#such an underrated book!

[mccoppinscrapyard]

Cantoras by Caro De Robertis

"She looked out at the landscape, now cloaked in the last dregs of twilight. A beauty she could never get used to, never wanted to get used to, though she longed to know it in every light and mood."

[mulderscully]

@rwrbmovie & @rwrbsource's rwrb appreciation month bingo: underrated moment

[learnelle]

Moments from my newest YouTube video, in which I take you to my favourite Irish bookshops and chat about homesickness 📚🌸🌊

[yrsonpurpose]

ways of saying i love you, without saying i love you.

[benevolenterrancy]

(Unseen Academicals, Terry Pratchett) I think Shang Qinghua and Ponder Stibbons should have tea and compare notes about somehow accumulating so much behind-the-scenes power by doing menial jobs no one else wants that they could basically run the show if they wanted...

meanwhile we have Shen "meh good enough" Qingqiu

[all-too-unwell-13]

frank zhang, you will always be dear to me

[roman-o-cheese]

Me when I remember Frank Zhang’s is a child of the god of war whose mother died in combat and thus his mothers death is tied to his existence, and he will spend the rest of his life deconstructing that guilt.

Frank didn’t kill his mother, but his father is the incitement of all war. A soldier does not become a soldier without being at least acquainted with war, and in many cases they will fall to it, much like Emily. I’d be surprised if, in some capacity, Frank didn’t see Mars as a murderer. Like he understands that, on a wide scale, Mars did not kill Emily Zhang. But Mars started the war that killed her. And since Mars is his father, I think he’d feel disgusted with that fact, even if he logically knows that that’s not the case.

And then I think about how out of all of the gods Frank assumed he was the child of, Mars was never in the question. I almost wonder if he kind of knew, but convinced himself it wasn’t true. I mean his mom was a soldier, there’s a logical connection with the war god there. But the idea that he was a product of what hurt him and his family so much was too painful to consider. So he swore himself to his unshaken kindness. If cruelty took his mom, he would do anything in his power to counter that.

[calmlb]

It’s been clear that the Tanizakis aren’t siblings from the very beginning

here’s some evidence now that it’s been confirmed canon…

everyone who’s read irl Tanizaki’s book knew that Junichiro & Naomi weren’t siblings as soon as they introduced themselves

BUT just because the Tanizakis aren’t siblings doesn’t mean you can’t feel uncomfortable about them. if you feel uncomfortable, GOOD. that’s exactly what they want

the Tanizakis, Mori— they all use these disturbing ruses to disarm or distract people in order to protect themselves, or to accomplish their goals. this is a writing device that asagiri commonly employs as a way to parallel the irl literature (it’s actually ingenious)

there are 4 main indicators that have always made it clear to me that Junichiro & Naomi are not siblings:

1. most obviously— their character designs. Harukawa is extremely intentional with character designs, & she very intentionally made Naomi & Junichiro look nothing alike

their eye shapes are purposely different

their color palettes are contrasting

even their differing styles of clothing have meaning

this was all done so that the audience could PLAINLY see that they’re not related— so that WE know that they’re lying when they say they ARE related

2. how the people around them respond to their act.

the general reaction is “don’t question it”— which is exactly what they want. “be distracted by how uncomfortable you feel so that you look away from what we’re hiding” (this is likely a protective measure)

3. most importantly, this is meant to parallel irl Tanizaki’s book “Naomi,” where the main character Joji picks up Naomi to raise her into his ideal woman, but since she's so young (& a minor) they call each other cousins (Joji makes no sexual advances on young Naomi btw)

however, his plan backfires because when Naomi gets older & they get married, she flips the script on him & manipulates HIM so that he's under her thumb (which is why bsd Tanizaki is at a domineering Naomi's mercy). Joji let her have her way because of his masochistic tendencies

4. lastly is the emphasis that Asagiri and the Tanizakis themselves put on calling each other siblings.

over & over, it’s “my brother this” & “my sister that”

like they’re desperately trying to convince us that it’s true (“don’t let your lying eyes deceive you”)

here are just a few examples of many examples from the light novels…

again, if you’ve read “Naomi” you knew that Junichiro & Naomi weren’t siblings as soon as they introduced themselves

just like if you’ve read irl Mori’s works, it’s clear that bsd Mori isn’t a pedophile

just like if you’ve read No Longer Human you know that Dazai’s an unreliable narrator. he makes you think he’s a bad person bc he believes he’s a bad person, but those around him see him differently (btw this doesn’t mean he’s never done anything “bad,” though bsd isn’t about morality— but that’s another discussion)

anyway, i’m so excited for the Tanizakis backstory to be revealed so that we can better understand why they use this defense!!

also let this be a reminder to READ THE LITERATURE if you’re able to!! even reading synopses & analyses of the coordinating books makes bsd make much more sense 🥹

reminder that this how you’re supposed to react while reading bsd:

also, if you’re interested in a post explaining how Mori isn’t a pedo, i wrote this analysis on twt. OR you can read this document that one of my moots sent me (remember: analyzing a character does NOT mean you condone any actions they may or may not commit!)

[i-only-see-daylight]

Feyre: I left instructions for everyone while I'm gone. 

Cassian: Mine just says "Cass, no." 

Feyre: I want you to apply it to every possible situation

[cringeworms]

This one's especially for you, @bigbonkus 🫡

[fictionadventurer]

The discussions of Elizabeth Gaskell always seem to focus on who she's not. She's not Dickens, she's not Austen, she's not Elliot, and she's definitely not one of the Brontes. At best, they'll say she has Dickens' social justice concerns and Austen's country houses, but who is she? What makes her perspective unique?

As I consider this, I keep coming back to, "She's kind."

She is so kind.

There is a compassion in her writing unlike anything I've seen from other authors. She wants to see people. Know them. Understand them. And when she does, she loves them, faults and all.

When she laughs at people, it's not the satire of Austen or the caricature of Dickens--it's a fond, loving laugh that likes these people in all their ridiculousness.

Even when she's pushing a very clear message about how people should or shouldn't act, you never get the sense that she's judging people who fail to live up to that standard--she's just trying to understand how they got to the place where they made the wrong decision.

In her world, people are kind and deserve to be treated kindly. But that doesn't mean that she ignores the darkness in life. She sees the darkness and sin and squalor and says that's why we need to be kinder to each other. Her kindness comes not from ignoring reality but by paying so much attention to reality that she comes to care deeply for everyone. And I just go crazy over it.

[mulderscully]

THE DECOY BRIDE (2011) dir. Sheree Folkson 

[spirited-splashes]

“One way to absolve his crime.”

“A different form, a different time.”

(Click for higher quality)

[yrsonpurpose]

and Alex is. well, Alex is so in love he could die.

[petrovna-zamo]

👀🪟

[liripiri34]

I think us as a society need to appreciate cool underrated characters more. This is my man nortioshi kamo. He sadly doesn't get the appreciation what he deserves. :(