THE GUN SELLER -- POPSUGAR READING CHALLENGE #3

Image from Goodreads

Okay, when I saw Hugh Laurie wrote a book, I was with the bandwagon that said, "Dr. House wrote a book! I'm down!"

So I knew that he was a musician as well. Those moments on House where he played the piano were real. So I was happy to choose his book for  Pop Sugar Challenge #3: A book written by a musician (fiction or nonfiction).

It started out swimmingly with a snarky but nice guy Thomas Lang. It ended up with what felt like a thousand characters and lots of political intrigue.

I got a bit lost on who was a good guy and who was a bad guy.

The book was okay, and I'm glad I read it. I wish I had enjoyed it more.

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Zechs Merquise, Killua Zoldyck #atozchallenge

Zechs Merquise is the mysterious and gentlemanly OZ Gundam pilot. His past is hidden like his face behind a mask. He is one of the leaders of Oz in Gundam Wing.

He faces one of the five young Gundam pilots from the spaces colonies in combat, dueling him in the Arctic because their battle was interrupted.

He was once the crown prince of the Sanc Kingdom (say-nkt) whose family and kingdom was destroyed by the United Earth Sphere Alliance. Millardo Peacecraft died and Zechs was born.

He turns back on OZ when his sister Relana becomes a player in politics to end OZ's tyranny.

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Killua Zoldyck is Gon's best friend in the Anime Hunter X Hunter.  He is also the shining star of the Zoldyck family of assassins. Seeing him for the first time, one wouldn't think so since he acts just like a normal teen. He calmly rides his skateboard as he initiates a conversation with Gon during the first test of the Hunter's Exam. Although there are a few subtle hints that he is more than he appears before the exam.

His parents have high hopes for him to become the next leader despite having older siblings.

This is a family that is beyond dysfunctional.  Torture as punishment (I mean whips and chains and other various devices) is like grounding for them. His father finally lets him return to his friends, knowing that letting him go would return him to the fold eventually.

Killua has no qualms about ripping hearts out of people when he's in a bad mood.

He changes when he meets Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio. He becomes stronger and softens at the same time. His loyalty to them puts him in harms way more than once.

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Yusuke Urameshi #atozchallenge

To die to save a life can be noble especially if the person doing the saving is an unrepentant street fighter and slacker with a cruddy home life.  This is what happens to Yusuke Urameshi in Yu Yu Hakusho.

He found out that the boy he tried to save would have survived without his interference so his death was basically in vain as Botan tells him. She then goes to explain that he could come back to life since his death was unexpected although the conditions to return were strict.

After his return, he becomes a Spirit Detective for Koemna.

Yusuke's smart-mouth, delinquency, intimidation, fighting, and huge chip on his shoulder all conceal that he is a kind individual that loves his friends deeply.

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And because this is the one of the final A to Z posts, here's a bit of trivia: the writer Togashi Yoshihiro is also the writer of Hunter X Hunter. He is also married to the writer of Sailor Moon Takeuchi Naoko.

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Vegeta #atozchallenge

And we are back to the dulcet tones of grunting and yelling as warriors power up in another edition of Dragon Ball Z.  This time is the enemy turned Z Warrior, Vegeta, prince of all saiyans. (Of course, Frieza destroyed the saiyan planet and all the saiyans are dead except for Goku and Vegeta, but really does that matter to royalty.

Vegeta is as arrogant as the mountains under the ocean are high and an ego as long as the distance between the moon and sun. He thinks he's the best of the best because he is prince.  He doesn't understand how Goku can be more powerful.

Vegeta comes to Earth to take it over and sell it, which gets all the Z warriors involved.  After the epic showdown between Goku and Vegeta, Goku lets him go despite Krilin's warning to kill him.  Goku proves that he is right when Vegeta helps them on Namek later.

His quest to beat Goku becomes one of the long running threads in the series. It goes from pride's sake to one where he wants to push himself farther.

He returns to Earth, still cold and snotty and ruthless.  He slowly mellows as time goes by. He even becomes a family man. A hardened warrior going to an amusement park with his son. Yeah, not something I pictured either but it happens.

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Sesshomaru, Sebastian Michaelis, Shiroe #atozchallenge

Okay, he will be the odd man of the bunch today.  His name is Shiore. Before the Apocalypse, he was a graduate student in university studying engineering.  After the Apocalypse, he became the driving force of the Round Table Alliance, the breaking of exploitative guilds, and forming the new guild of Log Horizon.

His name is Shiroe. He is Half-Alv with the class of Enchanter-Scribe, which allows him to help his party members with his magic.  His Scribe class does something even greater in the series - a world changing something.

There are many monikers he is known by, but my favorite is the 'Villain in Glasses'. It is untrue though. He may come across as a Machiavellian schemer but he really only wants to make the lives of the Adventurers stuck in the world of Elder Tales better.

He was the strategist in the Debauchery Tea Party before their disbandment.  He becomes the 'shadow' leader of the Round Table. But he lets Krusty be the front man while making decisions and strategic maneuvers from behind.

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Shesshomaru the full dog demon of the Anime Inuyasha and half brother of the main character of the same name.  He is the Lord of the West another the death of his father.  He despises weakness and most humans.  He carries a katana that has the ability to save a hundred people with one swipe. The Tenseiga is deemed useless by him because it cannot strike down a living person. He craves the sword Tetsusaiga, which was given to Inuyasha.

In one battle, he gets injured by Inuyasha and a little girl finds him and tries to take are of him. He finds her dead, but uses the Tenseiga to revive the girl. This is the first time Sesshomaru feels the compassion needed to use the sword. Rin becomes his traveling companion along with Jaken and Ah-Un the two-headed dragon.

He becomes sort of allies with the Inuyasha and company to fight the evil half-demon Naraku.

He even surpasses his father's power by creating a sword and regenerating his arm, which Inuyasha severed, as the show progresses.

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Sebastian Michaelis is one hell of a butler in the Anime Black Butler. He is contracted to Ciel until such time that the contract is fulfilled and Sebastian eats Ciel's soul.

The crow demon protects his charge from those that want to hurt him, which is a tough assignment indeed. The life of Ciel is complicated to say the least. He works for the Queen to solve mysteries and crimes as he searches for the the people who murdered his parents.

He is extremely fond of cats and hates dogs.  So when Pluto becomes a mender of the household, he cringes and is disdainful.

He also suffers the misfit characters that run the household. One has a penchant for blowing up the kitchen, one can't see past the end of her nose, and the last tries to kill the gardens on a daily basis.  Only they were not recruited for their household skills.  They had other 'talents' Sebastian required.

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Ryuk, Roy Mustang #atozchallenge

What can I say about my next favorite character? He's not human. He's extremely bored. He has skulls everywhere.  He's a type of god. Um, oh and he will take your life when it's time, but will never go to Heaven or Hell because you've written down names in a notebook.

If that's not a huge clue, right?  He is Ryuk. The Shinigami catalyst of Death Note.  He drops the Death Note into the human world to kill the boredom. He enjoys every minute on Earth, especially the apples.  Withdrawal symptoms of his apple addiction causes him to twist into a pretzel shape.

He and Light get along as well as can be expected for a serial killer genius and snide death god.

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Roy Mustang is my second character. He is a Colonel in the Amestrian State Military as well as a State Alchemist.  He is the Flame Alchemist and can produce different types of fire with the gloves decorated with transmutation circles on his hands.

He is the one to get revenge for Maes' death by burning alive the homunculus that killed him.  To say you have to be powerful to do this is an extreme understatement.

He comes across as a ladies man and a procrastinating slacker who is also power hungry, but that is a facade for his true character. He uses his power to protect those that cannot protect themselves.

His time in the Ishval war haunts him.

Edward is his direct subordinate and they both have a mutual respect for each other while having a rocky relationship.  

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Piccolo, Sailor Pluto #atozchallenge

Green-skinned and with a chip on his shoulder the size of Everest, my next character is an alien from the planet Namek.  His name is Piccolo. He is the 'son' of King Piccolo from the original series. (Trust me, you do not want to know how Namekians procreate.)

He and Goku have an epic battle at the end of Dragon Ball and then meet again five years later in Dragon Ball Z.  Despite the grudge he has, he is will become a reluctant ally against the new enemy, the Saiyans (say-yans) that shows up on Earth with Goku.

Eventually, he becomes one with Kami, the Guardian of Earth. Kami split the evil part of him out of his body, which became King Piccolo. This happens when an even deadlier foe is revealed after the Saiyans.

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Sailor Pluto is called the 'Lonely Warrior' because she is alone and without companionship most of the time. She must guard the Space Time Door from invaders. Most of them don't even know she exists.

She is the sixth Sailor to be introduced in the Anime Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon.  She is one of the Outer Senshi (sehn-shee, fighter, guardian warrior). Her coloring and powers are associated with the god Pluto.

Her father, it's said in the manga, is the God (not Titan) Cronos.

Her weapon is the Garnet Rod, which holds one of the talismans that can summon Sailor Saturn.

Her Earth name is Setsuna Meiou. 

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Kyoya Ohtori, Obi, Olivier Armstrong #atozchallenge

She takes command like no other. She is fierce and will not give up. She leads her fort with a do or die attitude that takes no crap from anyone.

She cannot forgive weakness and has no respect for those that give up too easily. She is the Fort Briggs commanding officer Olivier Mira Armstrong from the Anime Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood.

Olivier (o-liv-ee-ay) meets the Elric brothers and doesn't like them but when the homunculus Sloth breaks into her fort, they help her defeat him.

She and Izumi Curtis are both feared and respected by the brothers.

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Obi is the the mysterious character from Snow White with Red Hair. He worked for one of the nobles of the court that did not like Shirayuki's friendship with Prince Zen.  He ends up becoming her bodyguard and friend.

His past is fogged in mystery, but the visible scars tell that it wasn't a
pretty one.  He is quick and agile, and his personality, though lighthearted most of the time, hints that he is dangerous.

As the show progresses more of his personality comes out as he lets his guard down and befriends those around him.

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My last character from today is from Ouran High School Host Club.

Imagine being the only poor person on scholarship at an ultra-elite school catering to the rich. This is what Haruhi has to face. She ends up in Music Room 3 where all she wants is a quiet place to study, but she ends up breaking an 8,000,000 yen vase.

Haruhi 

And in comes our Shadow King himself, Ohtori Kyoya, to tell her she must pay the Host Club back by becoming a host.  He is the first to realize that Haruhi is a girl and not a boy.

He is the quiet, behind the scenes kind of guy that can manipulate things his way with the best of them in the reverse harem comedy.

Tamaki calls him "Mommy" in his dramatic way when the twins flirt with Haruhi or if something doesn't go his way.  In response, Kyoya (kyo-yah) will call him "Daddy" through gritted teeth.

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Kirito, Kurama, Koro-sensei #atozchallenge

The Black Swordsman. Beater. Kirigaya Kazuto. These are all the names of the Sword Art Online's main character, Kirito. He is a loner and computer nerd who isolated himself from his family.

He enters the game on that fateful day with only playing the game again on his mind.
He was one of the lucky beta testers before the release of the game.

When they find the first boss, he is accused of being a beta tester and a cheater. He takes on the accusation with a snide comment of he was better than a beta tester. Thus, the epithet beater was established. He took on the role with a mind to protect the other beta testers stuck in the game.

He becomes one of the only solo players to be on the Assault Team, which are the elite players that take on the dungeons and boss rooms.

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Yoko Kurama, a fox thief who hid in the human world by merging with a human baby became the character of Kurama in the Anime series Yu Yu Hakusho.

We first meet Kurama (kuh-rah-mah) as an antagonist in the show who steals artifacts from Spirit World with two other demons, Goki and Hiei (he-ay) (He's another freaking amazing character that didn't make my awesome character list cut but he was close!). Yusuke is sent after them. to get the objects back and to send them back to Spirit World.

Later, Kurama and Hiei become friends with Yusuke and Kuwabara after fighting in the Dark Tournament as teammates. He is the tactician of the group with the quick wit and cunning of his demon spirit.

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Koro-sensei is the quintessential over-the-top character. He can go Mach 20, he loves junk food, he has a weakness for naughty magazines, and, oh of course, how could I almost forget to mention that he wants his classroom students to kill him before he destroys the world at the end of the school year.

This is the basis of the story for Assassination Classroom.  It is a highly comedic and dramatic story that will rip your heart to shreds at the end (trust me, I was ugly crying at the end of second season. And I do mean UGLY CRYING).

This non-alien creature (Yep, you read that right. He is not from outer space.) wants to teach the class of misfits. The government agrees because that way they know where he is at most times.  He is a brilliant and caring character. 

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Jin #atozchallenge

Jin is the ronin samurai from the main trio in Samurai Champloo.  This Anime takes place in the fictional setting in Edo Period or the Tokogawa Era is a mix of hip hop and chanbara film style.

Jin (jean) is the eldest and the calmest of the three. He and Mugen end up battling each other when they first meet. They get arrested and were going to be executed, but Fuu steps in and saves them.

As they are in debt to her they both become her bodyguards as she searches for "the samurai that smells of sunflowers".  They are bound by a promise not to fight each other until their task is complete.

He is quiet and traditional and follows the bushido, which is the direct opposite of Mugen. He is deadly with the sword.

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Hisoka, Hatori Sohma, Hades #atozchallenge

In Kamigami no Asobi, Yui gets transported to a a school where she is forced to help Gods become more sympathetic to humans and to learn from her.

The Gods (also forced to be there) have their powers imprisoned so they are near human weak. Hades shackle is a pewter necklace with a skull and a ruby hanging from it.

 One of those Gods is Hades Aidoneus.  He is the most aloof and antisocial of the the Gods. He fears the curse that causes misfortune to those close to him. He warms to Yui when she shows him that she doesn't care about the curse.

He loves gazing at the stars through a telescope, and more than one scene in the anime has Yui finding him atop a hill by himself.

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One of my most favorite sociopaths of the anime worlds comes from the Hunter X Hunter.
He is, of course, Hisoka Morow. You first meet him at the Hunter's Exam. Right off the bat, you find out that he killed an instructor during the last exam and was disqualified.

He has an insatiable need to find the strongest people to fight and gets aroused by it. He takes a liking to Gon (for his potential) and wants him as his prey.

He has no qualms about getting hurt and has literally had his arms cut off during a fight, but his use of his Nen powers Bungee Gum and Texture Surprise hid this fact from his opponent.

He is amoral, unpredictable, and an murdrous bloodlust that wants victims he deems 'unworthy'.

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Hatori Sohma, the cursed doctor of Fruits Basket. This is a comedic reverse harem (one girl all guys) with serious moments. He is the dragon of the Chinese Zodiac cursed Sohmas. He turns into a sea horse whenever the opposite sex touches them.

He is blind in one eye from when their 'God' Akito attacked him when he asked for permission to marry. Finally, the horror of the memory became too much for Kana, and he used his powers to take the memory from her.

He comes off as cold and unfeeling, but he is very reserved even with closest friends/cousins Ayame and Shigore.

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Elias Ainsworth, Ezra Scarlet, Elaine, Elizabeth #atozchallenge

Elias Ainsworth is from the Anime prequel and the anime forthcoming in October, The Ancient Magus's Bride.    He is both fae and human. He has no concept of human emotion but tries to learn from his bought-at-auction apprentice, Chise.

Chise gave herself over to being sold after the horrors of her childhood. Her self esteem was nonexistent until Elias gave her a reason to live again.

He wants her as his bride.  She wants to learn to magic.  They are both wounded individuals that find solace in each other as they learn from each other.

His past is a mystery, but there are hints in the manga that he was once a man-eater before he was found by his master.

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Ezra Scarlet the Anime  Fairy Tail. She is one of the most powerful wizards in the Fairy Tail Guild.  She has a tendency to be a disciplinarian while being over-the-top herself.

Her abilities include Requip, which means she has the ability to requip her armor and weaponry with a flash of magic.

Along with Natsu, Grey, and Lucy, they travel Fiore, one of the many kingdoms of Earth Land, which is the setting of Fairy Tail.

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We can't have an E catagory without the characters of Elaine and Elizabeth from Seven Deadly Sins.  They are both strong women.

 Elaine is the sister of Harlequin, King of fairies.  He left the Fairy King's Forest to go after his friend.  Elaine was left to protect the Forest and the Fountain of Youth from invaders and thieves.

She falls in love with Ban when he comes to take the Fountain of Youth. He too falls for her and promises to find her brother so that they could travel lands together.  But it was not meant to be. A demon comes and she sacrifices her life to save Ban by giving him the waters from the Fountain.

When the Sins visit the Capitol of the Dead, Ban finds the spirit of Elaine and reunites with her.  King, the Grizzly's Sin of Sloth, is also her brother Harlequin, who thinks Ban killed her for the Fountain. Elaine admonishes him for leaving the forest and hurting Ban.

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Elizabeth Liones is the kindhearted third daughter of the King of Liones.
 Although not bloodkin, she is treated as such.  When her kingdome is threatened by the Holy Knights sworn to protect it, she has no choice but to find those that can stop it.

She travels the land searching for the Seven Deadly Sins, former Holy Knights said to have committed treason by killing the leader of the Holy Knights. When she comes to the Boar Hat, she discovers that the tavern keeper is the the captain of the Sins, Meliodas.

Frankly, I don't know how she puts up with Meliodas' harrassment without slugging him in the face with a morning star, but she does.

Despite her coming across as a weak coward, she has more guts than meets the eye and more fight than many of of the 'strong' characters.

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Alucard, Asuna Yūki, and Allen Schezar #atozchallenge

 As an Anime fan, I find that different characters are essential.  Also, I like different genres.  These three characters are different as night and day as well as the anime genres.

Escaflowne (es-cah-flow-nay) is from the 90s. It's about a girl from our world that gets transported to Gaea (guy-yah), a world of dragons, humanoid species, and mechas called Guymelefs (guy-mel-ef).

Allen Schezar is a gentleman with great secrets as well as a soft spot for protecting the "damsel in distress." He is also a ladies man as he sort of hits on the female main character, Hitomi.

He is one of the Knights of Caeli, an elite group of swordsmen from Asturia. His past is checkered with bitterness and death stemming from his father's fascination with the Mystic Valley and Atlantis.

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Asuna Yūki comes from the Anime Sword Art Online.  It takes place in near-future Japan where full-dive virtual reality is possible.  The game, Sword Art Online (SAO), premieres as the first VRMMORPG of its kind. 10,000 players enter the game world of Aincrad (eye,n-krad) on the first day.  Soon they discover they are trapped and that if they die in-game they die in real life.

Asuna is not a damsel. She is (excuse the cursing) a bad ass bitch with a blade.  She becomes one of the strongest players in the game and in her guild Knights of the Blood.  Her moniker is "Lightning Flash" because she wields her rapier in a swift and deadly fashion.

As the game progresses, her softer side is shown when she and Kirito form a relationship and adopt an NPC AI called Yui.

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Alucard has been one of my absolute favorite characters since I first watched Hellsing. This anime is a strange combination of Horror and Comedy. It comes in two incarnations Hellsing and the newer Hellsing Ultimate.

There is no way to describe him other than he's crazy as all eff, seriously deranged, and psychotic to boot.  He has a tendency to go overboard on his enemies in a fight.

As an ageless creature, Alucard is the ultimate vampire. He is all powerful and very bored.  His ennui leads him to turn Seras Victoria, a police woman, into a vampire.

He works for Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing, a woman that takes no sh*t from anyone but deals a great deal onto her enemies. She runs the Hellsing Organization, which is responsible to protect England from vampires bent on destruction.

His archenemy is the Paladin Alexander Anderson who works for Iscariot (Vatican Section XIII) a top secret section of the Vatican.  He is as insane as Alucard.