February Favourites

Hello there, sweet buns!

As you can already tell, this is my first ever monthly favourites post on this blog. I decided to start this series because I've nothing better to do. Okay, maybe not, but mainly its because I want to share some of the things I loved over the month(s) with other people. A word of warning: this may not be a regular thing - I might make it into a bi-monthly thing if I get busy/lazy.

But nevertheless, I'd love to see how this turns out in the future posts. I predict most of the things I'll be posting in my favourites will consist of mostly books, anime, games, some makeup products and more books. I'm a nerd, let's face it. 

Anyways, let's get the ball rollin'.

~~~

Books

The Whisperer by Donato Carrisi

I haven't read a book - a legit paperback book - for quite a while now, since I've been hooked onto fanfictions for the past couple of years or so. So I recently went to the library (library@orchard to be exact) and brought back some new books to try.

This is my first time trying thriller and I must say, I do not regret picking this book. Despite the never ending cliffhangers at the end of each chapter and the spooky chills when reading at night, its the best book I've read in a long time.

Carrisi did a wonderful job writing this book. It really gripped me from start till the end and there's no putting the book down. An amazing yet terrifying first leap into the thriller genre. Trust me: the plot in this story is hella good. A word of advice: if you're not a keen fan of murder stories and creepy psychopaths, you might wanna brace yourself for this. Especially if you're reading this at night, alone in your bed.

Games
League of Legends

Highlight of my February has to League of Legends. The amount of time I spent playing this game this month is ludicrous. It is safe to say I'm addicted to this game. I remember I promised myself to commit my time into playing Dragon Nest - which is a MMORPG that I actively played for the past 2 years - and I clearly remember saying that I will never be addicted to LoL. And here I am, playing my favourite champion Ashe every afternoon till night. What surprises life brings.

Makeup, Fashion & Beauty
Body chains

I'm not much of an accessorizer but recent;y, I've been wearing more jewelry. And I find it compliments my style very well because I tend to wear solid colour blocks and it tends to be a little too plain, so I pair my outfits with some jewelry. either a statement piece or the accessory piece I've been obsessed with recently: body chains.

I don't know how to emphasize the brilliance of this simple accessory. Its not a very striking piece but it covers most of your top outfit and makes it look more stylish than it originally is without bringing too much attention to it. I don't think I'm making sense.

You have your own taste about fashion - I believe everybody has their own unique styles. I love body chains right now because its a simple piece that adds a little more edge into a boring outfit. Love it!

EOS lip balms

Recently, my lips have been severely dry and I have no idea why. It could probably be the sudden change in the weather or the fact that I'm not drinking enough water. So what I've been using to help my parched lips is EOS lip balm, which are pretty popular. I found that they're really helpful - my lips stayed moist for more than 5 hours straight and for an entire day, I only had to reapply once or twice.

I wouldn't say that it healed my dry lips - I would need a formula that is much stronger - but it did its job in making sure my lips stay moist for most of the day.

Places
Books Actually

I recently have been visiting a lot of places with tons of books (libraries and bookstores, to be precise) and I've found an obsession for books, which actually makes me a bibliophile. Anyways, I have always wanted to visit this bookstore ever since I heard about it, and I finally found the chance. 

When you enter, you can feel the uniqueness of the bookstore. Its got this hippie independent feel and its filled with books you wouldn't normally find in an average bookstore. There's mostly books written by local writers and vintage items too. But guess what? I got those two bad boys for just $10! 

My best friend and I ventured further inside, behind the cashier, where they had some vintage gifts displayed and then that's where I found it: Secondhand Books selling at $5 each. I literally was squealing in delight at the entire bookshelf to these books, which were mostly in rather good condition. There were a lot of types of books but I chose these two because I have an insatiable curiosity and love for greek stuff and medieval fiction. 

If you're around the area, go visit this bookstore. If nothing fancies you in the main store, go to the back and maybe you'll find a precious gem among those dust bunnies.

~~~

That is the end of my February Favourites. Thank you for reading till the end. I owe you a cookie.
Till the next one, take care.

Izzie xo

My Top 10 Dramione Fan Fictions

Hey there! 

So the other day, I had a great conversation with a friend who was a huge Harry Potter fan, like me, only that she was a legit Potterhead because she read the books (and I haven't). But I introduced her some fanfictions that I was reading, which were mostly Dramione (Draco x Hermione) because that's my favourite heterosexual ship in the HP series.

As most would already know, or not know, I have been reading fanfictions for a reeeeaally long time - no joke, its 7 years now - and I've written some too. But recently, for the past year, I've been hooked onto Dramione fanfictions thanks to some pictures I stumbled upon on Tumblr (no surprise there) and got me thinking about all the possibilities with this pairing. Of course, I ship other pairings too, but nothing compares my love to this one.

So, anyways, we bonded over good talk and promised her that I'd compile all my fave Dramione fanfictions that I'd recommend to her soon, which took me quite a while, but it is here! 

Here are my top 10 Dramione fanfictions!

~~~

1) Crimson with a Silver Lining by Lady Cailan (M)

grangerenchanted.com

77 chapters
Genre: Tragedy/Romance
Summary: It is six years since the fall of the Ministry to Voldemort. Those other than purebloods are deemed less than human. When Ginny's daughter ends up in grave danger, Hermione sells herself to the Death Eaters to save her life. Not fluffy.
Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7168800/1/Crimson-with-a-Silver-Lining

This is one of the best fan fictions I have ever read in my life, by far. It is a hefty read, to be really frank (I mean, 77 chapters?!) but every single chapter is worth every minute. It is so brilliantly written - the plot is deep and intricate, and you can clearly tell that the author, Lady Cailan, has put in a lot of effort in the characterization as well as plot depth. 

I must admit, I hesitated reading this story because of the warning in the first chapter, which states that this story is extremely dark and it has character death, etc. And at that point of time, I have only been reading happy and fluffy stories with maximum of 40 chapters, but eventually, I did it. And I did not regret it. Basically, its a risky commitment - to immerse in the dark alternate universe and character death - but its a great read as well to go through the entire journey, just like any other good novel out there. Props to Lady Cailan for this amazing work.

2) Broken by inadaze22 (M)

goodreads.com

36 chapters
Genre: Angst/Romance
Summary: He felt something close to pity for the woman in front of him. And while that disturbed Draco to no end, what really disgusted him most of all was the harrowing fact that someone or something had broken Hermione Granger's spirit beyond recognition.
Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4172243/1/Broken
Video trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNPhVbOUE2g

I cannot stress how much I love love love this genius piece of work. I loved every single minute reading this but I do have to admit that I was constantly in stress when reading, like I did in 'Crimson with a Silver Lining' - although 'Broken' wasn't that stressful.

Why I love this masterpiece? From the first paragraph of the first chapter of this story, I was hooked. Right from the start, the problem of the story was introduced and set in such a clear and vivid way and I was itching to know what exactly happened that made the situation so terrible at that point. But what I love the most is bit by bit, chapter by chapter, a little secret comes out and leaves me clinging for more, and while all that happens, Draco's and Hermione's relationship blossoms so beautifully - its just breathtaking.

One particular note that is pretty weird but I love about this novel is the fact that it turns the tables around - the 'Slytherins' are on the good side and the 'Gryffindors' are just plain nasty. So if you aren't into the whole shaming of the Gryffindors, you might not favour this story, but its such a fresh perspective of how things could have been if the situations were reversed. All in all, a great novel and I'll be rereading this work of art a million times.

3) The Fool, the Emperor and the Hanged Man by ianthe_waiting (MA/NC17)

goodreads.com

29 chapters
Genre: Suspense/Romance/Angst
Summary: Ten years after the fall of the Dark Lord, Hermione Granger leads a life of self-imposed obscurity, that is, until the day Headmistress McGonagall is murdered and a certain 'hero' is responsible.
Link: http://grangerenchanted.com/enchant/viewstory.php?sid=1364
(this story is on many websites but you need to be a registered member, just google the title and the author and you can choose whichever websites but I used grangerenchanted)
Video trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DErAdw-NdRI

Just like the first one, this piece of work is intricately designed and beautifully written. It is pretty dark and angst though, I must say, and from the summary aforementioned, there's a lot of bad-shaming on this particular 'hero'.

A small teeny tiny spoiler, if you have been reading fanfictions with the use of Time-Turners, this one will boggle your mind - a lot. I love it when authors incorporate the use of this magical device in their stories and when the plot flows smoothly, you know they did their research and hard work on planning it all out. This one in particular, raises the bar even higher than I thought possible for fanfic writers, I can't say why because I don't want to spoil you too much. But I would say that the Time-Turner is a very essential part of this beautiful story.

The writer has designed the plot so intricately and the development of the characters and their relationships are equally beautiful. I love this story to bits, but I must say I hated some parts because it was so unexpected and I didn't like it, but eventually I did see the reason behind why it was written in that way. I love it. Need I say more?

4) We Learned The Sea by luckei1 (M)

tumblr.net

37 chapters
Genre: Drama/Romance
Summary: Draco Malfoy turns himself in after a very successful career as a Death Eater, then enlists Harry and Hermione to help him in a scheme to bring down the Dark Lord. A story of forgiveness.
Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3144908/1/We-Learned-the-Sea
Video trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3flOEAsAJww

Now this story is brilliant and wonderful because when you read the first chapter, you wouldn't expect the ending to be the way it is. Basically, this piece has many surprises waiting in store. 

What I love about this story too, is that Hermione still has her feisty attitude towards Draco from the beginning. Most Dramione fanfictions that I've read - that are post-Hogwarts - usually have Hermione naturally forgiving, or feisty just simply of pure childhood hatred. But in this story, there was a particular incident that made Hermione hate him even more.

But of course, like every other Dramione fan novel, Hermione soon learns to accept the feelings she bears for the man she utterly hates. This story warms my heart a lot because, as stated above, it is a story of forgiveness. :')

5) Heavy Lies the Crown by luckei1 (M)

dramionefanfiction.tumblr.com

36 chapters
Genre: Mystery/Romance
Summary: For seven years, Draco has carried the weight of the world on his shoulders, and just when he thinks he'll be released, something happens that will make him seek help from the last person he could have imagined.
Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4797492/1/Heavy-Lies-the-Crown
Video trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8k-G8XA6PrM

Now, this one isn't fancy schmancy like the previous ones. Its the basic Malfoy-turns-to-light agenda but then father-malfoy-tries-to-ruin-his-chances kinda story. This story has the same plot pattern like the ones above, in a way that right from the start, there are some secrets that are hidden and it hooks you right in to know why they're keeping it a secret. 

And along the way, a huge problem is brewing and its up to Draco to save the day, and the love of his life. Basically, who doesn't love a resenting Malfoy who tries to fight for what is right? 

And who doesn't love a Malfoy who fights for the woman he loves, am I right?

6) A Wonderful Caricature of Intimacy by Countess of Abe (M)

miagainstheworld.wordpress.com

25 chapters
Genre: Romance/Drama
Summary: Draco loves his son more than anything in the world. So, when his ex-wife plans to take his son away, Draco asks the most unlikely person for help. Hermione must decide whether changing her entire life is worth helping the man she hates unconditionally.
Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3878384/1/A-Wonderful-Caricature-of-Intimacy
Video trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zb2ibx-qdFE

I absolutely fell in love with this masterpiece. I've read this two times already and I enjoyed every bit of it. First, spoiler alert, Hermione is in a profession that is similar to mine which I can relate to easily and if I weren't, I'd actually respect her choice of field. 

As stated in the summary, yes, Draco was married and now divorced, and yes, he has a son. And trust me when I say, spoiler alert, he is a wonderful, awesome father, and you will know why he is in the middle of the story. 

This is really fun to read because Hermione and Draco still bore their childhood hatred against each other, after all these years, and there were other kinds of comic relief as well in between. Then again, it is a heart-warming read to experience how their feelings evolve into love and care for each other, despite their insistent denial. Its a cute story, who wouldn't not read it?

7) Questions of Science by Countess of Abe (M)

tumblr.com

18 chapters
Genre: Romance
Summary: Hermione is living a content life working at St. Mungo's when an unexpected assignment from the chief of medicine sends her to the home of Draco Malfoy. What will happen to the pragmatic brunette as she explores what science cannot answer?
Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3551218/1/Questions-of-Science

Okay, first, the above picture is not the fanfiction cover art, it is just a simple edit of Dramione I found on tumblr, which I thought suited the story very much. Second, would you agree with me that intelligent Hermione, who loves to prove every phenomenon with a science theory or fact, is kind of a turn on? Even for a girl?

I adored her when she always proves everything right and wrong with her knowledge, and I still do. And this fanfiction did that justice. Spoiler alert, Hermione is a Healer (I'm sure you must've figured that out by now) and that is my favourite post-Hogwarts Hermione character.

Alright, moving on, this story is utterly beautiful because Hermione has to commit to take care and treat of a person who Draco cares for (if you figured out who, a cookie for you!). Honestly, this is a very simple read. Nothing to dramatic like the first few. Its simple yet such a sweet and moving story. Like every Dramione fanfiction, they encounter multiple obstacles once they realized their feelings for each other, and that's what we're here for - to see how they conquer each challenge so that they can be together in the end.

In short, its a simple, short, sweet and snuggly read, for you 'fluff' seekers out there.

8) Redemption by anondracomalfoy (M)

tumblr.com

23 chapters
Genre: Romance/Mystery
Summary: Hermione works at St. Mungo's and the fourth floor has recently made a discovery and inadvertently retrieved her biggest regret - her lost and seemingly Obliviated husband, Draco Malfoy. Draco is forced to return to her, and strange things begin to occur.
Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7580458/1/Redemption

Now, don't you agree that the summary already entices you into the story? It did when I first found this story, and trust me when I say I got hooked right at the first chapter. I was constantly wondering why did Hermione obliviate Draco, who is apparently her husband? What made her do that? Did they have a fight? Did something happen that she doesn't want Draco to know?

Eventually, Draco will regain his memory piece by piece and it is a very heart-warming and lovely story of Draco and Hermione. Of course, it is a painful read from the start, especially if you have always been reading Dramione fanfics which usually starts off cute and awkward. But this one, it was a bitch slap in the face and you can't help but sympathize for Hermione, as well as Draco.

Oops that's a spoiler already. Go read and get hooked!

9) Isolation by Bex-chan (M)

meldmagazine.com.au

48 chapters

Genre: Romance/Angst
Summary: Post HBP. Ron and Harry are Horcrux hunting and Hermione has been left at Hogwarts to help the Order make it safe for the other students. Draco is forced by Snape to stay in Hogwarts for his own protection, but he can't leave the room he is given; Granger's room. Hermione is the only student trusted with this information, so her and Malfoy share the small space, and Draco tries to avoid insanity as he becomes increasingly isolated with only the Mudblood for company. Something's going to give...
(Mature content and themes, and explicit language)
Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6291747/1/Isolation
Video trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8fkjo580JE

This is one of my favourites to read. Its definitely the typical trap-Hermione-and-Draco-in-a-room-and-they-will-fall-in-love-with-each-other kinda story but its exciting because both Hermione and Draco still hate each other, despite their situations.

But what I love the most of this story, and most others who've read this would agree, is this particular part (this is not exactly a spoiler because it is part of the summary not stated above): 
"There," she spat. "Now your Blood's filthy too!" 
It is every Hermione Granger fan to see her stand up to the Malfoy heir and trust me, you will love her in this story. Draco too, but he has issues (like all other stories, not surprised there). So it is pretty evident the Slytherin prince and Gryffindor princess clash so bad, don't you wonder how they worked out in the end?

10) The Boy in the Hammock by galfoy (M)

graphicsgallery.deviantart.com

18 chapters
Genre: Romance/Adventures
Summary: Hermione tugged at the string holding the hood onto the boy's head, gingerly pulling the fabric back to reveal his face. Lying before her, barely recognizable beyond the swelling and the blood, but still very much himself, was Draco Malfoy.
Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7232564/1/The-Boy-in-the-Hammock

This was a sweet yet dark one because it is still during the war, so you get the adrenaline rush right from the start. This story is pretty much the typical trap-Hermione-and-Draco-in-a-room-and-they-will-fall-in-love-with-each-other kinda story but with a twist, which I won't say. Of course there are many typical stories with twists in them but this one gave me a lot of fluffies and heart-warming feels that I had to mention it in my top 10.

I must add that this is one of my go-to stories that I would read when I have the urge to read some fluff, but not too fluff - a good balance between the bitter and the sweet. 

~~~

And those are my top 10 Dramione fanfictions. I hope it gave you the inspiration of what to read next. Maybe you are not a fan of fanfictions or maybe you just don't ship Dramione. Give any of these a go. I promise you, it will change your life (for the better, of course). 

Thank you for reading, and have a wonderful day ahead.

Mischief managed,
Izzie xo

Start of a new chapter

Yesterday, on February 2nd, was the last day of my life as a polytechnic student. 

Right after my final presentation was done, the moment I stepped out of the conference room, I could feel an immense weight lift off my shoulders. I could breathe normally.

Today, February 3rd, I could feel the change, tremendously. 

When I woke up in the late morning, the sun rays momentarily blinding me, the day's long agonizing to-do list that usually automatically pops up in my head is gone. It didn't pop up. And it won't be appearing for a really long time. To know that there aren't any deadlines to be met, no assignments or presentations to prepare for, it was truly a deep breath of fresh air.

Of course, I didn't want to do nothing during these 4 months of break to graduation day.

I've planned quite a number of things to do during this break.

One is to travel. Travel with friends. Travel with family. Travel alone, perhaps. Even travelling to the park nearby for a leisurely stroll. Travelling is one thing I've always loved to do but anxiety can be a pain in the ass. One minute I'd be stoked to go to the neighbourhood library or just to take a relaxing walk outside, and the next I'd lose motivation to just step out of the house. I'd think of a lot of whatifs and suddenly I'll be lazing around bed, reading my fanfiction story on my Kindle. Easily, I'd call myself a pussy twat for not having enough courage to face the outside world. It may be anxiety, it may be confidence, it may even be both at once. But I know that I can overpower this thing that's been bothering my motivations. 

Second is to write. Pour my heart and soul out on paper and pen. Whether be it a short story, a fanfiction, a blog post, a fiction novel, a personal recount, whatever, I want to write more. Like a teacher once said to me, "Just let your pen flow." This has always been the driving factor when I write essays or stories. Even if whatever I write turns out to be bullshit. I'd let all that nonsense flow and usually, I'd tweak it here and there and add a little bit more spice and an original idea would be born. I want to write more things, wackier, magical, mystical, majestic things. I've quite a few ideas noted down so stay tuned to this blog for more.

Third is to blog. I know it sounds weird and so attention-seeking. But honestly, I have no idea who reads all these posts, unless if people tell me so. And frankly, I don't really care about who reads them. This blog page is where I can let all my thoughts and feelings and memories and wild ideas out for whoever that wants to read it. So if you don't like what I'm writing, you're welcomed to click that big red X at the top right hand corner. But if you do like my writing, whether if its my fictional stories or my personal blog posts, then thank you for reading and appreciating what I've put here. Writing my thoughts and feelings down on a blog really helped to clear my mind, soul and heart when I need to. Like now, where I'm promising myself of the future activities in the next 3 months. Hopefully, I will be able to inspire other people as well, through the personal or fiction stories.

And the last is to learn and love myself. I am guilty of neglecting me the past... oh I don't know, two years perhaps? All I know, it has been a long time. I haven't understood what has happened to me in the past couple of years and I never made the effort to. Usually when I found a problem with myself, I'd make no fret about it and just push it aside. And it has been the same for every single problem I face in my life, and it has been bad for me. I am utterly confused with my feelings and my thoughts and everything about me, and its sad because who knows me better than me? I've neglected myself for way too long and I'm set on slowly understanding every inch and scar of myself, and eventually to love myself for every flaw that I have. I know all of my flaws and I acknowledge them. I have accepted them for who I am but to love me with all these flaws, when I'm quite the perfectionist? That would take some work to do. And I have all the time to do so these next few months.

Now that I've set the content page outline for the next few chapters in my 2015 year, it is time for me to start working on the plot of the story. Let's see how this story evolves, because honestly, I have little control in whatever that's been written for my life and future. 

Till the next blog post, take care.

Izzie x