#aunties duology

[youritalianbookpal]

Top 10 books for 2023

I tried to give this some order but I am not the most organized being alive. I am proud of having read 49 books, and I take it as a symbol of the fact that I have finally been able, in the past few years, to go back to reading. My love for books and words got me through hard times, and now that I'm doing better and I can make more time for myself, I'm glad I can dedicate myself to this.

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

Most beautiful and haunting book I've ever read. Kind of hope no book will ever hurt me like this ever again. I loved it but at the same time I had to talk to my therapist best friend multiple times about this because the damage it could have done to me...

Still. Most beautiful book of the year.

2. Beautiful World Where Are You by Sally Rooney

Sally Rooney gets me in ways I'm not sure I want people I know to get me, let alone a random book I pick up because I liked Normal People like three years ago.

3. Palestinian Trilogy by Mahmoud Darwish

Anthology made up by Journal of an Ordinary Grief (1973), Memory of Forgetfullness (1987), and In the Presence of Absence (2009). It's one of the most poetic and heartbreaking books I've ever read, and one of the books I have been recommending since I finished it in early 2023.

4. Ghosts by Dolly Aderton

Dolly Alderton also gets me in ways I'd rather perople not get me, and she makes me laugh a lot. And cry.

5. The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Silvia Moreno-Garcia could write a grocery's list and I would read it and love it.

6. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

Technically a reread, but this was my favorite book at 17 and I'm glad it still is as beautiful as I remember.

7. The Wicked King by Holly Black

I technically rated Queen of Nothing higher than Wicked King but... I think this is more dramatic and iconic and if I have to choose between a kidnapping and an exile I'll always choose the kidnapping.

8. Tutta intera by Espérance Hakuzwimana

Best Italian novel I read in several years. If it doesn't get translated in 204610464 languages then what's the point.

9. Tre ciotole by Michela Murgia

This year we also lost author and activist Michela Murgia. It still feels like I lost my cool auntie, and I know it shouldn't, but it does. To cope I read this and... yeah.

10. If Cats Disappeared from the World by Genki Kawamura

If we consider how short it is and how much I cried reading it... it was probably a sob every two pages.

Honorable mentions:

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (not incluced because I wanted to keep only 1 book per author).

Foul Lady Fortune by Chloe Gong (extremely tough decision between this and Genki Kawamura, but I had to go with the book that made me cry the most. I will remember 2023 as the year of the Shanghai duologies though, and this is by far my favorite book of the series).

[marcmarcmomarc]

Lucien Dodge - Storks, Trolls

Christopher Flowers - Turbo, Pitch Perfect 2, the Secret Life of Pets duology, Sing

Gaille Heideman - Hotel Transylvania, Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, Despicable Me 2, Partysaurus Rex, Mr. Peabody & Sherman, Minions, Hotel Transylvania 3

Hannah Johnson - A Bug’s Life, The Angry Birds Movie

Leilani Jones-Wilmore - The Nightmare Before Christmas, the Monsters, Inc. duology, the Finding Nemo duology, Shrek 2, the Cars trilogy, the High School Musical trilogy, Ratatouille, Cars Toons: Mater’s Tall Tales, Up, The Princess and the Frog, Alice in Wonderland (2010), Toy Story 3, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, The Social Network, Gnomeo and Juliet, Brave, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, The Radiator Springs 500 1/2, Annie (2014), Inside Out, The Good Dinosaur, Despicable Me 3, The Boss Baby: Family Business, Sing 2, Hotel Transylvania 4: Transformania, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Trolls Band Together

J.P. Karliak - The Emoji Movie, The Angry Birds Movie 2

Miles Neff - The Incredibles, Despicable Me

Laura Post - Planes, The Peanuts Movie, Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, The Boss Baby, West Side Story

Darrin Revitz - Cars Toons: Tales from Radiator Springs, Auntie Edna, Toy Story 4, Lamp Life, Cars on the Road

[stromuprisahat]

Do you think Shu Han dissecting Grishi is inspired by unit 731? I know she said Grisha are based on Jewish people, and it would make sense thematically for medical horrors to be done to Grishi. But to make the evil scientists specifically East Asian given how infamous unit 731 is-idk if it's a reach but the vibes are off. I don't think I need to explain how bad it is if LB really did stick a RL atrocity done by the imperial Japanese government(who was allied to Nazi Germany) to Chinese and Russian citizens to her China-inspired country

I wanted to say no, and point out LB's lack of research on anything, but auntie wiki says:

Unit 731 was responsible for some of the most notorious war crimes committed by the Japanese armed forces. It routinely conducted tests on people who were dehumanized and internally referred to as "logs". Experiments included disease injections, controlled dehydration, biological weapons testing, vivisection, amputation, and standard weapons testing. Victims included not only kidnapped men, women (including pregnant women) and children, but also babies born from the systemic rape perpetrated by the staff inside the compound. The victims came from different nationalities, with the majority being Chinese and a significant minority being Russian. Additionally, Unit 731 produced biological weapons that were used in areas of China not occupied by Japanese forces, which included Chinese cities and towns, water sources, and fields. Estimates of those killed by Unit 731 and its related programs range up to half a million people, and none of the inmates survived.

... and yes, that looks like exactly the kind of thing she would use with utter lack of understanding or sensitivity of approach.

I've always thought she split up German Nazi methods between Shu and Fjerdans. One gaining Mengele, the other mostly systematic extermination. After both duologies we know Fjerdans like cutting and biochemistry too, perhaps even more than Shu. I'm not sure if Japanese experiments were its inspiration, but impregnating Grisha, while getting them addicted to enhancing drug would fit the description above.

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

🦇 Good morning, bookish bats! It's been a while since I've bothered you all with a challenge! If you're seeing this, consider yourself tagged!

𝙎𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩 🩷 Finlay Donovan - Elle Cosimano 🩷 Stars and Smoke - Marie Lu 🩷 The Sunbearer (Duology) - Aiden Thomas 🩷 Powerless - Lauren Roberts

𝙎𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙪𝙚 💜 Truly Devious - Maureen Johnson 💜 Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mysteries - Mia P. Manansala 💜 Meant to Be - Various 💜 Teen Titans - Kami Garcia & Gabriel Picolo

𝙎𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙨𝙝 💙 If Shakespeare Were an Auntie - Nisha Sharma 💙 Legacy of Orisha - Tomi Adeyemi Letters of Enchantment (Duology) - Rebecca Ross 💙 Iron Widow (Duology?) - Xiran Jay Zhao 💙 The Locked Tomb - Tamsyn Muir

❓QOTD: What's a series you love that you want to recommend? Gimme allll the recs!

[nessietwihard02]

✨✨✨𝓗𝓮𝓵𝓵𝓸, 𝓫𝓸𝓸𝓴𝓲𝓼𝓱 𝓯𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓷𝓭𝓼!✨✨✨⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣ 𝐐𝐎𝐓𝐃: What’s a book/series that you were so excited over but once you p’ve received them, they’re all collecting dust in your TBR shelves?😂⁣ ⁣ 𝐀𝐎𝐓𝐃: I’ve hunted copies of this duology for quite a while, with the intention of bingeing them as soon as they were delivered. Well, fast forward to 2 years and they’re still unread and sealed🤣 I even brought them to Iloilo to sorta get me to finally read them but no dice😂⁣ ⁣ Feeling a little under the weather because Aunty Flow is wrecking havok and I think my wisdom tooth’s about to sprout (is this even the correct way to describe it?)🤧 Keeping this short and sweet so I wish you all a good rest of Tuesday✨⁣ ⁣ #TheBookwormPrincess👸🏻⁣ ⁣ #bibliophile #bookstagram #books #readersofig #igreads #booklover #bookaholic #mybookfeatures #bookstagramcommunity #booklovers #PageTurnersPH #bookstagramfeaturesonly #booksbooksbooks⁣ #bookish #bookworm⁣ #WeHuntTheFlame #WeFreeTheStars #HafsahFaizal https://www.instagram.com/p/Cpfet08Lr34/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[overflowingtbr]

2023 reading goals

okay so, my New Year’s resolution for this year is to purchase less books (lol) and to actually try and read the books I currently own before purchasing any new books (let’s see how long this lasts).

since my actual tbr is quite honestly ridiculous, my 2023 reading list is condensed to books in the following categories:

bedside table:

crooked house - agatha christie

the midnight bargain - c. l. polk

takeaway: stories from behind the counter - angela hui

normal people - sally rooney

restore me - tahereh mafi

how to kill your family - bella mackie

the bride test - helen hoang

act your age, eve brown - talia hibbert

beasts of prey - ayana grey

dial a for aunties - jesse sutanto

my killer vacation - tessa bailey

cleopatra and frankenstein - coco mellors

my year of rest and relaxation - ottessa moshfegh

books from fairyloot (as of 5 jan 2023):

princess of souls - alexandra christo

the ones we burn - rebecca mix

the vicious grace - emily thiede

the undertaking of hart and mercy - megan banner

one dark window - rachel gillig

foul lady fortune - chloe gong

an arrow to the moon - emily x.r. pan

the darkening - sunya mara

violet made of thorns - gina chen

blood scion - deborah falaye

poster girl - veronica roth

twin crowns - catherine doyle

spells for forgetting - adrienne young

defy the night - brigid kemmerer

the ballad of never after - stephanie garber

the stardust thief - chelsea abdullah

belladonna - adalyn grace

only a monster - vanessa len

babel - r. f. kuang

her majesty's royal coven - juno dawson

daughter of the pirate king - tricia levenseller

daughter of the siren queen - tricia levenseller

year of the reaper - makiia lucier

book of night - holly black

city of dusk - tara sim

e-books already started:

the bridge kingdom - danielle jensen

hearts in winter - carrie elks

chasing her fire - claire kingsley

throttled - lauren asher

dirty headlines - l. j. shen

audiobooks already started:

the bone witch - rin chupeco

series already started:

defy me - tahereh mafi

our violent ends - chloe gong

the heart principle - helen hoang

brutal prince - sophie lark

the millionaire's crush - nadia lee

the heart forger / the shadowglass - rin chupeco

total: 49

I'll edit this list through the year (as the FL list will grow in no doubt) and cross off books that I end up reading.

Edit #1: I actually have more books on the floor next to my bedside table so +6 for me from 42.

Edit #2: Read one from the list, but received my FL editions of the Daughter of the Pirate King duology... +1 to 49 books on this list.

[nerdynatreads]

☆☆YouTube | Tumblr | Instagram | Storygraph ☆☆

book review || Four Aunties & a Wedding by Jesse Q. Sutanto

video review || TLDR Version -- September Wrap Up || 13 books!

Welp, this was a bit of a letdown. I think this sequel just took everything up a notch from the previous book, but that took the comedy from genuinely funny to cringey and too drawn out. I was definitely suffering from secondhand embarrassment throughout this.

I still love Meddy and her relationship with her Aunties. The romance was still cute, though I wish Nathan had been more involved in trying to resolve the drama this time around. I was more annoyed at Meddy constantly lying to him than anything else in the book.

The plot was… fine? It had some highs and some lows in regard to the ridiculous shenanigans they get into. As for the twist, I guessed it in chapter 5, so I wasn’t surprised at all and had just spent most of the book waiting for Meddy to put this together.

I wouldn’t say this was a BAD book, it was just a disappointment in comparison to the first, unfortunately.

3 / 5 stars

[swanmaids]

8, 19 and 22 for the book ask?

8. Favourite book read this year?

I really loved A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin, which is a collection of short stories that draw heavily from her own life, including themes alcoholism, low-paid work and motherhood. I found these stories to be beautifully crafted, with wonderful prose and yet often brutal final lines. I'm sure I've also mentioned Octavia Butler's Earthseed duology on here before, but those two books were also excellent- easily the best dystopia I've ever read, with absolutely fantastic character work.

19. What's a book that you love that other people don't get?

I don't know if I'd say they don't get it, but I know a lot of people hate Sayaka Murata's Earthlings, which I adored. And I get it- a quick scan of the triggers will tell you this book is not for everyone. But I see a lot of people dismissing it as gratuitous gore and misery which I'd strongly disagree with. I thought it was a brilliant exploration of alienation and cyclical violence that I haven't been able to stop thinking about!

22. A book you didn't expect to love as much as you did?

And now for a totally different type of book...I borrowed the audiobook of Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Sutanto from the library app on a whim and didn't know if I'd finish it since it was marketed as a romance, which I'm typically eh on. And while I did find the romance part underwhelming, the combination of murderous-comedy-of-errors and wholesome mother-daughter relationship really worked for me. Also, this book is hilarious. I had to stop listening in public because I couldn't keep myself from laughing.

[herglowinggirl]

Hello, familiar anon here, I didn't ask the question about an SOK ending where Yun lives and gains redemption. I also wouldn't mind having my own tag. I haven't found any other evidence of Yun shipping Kyoshi and Rangi outside of "The Boy From Makapu". How does Kyoshi view Yun later in her life( up to the first year after "The Meeting", creating Kyoshi Island nearly 25 years later, the last years of her life)? Would Kyoshi ever mention or talk about Yun after the events of The Shadow of Kyoshi?

hello! and yes I have some thoughts on this and how it would impact the advice Kyoshi gave to Roku and Aang. this got long but I’d love to break down parts of it to write fic, which I think I will do and perhaps post before Kyoshi Fortnight. But I digress, it’s long enough that I have decided to use subtitles. If anything skip to the end about the advice she gave Roku and Aang I think it’s most relevant to what I want to say and also my favorite part.

what I talk about under the cut: the ways I believe yun’s death would impact kyoshi’s actions after tsok and what the advice she gave aang and roku actually means (my thoughts on “only justice will bring peace” means)

would kyoshi talk about yun during her lifetime?

Yes. First off, it would be impossible to avoid him in the political landscape, because it is mentioned that he passed lots of judgements and signed treaties, ect. Although Kyoshi has grown in her leadership style and it’s turned a little (a lot) anti-establishment, she would still need to deal with the fallout of Yun not being the Avatar, because there would be a need to re-sign treaties and settle disputes with people seeking to take advantage of others now that the Avatar has “changed” would have to be dealt with and in tandem, Yun’s legacy.

But also, in a duology that features grief, I find it a natural continuation of the narrative that Yun would be mourned. You don’t stop knowing or loving someone after they pass, and I feel like mourning all of Yun—the boy he was, where he came from, his legacy, the decisions he made, the impact he had on the people around him, even how he hurt people—is only natural and is slightly unavoidable. I think Kyoshi mourns all of her deceased loved ones. 

Just, like the concept of this: she’s always hated pai sho but now when she faces a board in her gut and in her throat things feel wrong because it reminds her of what Yun had to do to survive. A breeze smells like the flour and air Kelsang sent into her face the moments before everything changed. She collects pebbles that Lek would’ve liked. Rangi brings her fire lilies for an anniversary and she starts crying. She sings songs with Wong that were her parent’s favorites that coincidentally, Kelsang knew too.

community in grief and kyoshi’s relationships

He was Rangi’s friend, too. Auntie Mui and Hei-Ran are sure to mourn him in their own ways. In tSoK Kyoshi calls her team Avatar a group of contradictions and misfits and in his way, Yun was too. The false Avatar. What a title! 

A continuation of the concept: Rangi and Kyoshi remind each other of him every day for a while, swapping stories about him when it gets to be too much, making eye contact when they can hear his voice making light of something stupid an official has said. Hei-Ran makes her do drills she made Yun do. Auntie Mui makes his favorite dish on his birthday that they do not pass in silence, because then what would they be, that group of misfits, to forget another outcast? If they don’t mourn the boy from Yokoya who will mourn them, or who would’ve mourned them if they hadn’t been so lucky? Who will care for the beggars and orphans of the world if not the Avatar who was once one of them and her companions? In a way, the retribution and pain of it all is justice for the life that Kyoshi took. Like, there’s just so much to unpack in the way she says “Was I right about anything at all? What will they say about me? Avatar Kyoshi, who killed her friend because she couldn’t save him?” But I don’t think her guilt would silence her. 

That being said, Yun was fundamentally a victim of a system that failed him. The same one that failed Kyoshi. In another way, her actions are justice on a world that failed her and her best friend and the similarities they shared, and she’s able to take those actions because of the way that Yun impacted her, for better or for worse. So yes, I think during her lifetime, she would speak of Yun and who he was, not letting people forget the ways they (and she) failed him and how easily everyone wants to forget their failure. It brings me to the way she was so angry with the Earth Kingdom establishment for discarding him and trying to hide history away. I don’t think she’d ever do that, even if she did...uh, dispatch him.

kyoshi, immortality, and her role as an avatar

I’d like to turn to two passages:

Kyoshi: “The way you describe it, you’d have to decide what version of yourself you’d be stuck as, forever.”

Lao Ge: “Exactly! Those who grow, live and die. The stagnant pool is immortal, while the clear flowing river dies an uncountable number of deaths.”

and

In the future, perhaps, she’d become finalized like carved stone. It would be easier to deal with the world then. She could only hope.

[...]

She still had to be careful not to lose her balance and fall. Kyoshi kept her eyes focused on her difficult path, sometimes stumbling but making sure to catch herself, taking one step at a time.

This isn’t directly related to what I think she would say, but more about how she lets her experiences, and therefore, her experiences and relationship with Yun, affect who she is. Here, F.C. Yee is detailing the person we see in her cameo in A:tLA. It’s a testament to her growth, yes, but also to how she lived so long. She’s allowed to grow now, while she’s young and still learning. But eventually Kyoshi’s growth will wane, leaving us with the iron woman we saw in A:tLA. 

Remember when I said I would call F.C. Yee a sap for the very last Kyoshi POV line? It’s the last sentence in my second excerpt, is that Kyoshi is allowing herself make mistakes. It’s pretty obviously a little deeper than the concept of walking down a slope: She became one of the most revered Avatars, we know how her story ends, if not lots of the in-betweens, but F.C. Yee tells us right here in that sentence. She changed and she learned. 

I think, however, that eventually she had to pick a place to stop in order to stop aging. If I had to pick a point where she became “immortal” I’d pick Rangi’s peaceful and timely death surrounded by her loved ones on Yokoya (not Kyoshi Island since I’m going to maintain that her A;tLA cameo was “immortal” Kyoshi) and I think Lao Ge killed her—or at least convinced her to let go.

further thoughts on her longevity: rangi’s role and future

Ok before anybody comes into my inbox like “um zey herglowinggirl I need you to know that actually Rangi also lived to 230 😌″ because I understand the sentiment it’s more like here’s what I’d like to discuss: Kyoshi can’t be immortal around Rangi because Rangi is in so many ways her catalyst for growth. First off, it would be completely out of character for Rangi to be immortal, because she’s constantly moving and being and feeling and judging and that changes her. Positive jing. And Lao Ge says it: “those who grow, live and die.” Rangi believes in the best and strives for the best, for perfection. For Kyoshi to freeze herself and become immortal, that would require picking an imperfect state. And as we know, Sei’naka women do not accept imperfection 😤. 

Although Rangi promises to always be by Kyoshi’s side, I think in the latter years of Kyoshi’s live it’s more like the impact that Rangi has had on her in that frozen state. That voice of Rangi’s is part of Kyoshi in those years. However, without Rangi, it is unlikely that Kyoshi will always or commonly choose to act on it. It’s stated multiple times throughout the novels that Rangi is Kyoshi’s center and that she doesn’t know who she’d be without Rangi, but I think the logical conclusion is immortal. With Rangi’s death she becomes her own center by stopping her growth; with Rangi’s death she just becomes...that stone she was talking about, where it does get easier to make decisions because you’re not striving to constantly change and grow. It’s almost a coping mechanism, if you will. Because Kyoshi is more than Rangi, can function without Rangi, it’s just not necessarily pretty.

lao ge’s role and future

Which brings me to my “in my personal version of canon Lao Ge kinda maybe killed Kyoshi” point. Rangi is in no way Kyoshi’s morality, but she is very much the idealistic ‘better’ half. With this catalyst of hope and change gone, I think back to the creation of the Dai Li—it very much sounds to me like something Jianzhu would do. Kyoshi, who had previously been the breakdown of negotiations, created a secret op police force? 

I think the moment Kyoshi started being the establishment, the moment she was the band-aid instead of the solution (much like Yun was, hint hint) Lao Ge would’ve paid her a visit. Either this or the creation of the Dai Li created a catalyst for perhaps an existential crisis, perhaps just being tired, perhaps simply knowing what is best...Kyoshi is, and always will be, a sworn criminal who cannot uphold the law, only her own judgements. She is both the law and the breaking and bending of it, and when she loses this balance when Rangi falls from her side and she becomes her own rock I think it would swing her away from her center, and this is where she becomes immortal. Eventually, it would become enough of an issue for people to intervene and tell her that her time as an Avatar is coming to an end. 

advice to future avatars

This is my favorite point and I’ll tie it back to Yun in just a second. I have posted about thinking about the impact of Yun’s death on Kyoshi and how that would’ve impacted her legacy and the advice she gave Roku and Aang before. Honestly what strikes me is how proud Kyoshi would be of Aang. The way that each Avatar must learn to forge their own way and become their own person and what their era needs, balancing themselves, is something so lovely. I think Kyoshi would’ve absolutely loved how Aang took the advice of his predecessors and said “no, I know what would be better for me,” and I think post-tSoK Kyoshi, who has learned she has to forge her own way and style as a leader, would love and be so proud of him for that. 

However, that doesn’t mean that her advice doesn’t have weight. I think mainly her “immortal” phase would perhaps have an impact on the way Yun impacts her advice. I think “only justice will bring peace” also speaks to the finality of death. Just like immortality, death keeps growth from happening. “only justice will bring peace” is also a nod to the way you must learn to cope with your actions and the way you feel about them. It’s also about Aang’s inner peace, which is something I don’t think I’ve ever seen mentioned. Everyone always wants to talk about what he should’ve done and how Kyoshi was right because she told Aang about her choice to let Chin die, but I think she actually guided him to the idea that you should be ok with yourself. To be confident in what you do and take up responsibility for your actions. Kyoshi wasn’t telling him murder was good. She was telling him she owned up to her actions and chose to make those decisions as an Avatar. To me, this finality speaks of growth after Yun’s death and the end of tSoK. She has grown and then frozen, but that means she has changed.

And although I don’t have an answer for what advice she might’ve given Roku, I think it’s a good way to interpret this. The only thing keeping Kyoshi from being honest about Yun’s death is the fact that Zoryu has “Yun” locked up. I think this is likely one of her biggest regrets, that she cannot be honest and responsible for something that weighs so heavily on her soul. This, I think, guides her advice. Only justice will bring peace. Now that I’ve thought it out, perhaps it wasn’t Lao Ge, and perhaps it was the idea that Yun had never been done justice and perhaps that turmoil never changed, which made her long-lived but not quite immortal. She cannot quite know the peace of death nor of life.

I think she must’ve told Roku that no matter what, he must accept the consequences of what he does. He’s not willing to loose that friendship and I think Kyoshi would’ve understood that, and the questions Roku would’ve had to pose himself as an Avatar. That is Kyoshi’s advice. Only justice, true justice in the form of accountability and self-actualization as a leader, will allow you to make good decisions. The acceptance of this: that whatever he does, he must be willing to accept it’s legacy, learn from it, and teach the next Avatar just as she let Yun’s death affect her leadership and what she taught. And I think that’s probably incredibly poetic, even if I’m getting a bit ahead of myself. 

[seeinganewlight]

book tag game - tagged by @onceupon-a-decembr, thank you, lindsay!

favorite book from this year: 

our violent ends by chloe gong, dial a for aunties by jesse q. sutanto, fat chance, charlie vega by crystal maldonado, malibu rising by taylor jenkins reid, as good as dead by holly jackson, ace of spades by faridah àbíkê-íyímídé  - there are for sure more, those are just the first that came to mind!

ebooks, audiobooks, or print: 

i love all 3 for different reasons. nothing will ever beat print and the feeling of a book in your hands + the smell of paper and ink. ebooks are so wonderful for travel purposes as well as a way to take advantage of online libraries and freeing up shelf space. audiobooks have kind of changed my life because of how much i work, so i love them because i can read while doing anything!

top 5 of all time: 

if we were villans by m.l. rio

little women by louisa may alcott

les miserables by victor hugo

these violent delights by chloe gong

romeo and juiet by william shakespeare

(really i picked based on books i read/think about the most)

faves for: 

sci-fi: the hunger games series by suzanne collins  

contemporary/romance: anything by morgan matson, anything by emma lord, not here to be liked by michelle quach, fat chance, charlie vega by crystal maldonado - i could go on, there are a lot of contemporary books i love

historical: les miserables by victor hugo, little women by louis may alcott

fantasy: these violent delights duology by chloe gong 

queer: the seven husbands of evelyn hugo by taylor jenkins reid and red, white and royal blue by casey mcquiston

top 3 book couples:

marius x cosette

juliette x roma

james x oliver

top 3 book characters:

nancy drew

amy / jo march

juliette cai

meredeith dardenne (yes i added a 4th for my love meredith)

book(s) with potential that didn’t quite pull it off:

unpopular book opinion, we were liars was horrible. it had so much potential and yet...

book(s) that got you through something:

les mis literally made me reevaluate my entire life + existence at 17, so i think that counts

book(s) you’d recommend:

any listed above

a genre you want a book recommended from:

mystery/thriller - it’s my favorite genre so i’m always looking for more recs! (preferably books by authors of color)

tagging: anyone who wants to! (i’m just too lazy to tag people right now tbh

[crusherthedoctor]

The Lutrudis Hadeer Characterization Masterpost

A while back, I made a big post about the thought process that went into the design for Lutrudis, as well as her name, species, and choice of weapons. In the midst of doing a bunch of other stuff (like the Eggman Sweet or Shite review, which is definitely still coming guys I swear, please don't leave me D':), I recently figured I could do the same for the character's... well, character, and provide some further insight into how her personality was shaped together. Cause why not, right?

Obviously, we won't be covering literally every single personality trait that Trudy has, like her hobbies and whatnot. If we went over all of that, we'd be so far into the future that Tumblr's search system might actually start working again. No, we'll just be keeping it to the central ingredients that make up the overall package.

1. A cool head? In my Sonic OC?

The recurring cast in the Sonic universe is filled with fiery, hot-blooded sorts in one way or another. Sonic might as well be the love child of Mentos and Diet Coke with how full of energy he is, Knuckles and Amy are both prone to letting their temper do the talking, Eggman... is Eggman, and the list goes on. And while there are a number of characters who are more low-key or even outright introverted by comparison, they still tend to exhibit a trait or two that makes them more in-line with the rest of the crowd, be it youthful excitement (Tails, Cream), a fiery temper (Blaze), or the odd bit of cockiness (Shadow).

So what better way to help make Trudy stand out... than by not really having anything like that at all? Contrary to most of the hot-blooded cast, it takes a lot to truly enrage her, and even then, you'll be lucky to get anything past tranquil fury. She's not particularly hammy either - flowery with her language at times, certainly, but not hammy - nor is she a cocky type, even against the weakest or most ridiculous of opponents, and although she does grow as a person over the course of the story she's involved in, all of this remains fairly consistent.

That's not to say that Trudy is not a passionate person. Far from it, in fact. She has a lot of passion. She just shows it in a different way than the average Sonic character.

2. Lutrudis? More like Unsureofdis.

Uncertain characters are also somewhat rare in Sonic's recurring cast (at least in the game universe), and just like with the previous point, even when they're there, they'll usually have something to counter it. Blaze may have been a bit insecure before meeting and befriending Sonic and Co, but as mentioned, she’s got a fierce temper, and even when she started off on her own, she felt that only she could take care of the threat of Eggman and Inferior Eggman Nega. Likewise, while Silver may have doubted himself about Leslie the Crack Dealer’s Iblis Trigger ruse cruise, he still got cocky when he had Sonic on the ropes, and he could be quite full of himself in the Rivals duology as well.

The point being, they still tend to show some semblance of the same “yep, I'm the one for the job, no questions asked” confidence and swagger that nearly everyone else has, no matter the flavor. Trudy, suffice to say, does not have this mentality. Trudy accepting Sonic and Co's help in dealing with sinister affairs in Viridonia without any haughty protest on her part isn't just because she knows they can handle it, or because they're Sonic Heroes and they'll show 'em the real superpower of teamwork... it's also because she's genuinely not sure if she would be able to take care of the matter on her own.

When she saved Cream from the wrath of the Wraith for example, she wasn't thinking “This looks like a job for Miss Hadeer!”

She was thinking “This could very well get me killed, but I have to help the poor bunny somehow...”

In other words, Trudy doesn't consider herself to be some sort of destined protector who has to do this herself. She constantly second guesses herself, and frequently believes her friends are more qualified and competent than she is. Her only reason for doing her best and helping out regardless is simply because she wants to.

3. A light at the end of the tunnel.

For the sake of tact, it's not shoved in your face relentlessly, but reading between the lines, it can be easy to get a sense of melancholy from Trudy. Particularly due to past experiences, she does indeed have an element of depression within her, and this can occasionally show in her body language and facial expressions, even if she's currently feeling positive emotions.

And yet, notice how she continues being a friendly pony. Notice how regardless of her experiences, and her thoughts on said experiences, her actual behaviour is (mostly) free of bitterness or cynicism, and that she doesn't hide the joy that her new friends make her feel. She's not outright ignoring her experiences or pretending they don’t affect her, because they clearly have affected her, and she's never ignored her scars (metaphorically and literally, the latter being a permanent side-effect of her condition), but she knows better than to let it consume her, so she tries her best to look at the bright side of life even during the darkest days.

It's Sonic's opinion that Trudy's inner spirit is a lot stronger than she thinks, with or without his help. Her refusal to give into misery and lash out at the world foreshadows that he's not unjustified in that belief. That, and it ties into the franchise’s usual taste for optimism and idealism against the odds.

4. Hadeer? More like Hadork.

So, everything thus far helps set Trudy up as a mellow, down-to-earth sort of personality. So far, so good. However, it's still the Sonic the Hedgehog universe we're talking about, filled with many colorful characters of all shapes, sizes, and eccentricities. When a franchise has a larger than life cast in a larger than life world, the characters who are meant to be grounded often risk coming off as boring and could end up easily overshadowed, because the creators or writers often neglect to give them any quirks of their own, usually out of fear that it'll disgrace the character's gracefulness. In fact, I personally feel this was a common problem with Sally, in both SatAM and Archie (mostly pre-reboot admittedly).

IMO, these writers are just being plain old silly. Just because a character is quirky doesn't mean they forfeit all their dignity altogether. Like a lot of things in life, you just have to balance it out, and that's what I did (or tried to do...) with the green equine.

So yes, Trudy is elegant, but she's also a really goofy dancer. Yes, she's gentle and motherly, but she also goes back and forth between being a heavy sleeper and being an insomniac. Yes, she serves as a warmhearted auntie figure for Cream (and a big sister figure for Amy), but she also spends a quarter of her time looking like a ninja with the way her bandana covers her face (whether it be due to cold weather, strong scents triggering her sensitive nose, or doing it in the presence of villains as a mildly theatrical way of visually conveying her disdain for them).

And of course, in the right situation, she can be just as much of a dork as the titular blue hedgehog is.

Which leads me to my next point...

5. “You might know everything I'm going to do...”

Trudy was created with the intention of having a character who is actually like Sonic himself in a lot of ways, but it's not apparent initially.

This sort of yin-yang contrasting routine has been done before a few times in the series, with Knuckles, Shadow and Blaze being the most obvious examples. But with them, their similarities are easier to spot from a distance. Knuckles is more earth than wind, but you can tell he's as stubborn as Sonic is. Shadow's methods and outlook differ, but you can tell he's still a mirror of Sonic (cause you know, he looks like him). Blaze is more distant, but you can tell how she can easily be just as worked up and angered as Sonic.

With Trudy however, if you take her at face value, you would think she's the exact opposite of Sonic. She's an introvert, he's an extrovert. She's got a calm temperament, he can get impatient even at the best of times. She's quite fancy, he's more rough and tumble. She takes things slowly, he leaps ahead without a care in the world... You would think that, outside of them both fighting for good, they would have nothing in common, and that their dynamic would be more akin to Sonic's relationship with Sally, which although they were friends, their relationship could often be somewhat rocky due to their differences in... basically every area and opinion imaginable.

But then you get to know Trudy, and the unfolding of the adventure reveals the rest of what she has to offer. The aforementioned soldiering on in spite of any depressed moments is in itself a small hint that Trudy shares Sonic's philosophy of never giving up. She believes that most people are good at their core, and while she won't excuse especially evil people or actions and will punish them appropriately (albeit with regret that it had to come to that), she's willing to give a chance to those who are willing to take it, just like with the Blue Blur. Not only does she NOT find Sonic's jokes and hijinks annoying, she actually has a similar sense of humor herself. And while reasonable people generally tend to loathe injustice and oppression, Trudy shares Sonic's uniquely intense contempt for it, and believes in one's own personal freedom just as much as the hedgehog does, let alone freedom in general.

In short, Trudy is what you get when you take Sonic's deeper qualities and general outlook on life, and apply them to a more introverted and taciturn personality. The exact same beliefs, but from a different perspective, so to speak.

6. A different kind of intelligence.

Tails and Eggman are the resident kings of scientific prowess in Sonic's world, and it goes without saying that I wouldn't want to do them a disservice by having Trudy one-up them in that department. But that doesn't mean your character can’t be talented in other areas, right? Contrary to what all those Mary Sue tests dictate, your character can in fact have a high IQ without intruding on an official character’s territory.

Therefore, Trudy is pretty good at innovation and craftsmanship in her own right, but whereas Tails and Eggman do it through technology, her field of expertise is more to do with arts and crafts, and to a lesser extent geology. For example, both her bow and her whip were crafted by the lady herself, using nothing but her decorative knowledge and flair.

Outside of that, she tends to know a fair bit about a lot of things in the world, largely attributed to her photographic memory, meaning she's bound to have a few answers no matter the subject of discussion. Granted, she's unlikely to be the absolute number one expert on any of those things, but she's at least a useful jack of all trades in that regard.

7. Feeling a little horse.

I very much approve and flat out adore the idea of Sonic characters having characteristics that remind the audience of what species they're supposed to be, so I made sure that Trudy had a wide selection of little mannerisms that would reveal her for the little horsie that she is. These include, but aren't limited to...

- When she’s fascinated or concerned by something, she’ll lean a little forward with her hands close to her chest, which subtly mimics the act of prancing.

- When she wakes up, she briefly stretches her arms and legs (albeit not too recklessly so as to risk straining her sensitive limbs).

- Her tail has a number of quirks. If she's happy, it might slowly swish to and fro. If she's REALLY happy, it might flick...

- And if she doesn't approve of someone or something, it might stiffen and raise a little bit, as if to helpfully inform the bad guys where they can kiss, if ya know what I'm saying.

- When she's being affectionate with her friends, she might give them the ol' nuzzle.

- When she's in a playful mood, there might be a little skip in her walk, the anthro equivalent of trotting.

- When she's annoyed, she might humorously let out a snort that sounds identical to a real life horse snort. And while she certainly doesn't neigh in the traditional sense, when she finds something hilarious or Sonic's making her laugh with his antics, her laughter can't help but take on a neigh-like touch to it. (The latter was actually a headcanon suggested by @darklightheart​, and I immediately agreed with it because it's cute and funny in equal measures.)

Naturally, she gets all shy and embarrassed when the neigh-laugh comes out, thinking it sounds silly. At least Sonic finds it endearing.

Note that I'm well aware that some of this differs from how real life horses react to certain things. (Eg: tail swishing tends to happen when a horse is agitated rather than happy.) But I freely admit that it's more for the sake of giving the character that extra bit of soul than it is for utmost accuracy. That's the way it goes with fiction sometimes. :P

Interestingly, Trudy tends to get Sonic indulging in a funny hedgehog characteristic of his own. That being, he might curl into a ball if Trudy's being particularly... ~complimentary~ towards him.

And there we are! These are the core elements that make up Trudy’s characterization. If you ever wanted a general list of what makes her tick, then hopefully this post will help in scratching that itch. And if it doesn’t, then hopefully it still proves that more thought was put into her than Scourge. :]

[marcmarcmomarc]

Lucien Dodge - Storks, Trolls

Christopher Flowers - Turbo, Pitch Perfect 2, the Secret Life of Pets duology, Sing

Gaille Heidemann - Hotel Transylvania, Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, Despicable Me 2, Partysaurus Rex, Mr. Peabody & Sherman, Minions, Hotel Transylvania 3

Hannah Johnson - A Bug’s Life, How to Train Your Dragon, The Angry Birds Movie

Leilani Jones-Wilmore - The Nightmare Before Christmas, the Monsters, Inc. duology, the Finding Nemo duology, Shrek 2, the Cars trilogy, the High School Musical trilogy, Ratatouille, Cars Toons: Mater’s Tall Tales, Up, The Princess and the Frog, Alice in Wonderland (2010), Toy Story 3, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, The Social Network, Gnomeo and Juliet, Brave, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, The Radiator Springs 500 1/2, Annie (2014), Inside Out, The Good Dinosaur, Despicable Me 3, The Boss Baby: Family Business, Sing 2, Hotel Transylvania 4: Transformania, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Trolls Band Together

J.P. Karliak - The Emoji Movie, The Angry Birds Movie 2

Miles Neff - The Incredibles, Despicable Me

Darrin Revitz - Cars Toons: Tales from Radiator Springs, Auntie Edna, Toy Story 4, Lamp Life, Cars on the Road

[novelnoviceya]

Happy Friday, friends! 🏴‍☠️ What are you looking forward to this weekend? . . I don't have a lot of plans this weekend, which I find GLORIOUS for a change. But I might grab waffles with friends tomorrow and try and see my oldest niece, who is 4 and has been begging for Auntie Sara time lately. . . It's been a hot second since I had a pirate post for you, so ... voila! Also, this duology from @tricialevenseller is an absolute DELIGHT, and I fully recommend it for a fun read, lots of adventure, badass lady pirates, and some swoony high seas romance. . . Book sleeve is from @loveyoumorestudio & this is a friendly reminder, that they also sell bookish soaps! Use my code NOVEL10 to save on all your orders, including sleeves & soaps alike. . . #FearYourNovelSquirrel - #FunkoFriday . . #daughterofthepirateking #daughterofthesirenqueen #tricialevenseller #pirateslife #piratebooks #piratestories #piratestyle #apirateslifeforme #yohoyoho #fridayflatlay #FridayFeature #FridayReads #bookflatlay #FierceReads #loveyoumorestudio #booksleeve #yabooks https://www.instagram.com/p/B45KENYgKKw/?igshid=9c25vzdqb327

[egregiousderp]

Combined both answers into one. Hope that’s okay for you, @captxandri .

First off: Skuun is that person at parties giggling in the corner when you say something because THE TAG TEXT FLASHES THROUGH HER HEAD AND SHE HAS NO POKER FACE. This is how you don’t get invited to parties.

And if I WERE invited to parties I could laugh so long and hard about Lando courting Mara Jade. Because young Skuun only got about as far as the Thrawn Duology nonsense about fifteen years after RotJ and therefore remembers Mara being super scathing about working with Lando and pretending to be his arm candy all the time.

Lando just like “AW. HAN, OLD BUDDY, SHE’S A SMART WOMAN. I AM LUCKY TO HAVE HER. Also I think I’m finally getting through to her. She fixed my cape the other day? Definitely progress.”

Han just like RIGHT. SURE. “…Look, Lando, I’m not going to tell you how to find someone to settle down and get respectable with, but…She put a 'gut me' sign on your back.“

"She did?”

Lando peels the post-it off his back and stares at it making awww noises.

“I’m definitely getting through to her.”

“Whatever you say, you old smoothie, just don’t come looking for me if you and Luke want someone to hold it for you because you’ve gone and joined the same hands-free club any time soon.”

…I think when I wrote that answer my mental image was the two of them at parties with Mara smiling through gritted teeth like, “Darling, if you don’t move your hand I will stab you with a fork in front of all of your business partners.”

“Alright, alright… But I must say you look absolutely stunning today-”

Withering murder look.

Lando sighs and puts a hand over his heart, flashing the galaxy’s most charming and indulgent smile.

“Yes. Just like that. Sometimes I sit down and think, really think, about what a lucky man I am.”

Mara just like RIGHT. I’M GETTING A DRINK.

OH PLEASE ALLOW ME.

Low key Mara murder energy all the way to the bar where she downs, like, six shots.

Lando is still completely smitten.

But…

Honestly, which of Lando’s problems wouldn’t be cleaned up by having a grumpy force-sensitive redhead taking no shit about it?

Sorry, Luke. You were busy off being a Jedi, and Lando was there all ready and set to one-up Karrde.

Think of Mara Jade, seething with barely controlled fury as two smooth-talking men attempt to out-do one another complimenting her outfit, looks, demeanor, and skill set.

Mara acidly asks when they’re going to kriff.

Talon and Lando exchange looks.

“Well, you have to understand is that normally takes quite a bit more drinking, and-”

“Talon, please, it was One Time.”

And when Mara gives him a look he raises his hands like “it was a long time ago!"

“You were still with Han back then, right?” Karrde asks, completely nonplussed.

“We had an arrangement. A mutually…beneficial…arrangement.”

Mara’s smirking and everyone is deep in the pit they’ve dug for themselves.

I’m not saying she gets the two dudes to Bork while she lazily imparts insults and reads back-issues of Empire magazine with her boots on the table, but that is probably exactly what I’m saying and Lando is blissfully happy and makes president of the New Republic within the decade with a very homicidal First Lady who probably tops the fuck outta him and takes no Imperial Bullshit.

Uncle Lando happily carting Ben Solo around like “And you see this beautiful woman, Ben? This is your auntie Mara.”

Mara scowling, “We’re not married and we’re not related to the Skywalkers. Also, everything Luke Skywalker tells you is wrong.”

“Darling, I thought we were past all that…”

[livinginsentences]

The year 2016 in review

I just got back from lunch with Auntie Susan, Kuya Jet, Mop, his Vietnamese girlfriend, and the family, except Kuya because he went to the gym, of course. We ate at Mann Hann and it was a very enjoyable lunch. Kuya Jepoy and Janice weren’t there since they were working, so Kuya Jet cracked jokes about “Chep Jep” which made Mama cry with mirth.  I’m glad that our families have grown closer because I remember a time when Mama would snob Auntie Susan and give her the cold treatment. It was always awkward when they visited us for Christmas, but now, their visit and spending time with them is something I look forward to because they’re a loud entertaining bunch. It’s easy to tell when Mama’s relatives are visiting ‘cause you can hear them a mile away.  Now, the real subject of the matter though is the year 2016 in review. While change is a slow trickle of little things building up to big moments, one of the best changes in my personal recent history is Mama’s relationship with Auntie Susan, which brought a lot of good change to both of our families. Although, as if to balance this renewed relationship with Mama’s relatives, our relationship with Papa’s side of the family has turned quite sour. From a family reunion I look forward to every week, our weekly Arcadia reunions has turned into an obligation much like the Sunday masses. But I must admit, there is something comforting in rituals and traditions. I guess they mark time passing as well.  2016 definitely brought a lot of change--both good and bad. This year, I graduated, got my first job, joined an environmental/adventure-oriented org, toured my foreign friends around, and built lots of good friendships. 

This is me on the Mt. Daraitan peak with Ryza and Sandie early in June.

I am actually proud of all I have accomplished and survived this year. I am glad that I’m no longer visiting the doctors every month, getting blood tests so often and being hospitalized cause of my surgery. 2015 was definitely hard, but 2016 brought in a lot of blessings, many of which were in the form of challenges as well. 

A picture with Ms. Aimee, the Grade 9 Guidance Counselor, during our Recognition Day for the employees in ICA. I am the Grade 10 Student Development Assistant (which is a fancy name for a Guidance Counselor who doesn’t have her license yet).

The advent calendar my club members, JPF (Junior Peer Facilitators), made for me as a birthday surprise on Nov. 29, 2016.

From my favorite duology of 2016, Six of Crows, made by a fan.

Nina and Matthias, one of my favorite couples in fiction. Leigh Bardugo is fantastic!

Me and Pia jogging and bonding for MBS.

This was early in the year before Viv left for Switzerland and Denise was visiting from Singapore.

This was even earlier in the year when Ryza, Ileana and I attended a fund-raising spoken word poetry fund-raising event for the AFS (Anthropology Field School).

This was a photo taken by someone from the UPD Press, I think. It was during our University Graduation and let’s see if you can spot me! :)

This is me and Denden waiting for Row in Singapore.

My Graduation Photo.  As I wave goodbye to 2016, I also want to send out gratitude to it and all the people who made it meaningful. This post cannot encapsulate an entire year of course. But I definitely learned a lot with my first job, working with my colleagues and as a teacher who is responsible for 255 students. I learned a lot from my sisters, and I spent a lot of time being angry, frustrated and just plain fed up by my family, but that’s part of being human.  I’m really grateful for so many things that I don’t even know where to begin. For now, I’ll just list these 16 things that drift up to the surface and I can recall easily.  16 for 2016

今年感謝していること：  (This year, I am grateful for) 

Graduating Magna Cum Laude and making my parents proud.

Having the opportunity to work with the Psych Research Lab and learning from great professors and being inspired by them.

Getting my first job as a Guidance Counselor and experiencing the applied side of psychology, which I have always been daunted with and hesitant about.

Passing the Psychometrician Licensure Board exam and finishing all the processes for application in the PRC head office in Manila. That was stressful. 

Getting into MBS and meeting cool people who all love the sea and the environment as well. Daming crushables hahaha!

Travelling to Singapore and spending June 5 with my best friend who makes life more colorful! Getting to meet her friends there and eating good food.

Being able to say goodbye to Viv before she left for Switzerland and supporting her and her dreams.

Meeting Bianca and becoming closer to Pia as a buddies in MBS.

Building friendships with Ryza, Rio, Eichan, Kyle, Michelle and Migs.

Becoming a club moderator and a career counselor.

Meeting Aeris and becoming a teacher.

Touring Sandie and Sina around the Philippines.

Having enough time for myself and doing things I like and enjoy like exercise and reading YA fiction.

The 8 speakers who accepted my invitation and showed up during the Grade 10 Strand Talk I organized.

My co-workers who have been patient and generous with me.

Getting to spend more time with my siblings, especially with Kuya who is reaching out more to us. 

[marcmarcmomarc]

Lucien Dodge

Storks, Trolls

Christopher Flowers

Turbo, Pitch Perfect 2, the Secret Life of Pets duology, Sing

Gaille Heidemann

Hotel Transylvania, Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, Despicable Me 2, Partysaurus Rex, Mr. Peabody & Sherman, Minions, Hotel Transylvania 3

Hannah Johnson

A Bug’s Life, The Angry Birds Movie

Leilani Jones-Wilmore

The Nightmare Before Christmas, the Monsters, Inc. duology, the Finding Nemo duology, Shrek 2, the Cars trilogy, the High School Musical trilogy, Ratatouille, Cars Toons: Mater’s Tall Tales, Up, The Princess and the Frog, Alice in Wonderland (2010), Toy Story 3, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, The Social Network, Gnomeo and Juliet, Brave, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, The Radiator Springs 500 1/2, Annie (2014), Inside Out, The Good Dinosaur, Despicable Me 3, The Boss Baby: Family Business, Sing 2, Hotel Transylvania 4: Transformania, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Trolls Band Together

J.P. Karliak

The Emoji Movie, The Angry Birds Movie 2

Miles Neff

The Incredibles, Despicable Me

Laura Post

Planes, The Peanuts Movie, Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, The Boss Baby, West Side Story

Darrin Revitz

Cars Toons: Tales from Radiator Springs, Auntie Edna, Toy Story 4, Lamp Life, Cars on the Road