have sex with all of the guys at some point during the routes while dreamy music plays in the background and pixelated penises appear on screen (because Japan censors genitalia due to a complicated reason I don't know). Depending on additional choices you make, you can also have a happy ending or a bad ending for each character, and then there's a hidden route where you can become lovers with Aoba's dog AllMate who's actually something more but I can't reveal spoilers, and then there's the sequel game where there's extended good endings, and then there's the drama CD's....

Yeah, it would be an understatement to say that DRAMAtical Murder took off. It shot up to the moon and back exponentially, so it came as absolutely no surprise when an anime adaptation was announced in the spring of 2014. I didn't watch it while it was airing, but I did get the series for Christmas after Sentai Filmworks licensed it (with a dub, much to my brother and friend's frustration) and released it on DVD. I've been wanting to see this for a while, and I was expecting something good.

What did I find in DRAMAtical Murder? Was it an entertaining and exciting show? Or did it end up running on empty?

Luke's Music Reviews #4: All I Need by Foxes

Foxes has easily become one of my favorite artists of all time. I can't keep track of how many times I've listened to Glorious ever since I came back to it last summer, and I've been waiting for this album with bated breath ever since Foxes unveiled the tracklist in July. I couldn't believe that just when I became attached to an artist, they had new music coming that I could be excited about.

When Foxes said that All I Need would be more personal, I was intrigued. Most of Foxes' songs come across as mystical and otherworldly while still having that raw edge, so having her stripping back the cover even more was definitely an experiment worth waiting for, Three singles and four pre-order instant grants were released before February 5th, so much of the album's sound had already been established beforehand. I was in love with pretty much everything, the only worry I had being that the toxic relationship material would become way too repetitive, especially since most of the songs were shaping up to be in that vein.

However, the instrumental choices were still wonderful, and Foxes' writing and vocals were amazing, so I had incredibly high hopes going into this record. Were those met?

The Best of 2015

Another year, another chapter of the book of life completed. Although there were some awful events that occurred (all the mass shootings, the aftereffects of Leelah Alcorn's suicide, the tsunamis and earthquakes that occurred around the world), there were still great moments, and a big one was the legalization of same sex marriage in the United States. I don't know about you, but in my opinion, 2015 was a fantastic year, one full of happy and sad moments, finding identity, of reading/listening to music/watching anime that made me emotional, but most importantly, of just finally gaining some of the confidence needed to stay true to myself.

This post is going to highlight some of the greatest things to come out of anime, books, and music this year. All of these things are held on very high pedestals in my brain, and they'll definitely be remembered for their excellence for years to come. We might as well get started, shall we?