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raionmimi · 5 years ago

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How does Medb and Cu's relationship in Fate interact with the lore of Cu's death being largely at the hands of Medb?

This is gonna be a long post, so rip to everyone that didn’t ask for this on their dash! Sorry! I’ll try to do a tl;dr at the bottom

I keep forgetting to finish Proto Cú’s (or any of the Cú’s) interlude, but it IS set during the time around the war with Medb iirc. His voicelines also mentions that he’s on good terms with his uncle Conchobar, Medb’s abusive ex-husband who sexually assaulted her and basically fucked up for the rest of her life. As far as I remember, there’s not a lot of info saying whether Cú didn’t actually know how his Uncle treated Medb; ignored it/denied it; or if he just considered it normal for a man to do shit like that given that it was the first century or so (and some stories revolving him would be the latter tbh). We do know that Proto Cú was summoned by Misaya becuase of Medb since she specifically wanted a servant that was killed by a woman “That way he would know how scary a woman can be.” Although Medb was not the one to strike him down, but the Grail sees it as her win because of the conditions set

In Caster Cú’s voicelines, his dislikes are Morrigan and Medb because he doesn’t have good memories of either one, and obviously in a war, there wouldnt really be any real winners if you count the losses that will happen on both sides. Coincidentally, Medb Rider is effective against him, so it’s kinda funny to me

In Lancer Cú’s voicelines, he mentions her, along with the other women in his life, and says he wasn’t able to keep their promises to all of them and wanting to be more dependable to them. We actually have no idea what he promised Medb at all, but obviously they’d have to have interacted with each other to have made one in the first place. I always talk about them being childhood friends as a self indulgent fun thing, but…??? They really may have known each other at some point beforehand, and just imagine how furious Medb would be seeing him fight for Conchobar of all people. That would’ve been an ultimate betrayal if we go by my ideas, and I love tragic shit like that. Also note that that Cú fought and killed people that he cared about that were fighting on Medb’s side in the war, but he never fought Medb even when they came across each other on multiple occasions. It always made me wonder why besides his excuse of “I dont like killing women” despite literally killing her handmaiden who was standing near her once. Like was it really sexism and/or was it because of a prior relationship with her?? It honestly could be either but a bitch (me) is curious!!!!

Alter gets annoyed when Medb has her facade, but he’s fine with her when she’s honest and acting like her normal self in America. I’ve mentioned before that he has a strange amount of free will and even makes opinions different than her, but she doesn’t mind. I sometimes feel like he really could’ve just up and walked away if he really wanted to becuase Medb wasn’t really that concerned about his backtalk whatsoever

I talk about this a lot but Summer Medb acting more formal with the presumably Lancer Cú shows that she’s calmer and actually does respect him when she’s face to face with him because she usually acts silly when she’s just talking about him to the player or other characters. Of course, we don’t know his response but given that she just asks “Do you have something to say to me?” it’s probably going to be him being indifferent or chatting casually with her.

Cú doesn’t really hate Medb because it’s not really like either one specifically said “I’m gonna start/partake in a war, just to ruin this person’s day.” He just hates that a lot of people he loved and cared about ended up dying in the war, but honestly, that could’ve happened at ANY point in time because wars happened more often back in those times for political power and glory. It’s just by chance that they were on opposite sides of a war, and really, the war was pretty useless since A: Medb was supposed to get the ox in the first place, and B: Medb DID succeed in getting the ox in the end, but it literally picked a fight with her husband’s ox (which was initially hers but it insisted on being owned by a man instead of a woman, or something strange like that) and died. But Celtic mythology has a lot “And then suddenly weird, somewhat darkly comical death/outcome!!!!” Also not to mention that becuase dudes were fighting in battles and wars all the time, they were often just “today’s enemies are tomorrow’s allies.”

Medb being a ruler, rather than a soldier, would take more offense at him taking down her army because that affects her kingdom and future political decisions she has to make directly. Also, the fact that Conchobar was the one who had control over a weapon of mass destruction is probably the biggest threat Medb could ever feel in her life. So, she smartly chose to lure him into a one-on-one agreement that he’d just fight one of her soldiers a day, and it went on for several months, but sometimes she was just “Yeah let’s just cheat???? This is a war?????” and sent multiple people. This is how she’s technically killed him, but was not the actual one who did it. It makes a lot of sense why she’d target him more than anyone. Not only is he a huge liability to everyone in his warp spasm, but say the words, and Conchobar could’ve probably had him do pretty much whatever. That’s frightening because Cú doesn’t see anything personal about what he does! He will kill anyone if he has to, even though it seems like he purposely avoided contact with Medb.

Overall it’s a little complex because if you put Cú on the Connacht side of the war, now neither of them are put in circumstances where they’re at odds. He doesn’t hate her, but he doesn’t seem to care for her new fakey fake persona because he KNOWS her. He just doesn’t seem to call her out on it though, he just plays along with it. Medb already has her own various factors that affect how she feels about herself, love as a concept, and him specifically. Her hate comes more from a ruler standpoint, but also imagine a hero who could supposedly save everyone, but he wasn’t there to save you when you needed it? Medb, imo, seems to have repressed anger and fear from her trauma because a lot of her choices stem from proving herself as being worthy as a woman and human being, or pushing people she actually likes away because she has insecurities that she doesn’t want to show. She has some trust that she starts putting in the player, but she has a very roundabout way of showing it. She’s always reminded me of how rabbits (or a stoat!!) hide in thickets and briar patches. It’s a good self-defense mechanism, but she can still hurt herself if she’s not careful.

tl;dr: No one is innocent in a war, and Medb and Cú are both morally gray characters in both lore and Nasuverse, even if Cú is generally portrayed as a bro who does nothing wrong. Fate does give bits and pieces on their intertwined history, but you can’t really say one side was wrong or right imo. Being summoned at Chaldea does give them the opportunity to move past any issues they may have with each other though, and character growth is my fucking jam so that’s why I really like the intricacies of their relationship.

#Queen Medb #Magical College Girl Medb #FGO #Fate grand order #LONG POST #I actually tried making this as short as I could because I could talk forever about them #rip mobile users #Im so bad at doing tl;dr because I still end up rambling anyways #But yeah Ive always liked the possibilities of story telling that surround them #The anger; drama; love; hate; betrayal; not knowing until its too late; the friendships... they have so much to work with!! Its crazy!!!#I totes get why people dont like it but for me its so interesting!!#I am not even exaggerating when I say I think about their history every single day at any given time #Anonymous

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terramythos · 5 years ago

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TerraMythos' 2020 Reading Challenge - Book 10 of 26

Title: The City We Became (Great Cities #1) (2020)

Author: N. K. Jemisin

Genre/Tags: Urban Fantasy, Cosmic Horror, Weird, First-Person, Third-Person, Female Protagonists, LGBT Protagonists

Rating: 9/10

Date Began: 3/25/2020

Date Finished: 4/05/2020

Given enough time, population, and cultural impact, cities become sentient, living creatures. São Paulo, Lagos, Paris, Cairo, Hong Kong, and London have all made the plunge. New York City is next; there’s just one problem. At his moment of rebirth, the human avatar of New York is attacked by an ancient eldritch abomination known simply as The Enemy.

Now greatly weakened, his only hope lies with the avatars of the city’s five boroughs -- Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island. These five strangers must find each other in order to save New York City himself, all while grappling with new powers and the constant threat of The Enemy. But their ancient adversary has adopted new, insidious ways to destroy nascent cities, which will take everything they have to overcome.

It makes Manny ache, suddenly, to feel the same wholeness all over the city. Shouldn’t everyone here have this? He’s been here only a day, and already he’s met so many vividly interesting people, seen such beautiful strangeness. He wants to protect a city that produces such experiences. He wants to help it grow stronger. He wants to stand at its side, and be true.

Anyone who’s spoken to me about books for more than ten minutes knows The Broken Earth trilogy rocked my world (hah) and utterly changed my perspective on what fantasy and science fiction can be. The Fifth Season in particular is a qualifier for “best book I’ve ever read”. So I was stoked to read something new by N. K. Jemisin. The City We Became is certainly different, being contemporary, set in a real place, and a totally different genre, but I really enjoyed it nevertheless.

Like any good cosmic horror, The City We Became offers both direct and indirect middle fingers to Lovecraft, and explores the genre in new and interesting ways. The true horror here isn’t just fear of the unknowable (although there’s some of that)-- it’s a conglomeration of issues heralded by modern white supremacy. Gentrification? The so-called “alt-right”? Cops? Casual racism, sexism, and homophobia? These are the cosmic horror mechanisms throughout the story, and Jemisin pulls no punches in exploring this idea. It’s no subtle coincidence that the tentacular eldritch constructs in the story are an eerie white, or that the creepy human avatar of The Enemy is simply known as The Woman in White, and so on. Honestly I can’t think of a much better “fuck you” to Lovecraft’s racist and prejudiced bullshit than how this book handles cosmic horror. I’m glad that Jemisin makes it blatant.

That being said, The City We Became isn’t a complete subversion of the genre. There’s still plenty of creepy, otherworldly content, and I found The Woman in White very disconcerting whenever her mask slips and her true eldritch nature becomes more prominent. Beyond white supremacy there’s something oddly technological about the eldritch horror here, and I’m eager to see where it goes. There is also an interesting twist regarding The Enemy that caught me completely off guard. I really can’t say more since it’s a Major Spoiler, but it’s very good and connects directly to Jemisin’s approach to the cosmic horror genre.

A strong point of this novel is its diverse and interesting ensemble cast. Manny and Bronca were my favorites. Manny (unlike the others) has lost his memory, and every hint we get about his past is... disturbing, to say the least. I assume future volumes will expand on this, but he is characterized as such a charming and pleasant guy that the sinister undercurrent about him is fascinating. Bronca is a Lenape Indian and veteran of Stonewall, so I was going to like her no-bullshit attitude from the start. There’s a ton of queer content in general, which is always a bonus for me. Jemisin's writing style heavily emphasizes character voice and personality. Each of the perspective characters is wildly different, with varied thoughts, relationships, and views of the world, and she makes each of them feel alive and distinct.

One criticism I have for the ensemble cast is, while some of the boroughs get a lot of characterization, others feel less developed overall. Manny (Manhattan), Bronca (the Bronx), and Aislyn (Staten Island) get a lot of screentime, but by comparison Brooklyn (...Brooklyn) and Padmini (Queens) don’t get much of a starring role outside of one-off chapters. I can only assume they will have a bigger role in future installments. They aren’t totally bereft, but much of what we learn about them comes from other characters. I also really want to see more of New York City himself -- I think he’s my favorite? -- but he has a pretty limited role in this book. This makes sense considering the plot, but I hope we see a lot more of him later.

If I had to nitpick something else, it’s that The City We Became feels very... setup-y? Yes, there’s a central, time-sensitive conflict, and it follows a standard story structure, but most of the book’s focus is establishing the premise, the ensemble cast, and the overarching antagonist. To me the story itself just doesn’t feel as important. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, assuming the next book has a stronger emphasis on plot. But in The City We Became, the climax is largely off-screen, which is pretty odd.

Overall, though, I really, really enjoyed this book. Jemisin’s writing just blows me away every time, and I found myself constantly marking interesting passages, themes, ideas, and lines which I’m almost positive are foreshadowing. I can tell a lot of the content in this book is setting up a long con, much like The Broken Earth, and I’m eager to see where it goes. Jemisin has established a great foundation for the next books in this series, and for me they can’t come soon enough.

#taylor reads #2020 reading challenge #9/10

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newx-menfan · 5 years ago

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Powers of X #6 Review

*Spoilers*

The issue starts again with Xavier and Moira at the circus. (You know the artist was THRILLED with this rehash/break! 😁)

In Year 1000 we discover that the Librarian is not a mutant but 'Homo navissima'- humans that integrated with technology; and that mutants have lost and basically ALWAYS lose on the evolutionary scale.

Moira and Logan are apparently still around and fighting.

The Librarian then tries to get Moira off of the planet/debates the whole Ascension-Phalanx thing because if Moira dies her mutant power will cause the whole restart/Groundhog Day thing, but mutants always losing to humanity seems inevitable... Logan kills the Librarian and the kills Moira; ending her sixth life. (I'm enthusiastically awaiting the Moira/Doctor Who comparisons...)

Back in Year One, Moira shows Xavier all her lives and that mutants always get the short end of the stick...

Xavier understandably has a bit of a breakdown because of this news but recovers when Moira kisses him.

Moira also makes it her life goal to break Xavier's spirit. (insert any horrible joke about dating or marriage here...)

In Year Ten, we also find out that the only reason Mystique joined up with Xavier is to get Destiny back (#hoesbeforebros) and that they can't technically do that because precogs would reveal how f***** the future is and that Moira's powers are a huge glaring problem to their utopia (boo! I want Destiny AND Blindfold back!).

Moira is visibly cautious over the fact that Xavier and Magneto aren't listening/ always including her in decisions (aka sexism) and honestly knows somehow Xavier will F this up...

The end features a rehash of Xavier and Magneto's conversion; with Magneto clearly over humanity...

Opinions:

Honestly...this ending was kind of a letdown. It was by no means bad...but it just left a lot to be desired.

Overall, I'm kind of 'meh' about where it's left the X-Men... The Krakoa nation, pod people, etc... just don't really feel 'X-Men' to me.

It's not so much that it's a bad note, it's just one that feels better in place for something like 'Inhumans' or other teams...

This story is kind of in a weird place because it kind of lessens character death even more, is reliant on nostalgia but loses things I feel like I really miss about X-Men; like in-depth character analysis, and just feels more AU than part of the 616 X-Men mythology....

It's kind of like it's message about humanity being the ultimate threat and technology just being a tool- it just feels very...flat. Moira being revealed as a mutant and alive again...feels very flat.

I think part of the problem is, is Hickman did what a lot of writers do and chose to ignore canon because he really wanted to tell this story.

I don't think this is a bad story or wasn't entertaining-but it just doesn't really feel like an X-book either.

Overall I just felt like this was a huge buildup...for a 'meh' ending place.

I will say- I do think this event was worth it for Doug Ramsey's character development.

I do think it's worth it if you want a fun comic with an engaging story.

I definitely think it's more thoughtful than recent X-events and is refreshing in the fact that it's not a cannon fodder massacre that most comic events are anymore...

I just kind of question if this story really fits WELL with the X-Men.

I guess what I would say-

If you want a book representative of why fans love X-Men and what X-Men is narratively: I don't think this is it.

This isn't a good 'starting place' for X-Men.

But if you want a fun event that has consistently strong quality and is a decent read: this is it.

If you ever wondered what X-Men meets 'New Genesis' or 'Inhumans' would look like: this is it.

Overall:

I definitely enjoyed this event and it was a welcomed break after hate reading Disassembled/Age of X-Man, and would suggest it to long term X-readers...

But I think if your hoping for Claremont, Morrison, KYOST, ect... kind of X-Men spirit...I think this will fall a little flat.

Characters like Scott, Jean, Storm feel kind of there.

If your hoping for Newer X-Men to get pushed- they really don’t.

Hickman’s chimera...are honestly pretty bland and only there for fan service.

Hickman plays kind of fast and loose with canon; and this is a more plot oriented story than character driven...which feels kind of strange since we’re used to the opposite with X-Men.

I kind of question if an Xavier focused storyline was a good choice since Xavier is a really polarizing character- but I do think for the most part Hickman makes it work.

The only criticism with the choice of Professor X being the protagonist is Xavier letting in villains. Besides making Xavier look painfully dumb...It’s kind of unsettling that people like Sinister, who massacred the Morlocks, are apparently forgivable...? It’s kind of hard to justify locking up Creed (who is objectively terrible) but NOT people like Shaw or Sinister.

The other problem-> there’s a huge flaw in the message around humanity being the ultimate threat...when you have mutants like Shaw, who had zero problems with selling out mutants on Krakoa. Or Selene...who kills mutant and human alike...

I think Hickman’s biggest strength in this event- is utilizing characters like Doug Ramsey, Sinister, ect...

And I think the other strength is avoiding a lot of the Marvel event traps; like killing off tons of characters, love triangles, ect...

Hickman I think ultimately won fans over majorly because this *IS* actually a fun event that put more thought into the plot than most comic events do anymore and played it safe even with his retcons. No one except hardcore fans were going to be upset about ‘Goldballs balls actually being eggs’ or ‘Moira being a mutant’.

There’s no a whole lot that really makes you angry about this event; at least, not to the Rosenberg level of angry.

At the very least- I’m glad to see a resurgence of comic events NOT being hot messes. I’d compare this to JLA: Obsidian Age, because it fits really clunky with some of the comic canon and has some problems...but it’s easy to ignore because it’s just a fun event.

#review #spoilers #house of x #powers of x #x men #Marvel #Jonathan Hickman

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sineala · 5 years ago

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Iron Man: And Call My Killer... MODOK!

So if you're a Marvel Comics fan of any stripe, you're probably aware that Marvel has a longtime history of publishing what they call "prose novels" and what literally any other publisher would just call "novels." You know. Books with only words in them. As opposed to "graphic novels," which is I guess why Marvel needs to make the distinction.

You're probably also aware that a lot of these prose novels are, well... bad. Some of the current ones, the original ones with new stories, have been getting good reviews -- I've heard good things about the Black Widow and Squirrel Girl books -- but a lot of them are just things like "novelizations of Civil War" and those ones are not great. (The MCU Iron Man 1 novelization was pretty good, but I would say that that was one of the few exceptions, and that only because Peter David both can actually write and has also written comic books.)

But a few weeks ago @blossomsinthemist told me that there had been a line of paperback Marvel prose novels way way back in the late seventies, and I was immediately interested for two reasons. One, if it's not novelizing an existing story arc, it's less likely to be terrible. And two, I really like late-seventies Marvel comics. So if I get to read a brand-new (to me) late-seventies story, I'm going to be pretty excited.

(If you're looking for these for yourself, prices vary, because people seem to be really into just having them for collection value, but if you don't care about condition and are patient you can get them for $5 to $10 or so.)

Anyway. I'm starting here with the Iron Man one, And Call My Killer... MODOK! It's from 1979 and is by William Rotsler, who also appears to have written the Doctor Strange novel in this series, and according to Wikipedia, he won four Hugos for Best Fan Artist, though most of his prose work appears to have been SF novelizations, and, uh, he was involved in the making of over two dozen pornographic films? Thanks, Wikipedia!

Right. Okay. The actual book. We are talking about the actual book. So the plot, as you can guess from the title, involves a lot of AIM and MODOK -- and because this is vintage 1970s Iron Man, also a lot of Happy, Pepper and SHIELD. SHIELD here is a lot of Nick Fury and a lot -- hi, again, 1970s -- of Jasper Sitwell. (If you're only familiar with the MCU, 616 Jasper Sitwell is, like, the ultimate Boy Scout SHIELD agent, a giant nerdy stickler for protocol.) Basically, AIM is scheming to get the armor, and the basic plot itself is kind of fun in that respect -- Tony scheming right back, decoy fake plans, a fake auction of the armor, and of course Tony and Happy captured by AIM. There's the requisite fight with an armored villain, of course, and what feels like a very perfunctory showdown with MODOK. (It's not a long novel.)

But since we're in fandom, we're not reading these things for the actual plot content, and so I am happy to say that on a characterization level, if this is the Tony Stark characterization you like in this era of comics, this book is going to make you happy. Because he really is, just... peak, classic Tony Stark. This is established very early on, in what is actually my favorite section of the book. Tony addresses a roomful of students about ecology, and his plans for SI and for the future, and about how he's not actually in it for the money and he just wants to do the right thing and save the world and so on and so forth and he wants to hire some of these kids to help everyone and build space colonies and so on. Similarly, when we first see Tony at SI, there's a paragraph about how he knows his employees' names and values them as people and it's very much classic Tony characterization. I love it.

In terms of canon, I'm not quite sure if this is relying on any particular recent developments in canon. Pepper and Happy are still together, and there's a throwaway line, in the list of Things That Have Happened To Tony's Heart, about how he's had several surgeries and a new heart and at this point in his life he has to wear the chestplate some of the time but not all of the time. I think that whole "weak heart" era is the Michael O'Brien/second Guardsman stuff, but I'm not exactly sure; this is not an era of canon I'm 100% up on in order. That may be a little too early for this, as well. Sorry; I'm not the best at this part of this game.

There is, of course, some identity porn, since what would an Iron Man story be without some good identity porn? There's a section early on where Tony explains why he would never reveal his secret identity. (Literally, he wishes he could "come out of the closet," and, yes, they do put that phrase in quotation marks.) His rationale is that the media would never let him alone, and also there are "Iron Man groupies, publicity seekers, and other assorted crazies" who would make his life miserable.

The weird thing is, then he goes on a date with what seems to be an Iron Man groupie. Pepper sets him up on a date with a woman who is a bellydancer and auto mechanic trying to break into acting. (The even weirder thing is that she seems to be named after a woman the author has coauthored several novels with. I, uh... I hope she knew first?) Anyway, they go on a date and she starts asking him about what Iron Man is like. Now, in a book where the plot appears to be that the bad guys want Tony's armor, I would be a little suspicious of people who were curious about Iron Man. But apparently this woman is on the level and just really likes gossip about famous people, and then at the end of the book when Tony talks about maybe going on another date he seems excited to "give her an opportunity to know Tony Stark." Although, really, she seems to still think Iron Man is cooler, so I don't see this working out well.

(Also, in the course of the plot, he does end up unmasking in front of MODOK, and as cover he comes up with the excuse that he isn't the only Iron Man and that there are a group of them. Which, y'know, historically, isn't even untrue, for a certain view of Tony's behavior -- there have actually been multiple people in the suit before now. So I kind of like Tony's quick thinking there. Amusingly, as he's bluffing his way through this, one of the fake Iron Men he names is Captain America, which honestly I think would make a hell of a fanfiction plot.)

Another weird thing: since this is right before Demon in a Bottle, Tony still drinks. It's not even an issue. And obviously it's meant to show something about his affluent lifestyle (and how he considers alcohol a necessary part of that lifestyle) but it's interesting reading this in retrospect and thinking about all the character development that Tony is basically about to undergo but hasn't yet.

So, yeah, in terms of characterization, this is an interesting look at Tony Stark basically preserved in one of the more-well-regarded eras for him, so on that basis I think it's worth reading. Which is not to say that there aren't some downsides, and since this book is mainstream fiction from the 70s, I bet you can guess what the main one is: namely, there is a certain amount of casual sexism and racism. The first scene takes place on a college campus and there is a lot of, uh, dwelling on co-eds and their short skirts. There is also a retelling of Tony's origin story, and you probably already know that ToS #39 is racist as hell (especially if you have seen non-recolored versions in which Wong Chu is literally yellow in the art) but the prose retelling here manages to add in some racist epithets (many characters are referred to as "the Oriental") which is... disappointing. Neither of these things are really unexpected for a book from 1979. But, you know, there they are. Heads up.

It also makes some weird narrative choices. One is that it has a surprising number of extended flashbacks in which dialogue is taken directly from the comics. I understand that back in the day before trade paperbacks and Marvel Unlimited and back issues whenever you want them, you the Iron Man fan might not have been aware of a lot of Tony's history. So I get why you would want to spend some time going over the events of Tales of Suspense #39. And, okay, Happy is a pretty important character in the plot, so I get why you'd want a lot about their first meeting in Tales of Suspense #45. But then there's a whole flashback devoted to the whole body-horror extravaganza of how MODOK came to be, and that one... that one was just kind of weird, especially because Tony didn't even figure into it.

And that leads me to my final complaint about weird narrative choices, which is the author has chosen to write this book in 3rd person omniscient point of view. I mean, it's a valid POV choice, sure. But it's a little jarring coming from fandom, where we are all basically 3rd limited forever and ever (like, honestly, I'm not even sure I'd know how to write 3rd omni if I tried!), and it's even weirder to read Tony in the middle of one of his inspiring speeches while a female student is thinking about how sexy he is even if he is an "older man." Yeah.

Also, the narration calls him Tony when he's out of the suit and Iron Man when he's in the suit. Consistently. Even when he's thinking about himself. I am pretty sure fandom never does this, and it is weird as hell.

So, overall, I have to say that despite some reservations, I really enjoyed this, and if this is an era of Iron Man canon that you enjoy, you will probably like this if you can get your hands on it, because it's a lot like reading an Iron Man comic from 1979, and the plot shenanigans are amusing. I mean, it's not the best-written book ever, but it is a lot of fun, especially in terms of Tony's characterization.

#posts i actually wrote

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elenajohansenreads · 5 years ago

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Books I Read in 2019

#102 - All the Birds in the Sky, by Charlie Jane Anders

Mount TBR (66/100)

The Reading Frenzy’s “Bookish Treasure Hunt” Challenge -- A bird in the title or on the cover

Rating: 1/5 stars

All book reviews come with personal bias attached--as much as many reviewers (myself often included) like to think we are working from some hypothetically universal standard of "good" writing, we can't always agree on what those standards are and how to apply them fairly across all books. I say this now, because I'm about to write a negative review for this book, but for once, I recognize that my intense dislike is coming from a deeply personal place, and that my experience with it isn't necessarily a good sign post for whether or not this book is worth reading. I often write bad reviews for books because of things that I don't think other people want to be reading--unchallenged racism, sexism, homophobia, or pedophilia being the big ones, and I stand by those. I will continue to do my part warning people away from books that promote harmful ideologies, whenever I can. That isn't the case here. I can't stand this book because it reminds me too much of how I wrote when I was a teenager, and of all of the people who read my work then and told me how terrible it was. Yeah, it's personal. So, I didn't finish. I read the first hundred pages, and I gave up. I couldn't stand the constant misery, and I mean that quite seriously. Laurence and Patricia don't have much more personality than "I'm so weird and nonconformist that everyone bullies me." Laurence is science-flavored on top of that, Patricia witch-flavored. But they're such thin characters, and they simply can't support a story solely about the two of them without more development. To pile on extra misery, all of the members of both families are also horrible people who also mistreat them in some way. In that sort of environment I'd expect the two of them to become close friends, to be the only spot of good in each other's awful lives--but despite the overall narrative the blurb is trying to sell me, I'm not at all convinced these two are friends at all--they tolerate each other at best, and at worst they spend weeks not speaking to each other--and this setup does not have me confident that they're going to eventually fall in love. I'd be laughing at the reviews that call this book "romantic" if I weren't so disappointed, because I adore real romance, and I don't feel like I'm going to get that here. Let's go back to that science vs. witchcraft characterization. Because at a hundred pages in, I had only just gotten what looked like a plot, rather than chapter upon chapter of "look at how miserable and bullied these two kids are, don't you feel for them?" Theodolphus Rose, master assassin posing as a school counselor, tells Patricia that Laurence is an enemy of nature and must be killed. That's the conflict, and in other circumstances I might be interested--pitting kids against each other isn't new at all, but done well, it can certainly be compelling. Pitting potential romantic partners against each other can be awesome, whatever age group. So I'm not opposed to this basic plot. I am opposed to it taking almost one hundred pages to show up, and I'm opposed to the flimsy world-building that has done nothing to define the relative power of science and witchcraft. At first (in the very first chapter when I still thought I might like this book, it looked like my kind of weird,) I was enchanted by Patricia's magic and her talking to birds and going to the forest to see the Parliament. But there's no rules to anything related to magic, and without any sort of standards or explanations, there's really no upper limit on what magic can do in a story, whereas the real world has definite limits on science. Without the author setting up a system deliberately to make science and magic balanced, I find myself assuming magic can be more powerful (if Patricia ever gets access to it again, if not, this will be a dull story I didn't finish) so magic will obviously win. And that's just not interesting, if there's an obvious winner before the battle is even fought. Now, there are ways to subvert that expectation, and there are ways to move forward from the point where I stopped reading that might result in a better book than I expect it to be. But that low bar I have set in my mind is a result of that slapdash, flimsy world-building that amounts to "this is basically contemporary fiction but I want to put whatever I want into it and call it sci-fi and magical realism at the same time." I don't have a problem with genre-mixing. I'd be a giant hypocrite if I did. But a work doesn't get a free pass on mixing genres sloppily because it's quirky. It's the "quirky" thing that really gets me. I love absurdist humor, and there are elements of it here. Theodolphus' introduction at the mall almost had me laughing, it was so over the top and ridiculous, in just the way I like. I can't take it seriously in context, because it's so off-tone from everything else I read surrounding it, but in isolation it was hilarious and I loved it. For a brief moment, I felt like the author was channeling Terry Pratchett or Douglas Adams, and I was on board. But if the whole book is meant to be absurdist, it doesn't go far enough, and absurdity for its own sake is exactly what my teenage writing (yeah, we're back to the personal part) was mocked by my peers for. And occasionally my teachers as well. I was a weird kid. I have no problem admitting that, though I was never bullied anything like Laurence and Patricia are shown to be. I had friends--it's not impossible to be weird and also have friends. I was also often an unhappy kid--teenagerhood was not particularly a good time for me--and writing was a thing I did to cope. I wrote escapist fantasy. I wrote about magic. I wrote about absurdity. I wrote about depression and misery. I wrote things in high school that were very like this story, both in tone and overall quality. The nearly universal response to these stories, when I was brave enough to let my friends read them or turn them in for writing assignments, was basically derision and ridicule. "It's too weird." "I don't get it." "What's the point?" "I don't like how strange it is." "It doesn't make sense." No matter how many times I tried to defend some of the most "weird" pieces by explaining that the absurdity of it was the whole point, the overall reaction was "stop being so childish and write things that make sense." I do, now. I've found ways to channel my love of the absurd in more palatable directions. I've studied my craft and "grown up," so to speak. I take great pains to make my worlds, no matter how "strange" they are, internally consistent and understandable. So here's the incredibly, undeniably personal part that you absolutely shouldn't apply to yourself and whether or not you want to read this book: I am (mildly) professionally envious and angry that this book is so praised when it reads exactly like the stuff I churning out by the notebook-full at fifteen that everyone hated. It stings. I cringed constantly with second-hand embarrassment while I was reading this, as if all of my flaws had come back to haunt me. Thin world-building because I wanted it the way I wanted it and I didn't do the work making it cohesive. Awkward and stilted dialogue. An "me against them" mentality in my main characters. No plot to speak of for ages because I was more interested in making my world weird than having a story take place in it. Objectively speaking--as objectively as possible for me, at this point--I don't think this is a good book, but obviously its weirdness resonates with a lot of people, and you might enjoy it. If you think it sounds good, then maybe for you, it will be. Speaking with extreme and noted bias, this book is bad, and I can't stand it, and I will never finish it and wish I hadn't spent the few hours I already did attempting to read it. I want that time back. **After I spent a solid hour writing, rewriting, and editing this review, I wondered if I should even post it in full. After all, it is highly biased and not particularly applicable to other people in many places. I thought about it a lot. I considered where I could cut the stuff that shouldn't matter to anyone else, the stuff that revealed too much of me, the things that might do more harm than good. But I've always written honest reactions to books, because I think reviews are only useful and helpful when they're honest. So I'm posting the whole thing, because I worked hard putting my thoughts and feelings in order and being up front about my biases. Whether or not this is a helpful, useful review is only part of the point. It was cathartic to write, and if another writer sees this and feels understood, then it's worth it.

#booklr #writeblr #book review #all the birds in the sky #my reading challenges #mount tbr 2019 #the reading frenzy

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pricklypear1997 · 2 years ago

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The show is awful. I recently decided to rewatch it a fourth (or fifth?) time while picking up the books again where I left off. I’m currently like 2/3rds into book 4. The show was good in season 1, but by season 2 things started to change. Even Dany is different from the book counterpart. It’s much more subtle at the beginning but it’s like she’s got this weird polarity within her… like she’s sooooo bloodthirsty one minute and then acts forgiving and peaceful the next. It’s strange. In the books she’s a traumatized 13-15 year old who’s been abused and groomed by these horrible (and even pedophilic) men around her, yet she still cares about the safety of others. To me, in the books she’s just not as blood thirsty. Yes, she kinda had her vengeance on the witch lady, (I forgot her name) because she took advantage of an already traumatized girl who actually wanted her baby to live. The show totally downplays Dany’s Stockholm syndrome as well unlike in the books. Overall her personality is less like able and less relatable to the reader in the show vs the book. It’s not just Dany though. This sexism is so rampant throughout the show. It’s a crime what they did to Arya. Making her a woman hating “oh I’m so independent and reclusive and anti social” sociopath. They completely took liberty of her character and even sexualized her in season 8. Literally made her have this weird “Dommy mommy kink” thing… it was disgusting. The last thing she’d do is just randomly have sex with some guy. Yes, she knows Gendry and I do ship them, but not like this AT ALL. Arya is a traumatized, child with depression and ptsd. She is a minor and girl, and she literally got threatened by creepy men and boys all the time… she literally had to work with and be around rapists and criminals (Roose Bolton for example 😐), and you honestly believe that you can convince me that she would all of a sudden act all sexual and dominatrix towards Gendry out of nowhere??? That was ridiculously out of character and disgusting. Arya is my fave, so yeah I got really pissed lol. The show also started to change Arya by season 2. Even when she worked with Tywin (instead of Bolton) she said some pretty sexist shit about women, even though in the books she constantly brings up the women and girls are important… the show really hates women. The show is stupid. Season 1 was great, but by season 2 it started to change. I will never be able to enjoy it again.

Now the subject of war. I do believe that GRRM is anti war, but even war itself is kind of a morally grey thing…. It’s very complicated. Sometimes war needs to happen in order to defend yourself and community. There are 2 criteria needed for me to defend war; as long as civilians are left out of it and it is being fought in self defense against a cruel and tyrannical ruler(s) then I do support it. I am anti war. Trust me. I hate it. I come from a war torn region that’s still going through conflicts because much more powerful foreign governments (USA, I’m looking at you specifically) are constantly interfering and causing instability and internal conflict. I will support a war if it’s against tyranny. Doesn’t mean I’m pro war. Sometimes you need to fight to protect your rights. The Boltons taking over Winterfell was bad enough (and doesn’t belong to them in the first place) that the starks needed to reclaim their home. That’s a necessary evil that needed to be done to save not only the Stark home, but the civilians of the land and getting rid of the cruelty the Boltons would inflict on others. So yes, in a way the starks are morally grey, but every time they fought was for a just cause… Martin is anti war, he’s clearly anti sexist as well, but it’s more complicated than a lot of people realize and I don’t think we should argue that someone is “evil” for fighting back against a terrible bully and abuser. I wanted to make this comment because I was a little confused by your commentary about GRRM being anti war and from what you wrote it Kind of sounded like you were implying that he’s not anti war, but I digress.

I love the books for their realistic character depth and complex story and scenarios. I think GRRM understands that we can’t 100% deal in absolutes and I also believe he understands that we live in a complex world that revolves around complex societies and people. For an American, I think he’s very well read and actually understands the functionality of ethnic states and shows a world that’s very similar to our own (outside of the US ) and I greatly appreciate it. He doesn’t think black and white, he’s not an SJW and he’s not some alt right conservative. He’s just an individual who understands that all humans are individuals and that every society is going to be different to its respective culture and instead of trying to push some kind of propaganda that only one way is the right way, he’s just showing that world (and our own) as it is. He makes extremely valued critiques and arguments about these characters, world and situations that mirror our own in a way, that he’s critiquing our world as well. He may lack in “poeticness” but his strength lies in depth, which honestly makes his books better than any other book series I’ve read. 🤷🏻‍♀️.

Hi, so I watched GoT+ am on asoiaf 1 rn and I have a Q about Dany; why is her character so divisive? I read meta by pro Dany fans and its "Dany's compassionate, self critical, a good ruler, a political reformer, frees slaves she'll be a hero at the end" and the antis "shes entitled, vengeful, profiter of slavery, a coloniser and GRRM wont validate a foreign invasion with nuclear weapons; hes anti war!!" Like, wHAt? Surely her character cant be THAT ambigious?! These are popular opposites??

Alright, I'll try to explain this from my perspective as a Jon Snow fan. However, this will be spoilery if you have read only one book. I would suggest reading all the books before joining in on discussions about the character.

It's a combination of things.

One is most definitely sexism. I don't throw that word around lightly having been constantly attacked as a ‘sexist dudebro who hates women’ for simply critiquing a female character.

Sexism in fandom is when female characters are held to different standards compared to their male counterparts. When female characters are critiqued or disliked for doing the same thing that male characters are often praised for doing. Daenerys is subjected to a lot of this which is especially evident in the books because she has a parallel arc of leadership with Jon Snow over at the Wall - the two characters at the ends of the world.

An example is right there in your ask. GRRM is anti-war and hence why would he validate Dany's invasion - She is therefore in the wrong. Okay. In which case why not extend that argument to every other main character in the series? GRRM is anti-war and therefore Robb Stark was wrong to wage war for Northern independence. GRRM is anti-war and therefore Jon Snow is wrong to help Stannis in his battle against the Boltons. GRRM is anti-war and therefore Tyrion is wrong to use wildfire and defeat Stannis at the battle of the blackwater. GRRM is anti-war and therefore Jon Snow is the villain of the battle at Castle Black.

I think the main thesis of GRRM’s argument in regard to his protagonists has been that there is no good or bad and instead they are all morally gray? Yeah war is bad and most of our protagonists engage in war and they are therefore morally grey characters. I mean, Jon Snow is over there taking child hostages that he has promised to behead - does that make him a baddie? Ned Stark took Theon as a child hostage. Is he a baddie? Our main characters all belong to noble houses in a feudal monarchy - a system of governance that GRRM relentlessly critiques in the books. Are they all baddies?

This double standard is particularly glaring when Dany's battles in Essos is about helping the little guy - the slaves who are under the worst kind of oppression. The WOT5K (War of the 5 Kings) on the other hand was about personal power, ravaged the land and lead to much devastation and suffering. However, for some strange reason when fandom discusses the books and the author being anti-war they focus particularly on Daenerys - that strange reason is sexism.

If you have watched GOT, I am sure you would have noticed those obvious double standards yourself.

Tyrion standing there making sad faces makes it look like Daenerys is doing something wrong when she executes the Tarlys - two treasonous traitors. However every other House does the same! Jon Snow executed the mutineers at the wall - even a child. After the battle of bastards, he mentions the Karstarks and Umbers having been killed in battle or else they would have been executed. Sansa wants to punish even their children!! But for some strange reason [(i.e) sexism] a female leader executing traitors is evil. That she does so without crying (Something the show runner David Benioff points out in an BTS interview) means she is evil. Jon not crying when killing people = badass, Dany not crying when killing people = evil.

Daenerys in battle with Jaime Lannister to get the Iron Throne = evil. Starks fighting against the Boltons to get Winterfell = Yay! Awesome. Thousands die in both battles - in one battle they die, burned by dragonfire. In the other one they are hacked to death and die with their guts hanging out. In both cases, people die.

The show quickly moves past Jaime Lannister, the Tarlys and their men massacring everyone of Olenna's men and piling their bodies high and sacking and looting the place. However, the show takes time to linger on Tyrion's sad face with the sad music and the men dying when Daenerys is attacking those same men on the battlefield.

I am not even getting into season 8 because it was so, so bad and full of puke inducing sexism that will need 10 pages to outline. I think you have got the gist of why sexism is such a large factor in how Dany's character is otherized and analyzed by fandom at large and made worse by Benioff and Weiss' rampant misogyny shining through in the show's writing.

I mentioned this in another post and I will say again - removing show Tyrion from show Daenerys' narrative would reduce the sexism in her story arc ten fold. He was D&D's mouthpiece in the series after season 5 - there to tell us that Dany was evil for doing all the things the male characters did.

And yes, Nuclear weapons are bad. Nuclear weapons can also be a deterrent and prevent war. Nuclear weapons can also be useful in a fantasy, magical world dealing with an existential apocalyptic threat. This is why I find one to one comparisons like these to be ridiculous. The Starks also have some fiercesome beasts that the author has indicated will be used in battle. Are we calling them evil?

The rest. Colonizer? They should look up what that means and whether it applies to Dany's story in Essos. Profiting off slavery? If one reads the books one knows this is blatantly untrue. Entitled and vengeful? No more than any of the other main characters who belong to noble houses in Westeros.

Daenerys has her flaws, not saying that she doesn't. That's what makes her a three-dimensional and relatable character. It's easy to criticize the character because she does self-reflect and introspect, is sometimes crippled by self-doubt and wants to do things differently and try different options - something that makes her human and real and very well written. Leadership is not easy and she’s 15 in the last book.

The other aspect is a flaw in the writing with respect to the setting of Daenerys' story in the series. She's the only main POV character in Essos until Arya and Tyrion get there in ADwD. And there is a lot of orientalism in GRRM's writing for Essos - meant to represent the East while Westeros represents the West.

There's much to say about how he writes the Dothraki as savage barbarians. While he gives POV characters for the Ironborn with Theon and Asha and characters like Mance, Tormund and Ygritte for the Freefolk, where's the equivalent of all that for the Dothraki? Oh but look, they are eating honeyed locusts! How exotic! There's lots of cartoonishly evil slavers who kill puppies! GRRM keeps otherizing their customs and culture as being savage and cruel and different - highlighted by the fact that we don't have a single Essosi POV giving us their side of things.

I do find GRRM's orientalism distasteful and off putting, especially as Essos is just a prop, a stepping stone for the characters before they move onto Westeros where the real story is happening. That is however a critique of the writing, not of the character. People tend to conflate the two. A middle aged white man writing in the nineties about a fantasy eastern world does not make Daenerys a 'white savior' or a 'colonizer' and it's clear from various interviews the author has given that this was not his intention either.

Daenerys is also the only Targaryen POV in the books. Think about that. The Starks have 6 POVs in the first book. The Lannisters get 3 by AFfC. The Greyjoys have 4, the Martells have 2. The only major house worse off than the Targaryens are the Baratheons with no POV characters.

We see Jon Snow through Arya and Bran’s POV. We see Arya through Jon’s. We get none of this for Dany. The Starks have a home and a loving family. Dany meanwhile is starting off the story at her lowest point - an abusive brother and forcefully married off to a Dothraki. While the Starks then end up losing that security, family members die, one of them is a hostage and the other is on the run - they still have memories of each other. Danerys meanwhile, slowly and painfully works her way to the top.

Reminds me of a post I responded to the other day, where the OP said that Arya and Jon cannot be underdogs because they are winners (Whatever that means). That’s the attitude that a lot of fandom has towards Daenerys - now that she is queen and has power, she has it easy compared to the likes of Sansa and the rest of the Starks. Ignoring that when the books started Daenerys was in a way worse position than any of the Starks.

This is a fandom that thinks that Sansa Stark deserves to be Queen in the North because she’s beautiful, has good manners and is a Stark. And this is the same fandom who think that Daenerys, who worked her way to the top - with no family to help, no happy childhood, no teachers, no security of food and shelter, who were beggars and on the run at one point - the Daenerys who is currently spending an entire book ruling a city state, making trade deals, dealing with an insurgency and famine, engaging in marriage diplomacy to sue for peace for the slaves she freed, that Daenerys is entitled. Do you agree?

I am a Jon Snow fan and even I can see how utterly ridiculous the fan discourse around Daenerys is. When the show was on, I was only posting about Jon and there was so much anti Dany stuff on the Jon Snow tags I had to wade into discussion about the character. And the more I defended her, the more I ended up re-reading her chapters, the more I ended up loving the character. There’s so much hypocrisy and sexist double standards where the character is concerned.

And I have not even touched upon the obnoxiousness that is ‘Jonsa’ - group of morons who think Sansa is the main character in a book series called A Song of Sansa and Sansa and Jon is secretly in love with Sansa who is going to be Queen with executioner/personal spymaster Arya Stark and her consort Jon Snow who will sexually manipulate and murder Daenerys for his great love Sansa.

Sansa fans make up the vast majority of asoiaf fans on Tumblr and the majority of them dislike Daenerys and Arya or see Dany as Sansa’s antagonist - even though these two characters have no connection in the books and I doubt they would ever interact. If you look at most of the anti Dany posts on here, they will be made by someone with a Sansa pfp. There are posts about how Jon will kill Dany or how Arya will kill Dany, and if you look at their blogs they will be big Sansa fans.

These are the same people who write essays on how Arya is not a real girl or is ‘male-coded’ or who write essays on how Daenerys only uses ‘threats and force’ whereas Sansa is apparently a political genius who uses ‘Soft Power’ - a foreign policy concept - because she talked down 13 year old idiot Joffrey that one time. When in the actual books, it’s Daenerys who has used Soft Power in her marriage diplomacy with Hizdahr and Sansa has never engaged in any kind of politics with actual adults.

Notice that these kinds of ‘metas’ are popularized by fandom bnfs using blogs like asoiafuniversity. There’s this very popular idea that’s propagated in fandom that Sansa is kind and compassionate when in the actual books there are more instances of kindness and compassion from Arya and from Daenerys. This is once again an example of how sexism and misogyny in this fandom has worked to give the wrong impressions of these characters. Arya and Daenerys are seen as more violent compared to Sansa even though Daenerys’ entire arc for two books has been about helping an oppressed population. The mind boggles!

It’s the same when it comes to love and romance. Arya and Daenerys are not considered worthy of love, romance and marriage because they are the wrong kind of girls. And let’s not bring age into this considering Sansa is 11 at the start of the books and she is the fandom bicycle shipped with every Tom, Dick and Harry.

I am not even getting into the slut-shaming and victim blaming that Daenerys gets in the fandom. There was actual discourse in this fandom on how Dany was not a good rape victim like Sansa because she brought up her rape in conversation! Daenerys is somehow seen as less than because she can’t possibly have children - that apparently makes her less of a woman and a bad partner for Jon Snow unlike Sansa Stark who will surely have ten babies!

The worst part is that’s it women who engage in this kind of discourse and the same women who turn around and gaslight the fandom into thinking that Sansa is unfairly targeted because of sexism.

There’s also the usual dislike from the fans of other characters.

There are Jon Snow fans who see him as the prophesied hero and main protagonist, who don’t like Daenerys coming over and taking away main character status. I personally think there is no one main character. IMO, Jon, Dany, Arya, Bran and Tyrion are all tier one main characters, who will work together against the Army of the Dead. [Note: This works the other way as well. I have seen Dany fans who dislike Jon Snow as well and think he is unimportant in the grand scheme of things]

There are Stannis Baratheon stans over on the Asoiaf subreddit who will excuse everything Stannis does - including burning people alive for his God - and then nitpick every single policy decision of Dany’s in order to argue she is evil or a bad ruler.

There are house Stark fans who hate House Targaryen and see them as in opposition to each other. There are fans who believe in Northern exceptionalism i.e the North is special and Dany is a threat to that specialness because she wants the 7K etc. etc.

This turned out to be a long post. On the whole, the answer to your question on why Daenerys is such a polarizing character is mainly because of sexism. There are other factors like the setting and isolation of her story, the lack of other POVs etc. The main reason though is sexism and ship wars.

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japanjazz-blog · 8 years ago

Text

It all started when...

“Have you ever heard of InuYasha?” my new friend asked me in 7th grade while we warmed up our clarinets in band class.

Ah yes, InuYasha. How so many anime interests begin. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I could not comprehend the hours that I would spend binge-watching Evangelion, or how many times I would sneak downstairs to watch the newest episode of Trigun. I remember being upset that Princess Mononoke didn’t record, and my father standing in front of the television with his hands on his hips, a concerned look on his face.

“Enough is enough, Maria. You’re obsessed with this shit. It’s a damn cartoon. You’re getting too old for this.”

Little did my dad know, that was only the beginning.

I could not get enough of this weird thing called “anime”. Why are there eyes so big? Why do all of the girls talk like mice? Why is everything so shiny and overly cute? And why am I crushing on animated men with impossibly good hair?

(Actually, now that I’m here in real life Tokyo, I will say that many Japanese men do have amazing hair. But I digress.)

The worst part was when the friend who got me into it was not into it anymore. Thankfully I had many nerd friends who got the references and would watch whole series with me. But to be honest, it alienated some of my very close friends. Talking about it now, we laugh, but back then it actually drove a big wedge between us that I was unaware of.

“You were obsessed,” one of my good friends would say with a nostalgic chuckle. “All you ever fucking talked about was new episodes, or bishounen. Remember you would all fight over who owned which guy?”

“Thank god you got over that,” my other friend agreed. “It was hard to talk to you sometimes because that was all you were interested in.”

This is surreal for me to hear. I don’t remember being solely focused on anime: I loved classic rock, I was in the marching band, I loved reading, I liked geeky movies. I was that weird Hot Topic nerd in high school, for sure (or I wanted to be, at least) but...was anime really all I talked about?

“YES,” everyone would confirm emphatically.

It’s a surreal experience to finally be in Tokyo after this anime phase has passed. However, it’s not exactly a phase - I watched a series once I came here because I felt compelled to do so. I mean, here I am in Japan, am I really not going to watch what interested me in the culture in the first place? However, watching it as a 27 year old woman, compared to watching it as my 13 year- old self, was a strange experience I was not expecting.

….how did I never notice the blatant sexism?

I’m planning a future post about the series that I watched, but let’s talk about anime in general. I can think of some strong female characters, for sure, but to be honest, in most animes, the female characters are there to look cute, wear tiny outfits that show off their prepubescent bodies, or to offer panty shots or nosebleeds for the male characters (side note: apparently the nose bleed symbolizes a rush of blood to the penis, but animes are not allowed to show erections or else they are considered hentai, or porn. So instead, when a guy is turned on, blood shoots out his nose in a ridiculously dramatic way). Often they’re seen fretting over the food they prepare for their friends, something that is very real in Japanese culture: women are praised when they are able to assemble the perfect bento box. Their strong characteristics are always love and devotion to their friends or a significant other. But can’t a woman be a strong character in ways that do not involve feelings towards others? Why can’t a female character have admirable qualities that are not related to their relationship to other people? We often see the loner type expressed in cold men, wayward samurai who don’t know how to love or who are jaded by war...but rarely do we see women portrayed this way. They are often the loving characters, the characters who are always sorry, gomen nasai, blushing while they spill drops of tea on the table, as though this is the worst thing in the world.

However, there are also many strong female characters in anime, and their strengths are independent of their relationships with others. Some that come to mind are Princess Mononoke, Rei from Evangelion, Winry from FullMetal Alchemist, and Tsunade from Naruto, the first female leader of the ninja village. If you’ve got some other great suggestions, because I know these women exist in anime, then please comment!

But flat female characters aside, let’s talk about the real focus of all of these women: of course, their bodies. The girls who are being sexed up are children, fourteen or fifteen years old. However, their bodies are often drawn much more maturely, with large jiggling breasts and ample asses that are disproportionate to the rest of their bodies.

Listen internet: I walk through Shinjuku and Ikebukuro weekly, and Japanese women do not look like that. The women’s bras here are most often the size of training bras in America. The average body time is very slim with little to no curves, and practically no body fat. As a result: no jiggling ass, no jiggling breasts. (Although I will admit, the random Tokyo breezes that lift girls’ skirts are real - I’ve gotten hit with sudden gusts and flashed the whole sidewalk unintentionally many times…)

And yet, these portrayals of Japanese women are the most popular references in America. I imagine that many tourists would be shocked to see that average Japanese women rarely wear skirts at thigh length, hardly ever show their shoulders even in the summertime, and especially do not show cleavage. Many women wear turtlenecks or long sleeve shirts under their spaghetti string dresses, because the dress alone is considered inappropriate unless you are going to the club. Of course I see young people dressed sexy, in stiletto shoes with thigh tight dresses, their hair dyed a bright strawberry blond; or girls rocking crop tops and baggy pants (currently a popular fashion trend in Japan). In America, the common sex symbol is cleavage; in Japan, it’s legs. I always wondered why the Sailor Scout’s legs were so long and slim, but it makes sense now - the sex appeal. Considering that women often wear baggy pants, it makes sense that showing a lot of leg is considered sexual.

But the most infuriating, most uncomfortable part of this realization thus far, for me, has been maid cafes.

My inner teenager was so excited to go to Akihabara, to see the anime mecca of the world. I felt like I had been waiting to see a place like this since the 8th grade. And that’s just it - in the 8th grade I would have died a thousand deaths to walk through the stories of anime stores, to look at all of the ￥10,000 figurines, to try and collect a new series. But as an old fart….oh sweet Jesus.

The lights. The sounds. The constant assault of everything...oh my god, I wanted to leave as soon as I got out of the subway. In every inch of Akihabara, there is something happening, and it’s flashy, high-pitched, and often wearing an impossibly short skirt. There were some areas where two pop songs were on full blast at the same time, and my brain started to cry. Someone is always shouting Japanese from a loudspeaker, advertising a new band; anime characters are clashing swords together in an over dramatic final duel on a giant gumbo screen; and along the sidewalks, women in their 20’s are dressed as though they are 15, handing out flyers to the maid cafe.

Maid cafes are a well known part of Japanese pop culture. Basically, you pay hourly to sit in a cafe and order adorable food shaped like cute animals that is served to you by girls in adorable outfits. The amount of frill that laces these dresses is no joke:

Admittedly, I totally want an ice cream shaped like a lion. I mean come on, that shit’s adorable. But what’s not adorable is the whole maid culture: these women are not 15, they’re nearly my age, but because of their slim bodies, they are able to pass off as teenagers. And the voices...dear lord. There is no way that someone naturally speaks in such a high-pitched tone. Although women speaking in a high-pitch is considered part of an overall business tone (American women do it too, I’ve noticed, just not as high), the pitch of this speech is...unnatural. As though each were a doll that are speaking because you squeezed their hand or pressed the sticker on their chest.

Standing outside, watching these women advertise with plastic painful smiles on their faces, I realized something I never considered before: all of these women are being forced to act like they are 15 years old because it’s what male customers want. They don’t want to order a call girl, a fully grown woman - they want a girl who is pure, who acts innocent and uncertain, and chances are this kind of girl would be an inexperienced teenager.

It gets better: you can get trading cards.

Now as far as I know, some maid cafes have cartoon trading cards, and others promote certain maid cafe animes. However, you can also get trading cards of the women that work there - with fake names, fake interests that are often devoid of any intelligence or personality, and of course, a fake teen age. There are men who keep these in binders like Pokemon cards, and who wait hours at a cafe to be served by their favorite girl - a very expensive pass time, as customers pay by the hour and, during a rush, have their stay limited by the cafe. These cards can also be signed and autographed photos of the customer with their favorite maid, who will sign it with a practiced autograph of a fake name usually surrounded by cute little hearts, or an animal face.

Maybe I’m being a Debbie Downer, or I have irrational expectations for something that is supposed to be sweet and innocent. But to me, there is something very disturbing about a woman applying for a job where she must act ten years younger, speak in a consistent, unrealistically cheerful tone, and autograph photos of herself with a fake name. Why don’t these men go out and meet real women, with real names and interests? Why do they only feel safe through a simulation of leaching on teenage girls? And why are they allowed to wait hours until their favorite maid comes to work? Stalking is a huge problem in Japan, and I feel this kind of situation is a golden opportunity for a predator to find it’s prey. However, I haven’t been able to find any evidence or proof that the popularity of maid cafes has led to an increase in stalking in Japan.

Has anyone had a positive experience at a maid cafe? Has anyone ever felt uncomfortable going to one? Please share your experiences below - this is only what I’ve seen and how I’ve felt, so I’m curious about other people’s opinions.

Thanks for reading! This whole blog will not be posts like this, I just wanted to get this off my chest (no pun intended).

Articles you may find interesting on this topic:

https://japantoday.com/category/features/lifestyle/the-past-present-and-future-of-maid-cafes

https://uncorneredmarket.com/japan-maid-cafe/

Trigger warning for this article about stalking and domestic abuse:

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/09/10/national/social-issues/japan-waking-menace-stalking/#.WTZ46VV97rc

Disclaimer: I don’t think you’re a pervert/creep if you’ve gone to a maid cafe! I feel like I should go at least once before leaving Tokyo, because it’s such a well known staple of attraction. But...I can’t shake the feeling that I’m contributing to something that is really detrimental to young Japanese girls.

(Pictures are not mine, but I plan on using my own in the future.)

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howlsmovinglibrary · 8 years ago

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Review: Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones

All her life, Liesl has heard tales of the beautiful, dangerous Goblin King. They’ve enraptured her mind, her spirit, and inspired her musical compositions. Now eighteen and helping to run her family’s inn, Liesl can’t help but feel that her musical dreams and childhood fantasies are slipping away. But when her own sister is taken by the Goblin King, Liesl has no choice but to journey to the Underground to save her.

Things I liked about it:

This book in general was a pleasant surprise, utterly defying my expectations of what I thought I’d be reading, but in main part because:

The original pacing and plot shape. I felt like Wintersong could almost have been two books – the majority of the blurb, Liesl’s search for her sister, is only 50% of the book. The search and her battle of wills with the Goblin King was only half of the story, we then see her life in the Underground and the realities of what happens after you make a drastic, split-second decision. This was a very dense story that kept pushing me past where I thought the ending was, constantly giving me new material to think about and process.

The mixture of sources to form a cohesive, understandable world. To be honest, I thought that this was simply going to be a strange and wild Labyrinth retelling, with all the sexual tension made thoroughly explicit rather than implicit. And in part, it is – there are only so many times that ‘thistledown hair’ and ‘light dun coloured breeches’ can be mentioned before David Bowie crops into your head. But this book also draws on other, less weird and illogical, sources, in particular the themes of female-female relationships and sacrifice from Christina Rossetti’s Goblin Market poem.

The ending. Although I do not want to spoil, I think it was a refreshing, emotive but positive conclusion, with perhaps the healthiest outcome for all involved.

Things I disliked:

The privileging of sex over other forms of romance and romantic expression. Without spoilering, a primary theme of the second half of the plot is based on Liesl’s desperation for sex, to a point where it results in her humiliation, and threatens her life. Some sections where Liesl describes her relationship with the Goblin King made me feel incredibly uncomfortable – in a similar way, though in no way to the same extent, as the abstinence porn of Eclipse and Breaking Dawn, where the woman is filled with uncontrolled, desperate desire, and the man uses this as a bargaining tool, from a place of aloof detachment and control. It felt like Liesl conceived her romantic feelings as having no validity unless she was having sex, and also used sex as measure of her value to the Goblin King, which obviously has unfortunate implications in itself, but especially so when sexual desire had fatal consequences (and only for her, obviously). I kind of just wanted her to be in a loving, asexual relationship, where she could compose music and interact romantically with the Goblin King without constantly worrying about why he wouldn’t sleep with her. The invalidation of asexual romance was also seen in this particularly unpleasant quote: ‘when you said chaste, you meant ugly.’ Although this could have been trying to call out the sexism of the man she was speaking to at the time.

Overall Rating: 3.5/5

#wintersong #s. jae-jones #review #ya #the goblin king #retelling #book review

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furiousconnoisseurcomputer-blog · 7 years ago

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Burns Tennessee Cheap car insurance quotes zip 37029

"Burns Tennessee Cheap car insurance quotes zip 37029

Burns Tennessee Cheap car insurance quotes zip 37029

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my job has hsa plan through insurance...anthem.....and my medical card says hsa covered but i didnt activate the account yet and dont want to...decided against it......will i be penalized or act as if i didnt want the plan?

How do you know the address of health insurance company??!?

On the insurance sheet for Band.. it asks Insurance company name: health Choice, then Address: and Phone: how do I know what it is?? There're different contact D:""

How much is car insurance for a 16 year old?

I am a male and I will drive a 91 crx si . none of my parents have caused an accident.

Cost of car insurance in bc?

If the law didn't require you to buy car insurance...?

how many people would buy car insurance?

Driving without insurance in Indiana?

What happens in the state of Indiana if you are caught driving without insurance? I thought it was a 90 day suspension of your license but I have been told otherwise... Also what happens if you are in a wreck without insurance but the passenger DOES have insurance? Does the passenger's insurance have to cover everything?

Auto insurance?

I just found that my auto insurance policy had been expired. ( I am too careless :( ...) .. Meanwhile, I tend to sell my car within 1 month. Do I have to present a new auto insurance card to the AAA service specialist while ceding my car to the buyer?""

Which car would have higher insurance premiums?

I'm trying to figure out what car i want for my 16th birthday.. I've absolutely fell in love with the subaru wrx hatchback. the only thing im worried about is the fact that the insurance rates Might be high. i also like the mazda speed 3 and i was wondering which would be more expensive insurance wise. Also what you think about them being first vehicles. and please no<, you should get a POS for a first vehicle... Thanks in advance!!""

What are some of the cheapest cars to insure for a 16 year old boy?

I'll be getting my license in less than a year from now. I wanted to know what cars are cheap to insure. I don't want a crown vic, I don't want an unreliable car that constantly breaks, and I don't want an unsafe car such as a hyundai accent, chevy cavalier, etc. I want a sturdy car that can withstand an accident, no full size, preferably compact, but I'll settle for mid-size. I was thinking of a saturn because they're cheap and reliable. Or a Ford focus or ford contour. I also want to know if a ford escort is safe and reliable, cuz they seem like good starter cars. Out of these types of cars I've talked about, What makes and models are good? It doesn't have to be what I listed, and I'd like a list or a few cars that are cheap to insure.""

How much is the fine for driving with no car insurance in Ontario?

How much will my car insurance be when I turn 23?

I hear your monthly car insurance payments go down significantly once you're 23. I turn 23 in a few months and currently pay $65/month. How much can I expect it to be after I'm 23?

What is the best company to buy term life insurance?

I'm trying to find a company to purchase term life insurance. I want a good brand and not some scam. Thanks to anyone that replies.

Is there short term car insurance?

I am going on a trip, and i am going to borrow a car from someone, and they don't have insurance on it..I wanted to know if i could get temporary insurance on it..""

""Which monthly expense is more expensive: car payment with insurance, or health insurance?""

Wining and dining, or health insurance? Travel and accomodations, or health insurance? Cigarettes or health insurance? Street drugs or health insurance?""

I recently moved to Brooklyn and I need to find affordable car insurance for my car. Any suggestions?

I know car insurance in NY is not less expensive in general, but any suggestions would help.""

Car insurance !! HELP MEEEEE?

right, i cant find any cheap car insurance but my step dad said i can go on his and it should be alot cheaper ( just for a few yeatrs to save up abit ) but my car is in my name, do i need to change my car into his name ?? Pleasee help be Thank youuu !! xxxxxxx""

Car acccident insurance issue?

I had a faulty accident. I gave my license plate number and registration number to the other party but I forgot to give them my insurance information ? what will happen now?

Are there any affordable insurance companies out there for carpenters?

i need to obtain general liability and workers comp. to start my business. looking for affordable insurance in louisiana, (preferrably in baton rouge).""

Burns Tennessee Cheap car insurance quotes zip 37029

Is term life insurance better than whole life insurance ?

Someone on the radio said he didn't recommend whole life . Why is that ? I am 44 years old and am looking for around $50,000 coverage . What companies would be good for me ? Thanks for your help .""

How to upgrade my current auto insurance?

I'm currently looking for a financed car, but I don't want to make a purchase without first understanding how much my insurance will cost to upgrade to full coverage. I contacted my current auto insurance (GMAC Insurance/National General Insurance). I was told that in order to be quoted for a new car, they would have to delete my car from my policy & put the new car on. I'm not understanding why my car has to be deleted just to get a quote for something I haven't purchased. I'm constantly getting the run around with this. Shouldn't I just be able to be quoted the new car without it affecting my current policy?""

Why is the insurance on my 1982-83 2.5L landie cheeper than my 0.9L corsa W reg?

i just dont see how the insurance on any landie could be cheaper than a corsa, especially as it is my first year driving, does anyone know why this could be?????""

""For pain and suffering money, how much is enough to ask for from your own car ins. company?""

I was in a car accident where the other driver was at fault (under 18 yrs old, no drivers' liscence, no car insurance, failed to yeild). My car was in the shop for 3-4 weeks, I just finished chiropractic care, and my ins. adjuster is going to meet w/ me soon. I have full coverage insurance plus 'uninsured drivers insurance'. So anything my regular car insurance doesn't cover my uninsured insurance pays for anything else. But he also let me know I will be getting 'pain and suffering money. How much should I ask for?!?! I don't even know an estimate of what I should ask for. The worst thing about it is, since the other guy doesn't have insurance, my dealing with my own insurance company. They said after my claim is settled, they will turn around and sue the other driver. I don't want to end up sueing my own car insurance company either. this is my first car accident.""

Could switching to Geico really save you 15 percent or more on car insurance?

Does the early bird catch the worm? Geico. 15 minutes could save you 15 percent or more on car insurance.

What is the initial cost and monthly cost would it be for an auto and home insurance policy?

The vehicle is a 2006 Ford Explorer XL and the square footage of the home is 22,548""

HEY TEENS! How much are you paying for car insurance?

Anyone under 20, what do you pay for auto insurance? And what do you drive? Are you on your parents insurance? Did you use to pay more or less before?""

How much is insurance on a Lamborghini aventador?

I'm not looking to buy one now, but I'm determined to hopefully one day own a Lamborghini aventador roadster. How much would insurance cost through Allstate.? Just curious and it's always helpful to know.""

Breast Reduction/Will my insurance cover it?

I submitted my request through my primary doctor and of course they denied it. However, they sent me an approval to see a plastic surgeon, so I went. She said I was a great candidate and that she will send pictures and notes to my insurance. The insurance hasn't approved the reduction, but again they sent me an approval to get a mammogram done. is that normal? i got it done and of course everything is fine. I called the PS and they are resubmitting my request a long with the mammogram results. Am i on the right track? Do you think they will approve it?""

Gerber Life Insurance?

I'm currently pregnant, but I've received several pieces of mail about this life insurance. I was wondering if anyone has it and what they think about it. It seems like a good plan, but then again, life insurance for a 1 year old seems kind of strange.""

Me and my wife wants to add our 16 year old to our insurance.?

If we tell them he does not have a license yet how much would it cost in Texas

Should I get student health insurance or health insurance through my job?

I'm a fulltime student and I also have a fulltime job. Which would benefit me the most? Health insurance for students or health insurance that my job offers? Also, If I take 1 semester off from school would I still be eligible for student health insurance?""

Affordable Health insurance Ideas?

I enrolled in health insurance that is costing me 92/mth BUT I'm really feeling it as I have many other expenses. Can anyone suggest any low price healthcare insurance for me. currently with Coventry. I need an insurance that has good therapist that make home visits. Thanks

How much of your pay check would you take out for Health insurance?

this is my first job that offers health benefits. I am new to this and having problems deciding if i need to get it or not. My company is offering both HMO and PPO for about the same price. Both cost around 70 per check, but i only make around 850. That is almost 10%. Should i shop around or should i just go ahead and get it or not have insurance at all. I dont even like going to the doctors but i would like to have health insurance just in case. My deductible for ppo is 500. I dont even know what that means. any advice would be helpful. thank you""

How much will my insurance give for my totaled car?

I was in a minor accident (Alone) now my insurance wants to total my car due to a previous accident that wasn't repaired correctly that happened before I purchased the car. How will my insurance decide to pay me? Bought for 8500 and owe 6500.

Car insurance change of address?

My car is registered in upstate but I came to ny recently because of my recently wife. I just leased a brand new car like two weeks ago and they are asking me for proof of residency. I registered the new car in hicksville li not in upstate. So i want to change my car insurance to hicksville but after a week change it back to upstate. Will there be any conflicts with my car insurance? Please help..

Why is it important that all Americans have health insurance?

Currently, health care in America takes care of everyone, regardless of whether or not one has health insurance. By requiring all Americans to have health insurance, will this make our health care system better than it is now?""

Can I get medicaid? (17 weeks pregnant)?

Okay here is the deal, I appreciate all of the help. Okay so I am 17 weeks pregnant and have cigna through my job but when I went to talk to HR today, I will have to be terminated when I take maternity leave because I will only be at the company for 11 months. ( need to be there a year ). So when I give birth, I wont have coverage, that is a bummer! I dunno what else to do but cancel my insurance and get medicaid, something I was trying to avoid but now I don't feel like there is an option, cause I can't cover the baby either with my companies health insurance... argh.. Can i still get medicaid even though I'm so far along??? I'm so scared and dunno wtf to do. Help!!!!!!!!!!!!! and BTW I am in the state of FL""

""Nice looking cars, with cheap insurance rates,under 10000?""

I'm looking to get rid of my mr2 turbo cuz I need something with at least 4 seats. I want it to be good looking (I'm a 20 year old male) but cheap on insurance(full coverage). I live in Cali if that has to do with anything. I been considering mazda 3s, mazda 6, acura tl (doubt insurance is cheap on these) and honda civic si. I'm not looking for quotes just ideas on what cars are cheap to keep those in mind while I shop. Thanks""

Will my insurance rates go up because of my dad's ticket?

My dad got a speeding ticket tonight. I am under my parents car insurance, but I still pay myself and they bill me directly, but because there are three cars under the policy it cost less for me and that is why I choose to be on their policy. I own my car. But will my premium go up now because of his speeding ticket?""

Is there a site I can get insurance quotes online without someone calling me?

I'm trying to compair car insurance companys and renter's insurance, but I just want a estimate. All the sites I try tell me that an agent will contact me. I really just want to compare prices over the internet.""

Where can i find cheap car insurance for a 17 year old male?

Its really starting to get on my nervse that i can not find any cheap insurance anywhere! Why do insurance companies in the UK want to make life so hard for young drivers? Yeah stasticaly the majority of us crash our cars. But why should the small majority of young drivers like my self have to pay the price and live with this stereotype by paying RIDICULOUS amounts of money?

Car insurance for girls?

I am 18 and looking at starting my driving lessons and buying a car, BUT insurance is so expensive for a first time driver. Does anyone know what the cheapest car will be for me to insure,?? Thanks.""

Whats the cheapest auto insurance companies for 18 year olds?

I'm driving a 2010 Scion TC without any wrecks or anything.

Can i getmy licence removed and get my vehicle inspected and get my car insurance on the same day?

ok here is the dilemma im a marine stationed at camp lejuene and im going back to new york in a few days. i need to get my license and my registration, inspection and car insurance in a few days(like 3)will my license go right into the system so i can go call my insurance company (usaa) and get insurance on it the same day then go back to the DVM and get the car registration. thxs kinda freaking bout this""

Burns Tennessee Cheap car insurance quotes zip 37029

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