#the Youngest Five are great too it’s just that their older sisters are my bias | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

dimpledkoala · 5 years ago

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Vanity (Pride and Prejudice AU) | KNJ

Masterlist

A/N: Hello new Readers! I’m a new Tumblr account and I thought about sharing my work on this platform, as I have fallen in love with many fanfic writers on this platform. I will post a masterlist soon to organize my story, but for now this account will strictly be BTS related. Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is one of my favorite books of all time, and I’ve just gotten inspiration for this AU from none other than my own bias. All seven boys will be included in this story, so please enjoy!

Chapter 1

Word Count: 4,030

Genre: Kim Namjoon x OC (reader’s POV), slight angst

Quote: “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”

As you always did every morning, you took an early morning walk amongst the grounds of your family’s land. Your family was not one of a high status, but your father was able to support a living for his wife and five daughters. You were the fourth child of the five, and all were still single. However, in comparison to your sisters, there was no hope of you ever being able to woo a man of great fortune.

There was Sophia, the eldest, who was considered to not only be the most beautiful creature in the land, but of the most amiable nature as well. Her beauty and singing voice captured the hearts of many men, though none had the courage to make her an offer of marriage. However, there was one man, Jungkook Jeon, who has been engaging her for the past few months, and the family expected the two to be a wedded couple soon.

Ah, then there was Jessie, the second oldest by only a year younger. She too had similar charms as her older sister, though others, including her own mother, have said her beauty is not as striking as Sophia’s. It might be due to her glasses, but her and her sisters knew that it would be poor of someone to judge her solely on her beauty. Jessie’s charm was found in her talents, such as playing the piano, drawing, and knitting, all which she could do at a high level.

Out of all the girls, Iris had been noted to compete with Sophia’s beauty. She is the most graceful and nonetheless the best dancer at every ball they attended. She did not have the talent to play an instrument, though she was very skilled at cooking and was personable enough to strike a hearty conversation with anyone in her company.

Tina was the youngest, and her youth struck the hearts of many young men. She shared the same talents as Jessie and Iris, but was considered to be the most enjoyable company. She was considered to be the most humorous, and competed with Sophia for being the most amiable.

And you. What was so interesting about you, the second youngest, having been thrown in the mix? You were caught in the shadow of your sisters. Your talents and personality were a combination of the other four, but failed to stand out in a unique way. Unlike the rest, you were of a witty and independent nature. You were not considered graceful at all, as you had a tendency to break things due to your clumsy nature. You did not fall easily for the first guy to try to win your charms, especially if they were at an inferior level of mind to yours. You were the last choice of marriage amongst the Bennet sisters, and honestly? You were okay with that. You had more freedom, and who gave a damn about romance anyway? Leave the burden your mother was oh-so worried about to your elder sisters, who were pressured to find a suitable husband with a great fortune. Being who you were gave you the freedom to explore like this on your own.

Reading was among your favorite pastimes, and on your early morning walks, you read of your favorite stories, particularly plays and poems that were written over a century ago. Shakespeare was undeniably a genius of his time, and his tragedies were among your favorites, especially Romeo and Juliet. It did not make you weep for the star-crossed lovers, rather it made you chortle at the naivety of the two lovers. Two people of a different class status, especially those who had rivaled families, would never be able to successfully have a relationship. You were inspired by these works, and attempted to write a few plays and stories of your own, which you always found inadequate. You were in the middle of reading the balcony scene in Act 2, which read:

“If thou dost love, pronounce it faithfully:

Or if thou think'st I am too quickly won,

I'll frown and be perverse an say thee nay,

So thou wilt woo; but else, not for the world.

In truth, fair-”

Your thoughts were suddenly interrupted by your collision with Tina, who immediately scolded you for not paying attention to your surroundings. By the way you two cursed at each other without proper manner, many would consider you two enemies. However, it was only for a hearty laugh, and as the youngest you both shared a playful nature. Your mother often scolded you for your immaturity, but it did not bother you one bit. Your playful bickering was put to an end by your eldest sister, who had suddenly hushed you.

“Quiet my dear sisters, Mama is telling our Papa of some news,” Sophia said in a low voice as she silently ushered her youngest sisters to come towards her and Iris.

“What’s going on?” Jessie inquired as she noticed her sisters crammed at the entrance to their father’s study. The four sisters silently ushered her to come to them. Immediately, Iris filled her in with what was going on.

“A Mr. Kim and his brother have established a living Netherfield Park,” she whispered excitably. “And both are single!”

“How many pounds? How many pounds?” you and Tina asked simultaneously, curious about the newest bachelors in town.

“5,000 pounds a year!”

This caused all five girls to cause a commotion outside the door, capturing their father’s attention, who opened it to acknowledge their presence. A stern look was etched on his features, but the girls still were lowly gigling as they bowed to acknowledge their parents’ presence. Their mother only sighed, but took no note of their daughters’ eavesdropping. She, like her daughters, were more interested in their father’s response to the situation, which must be dealt with urgently. It vexed her that Mr. Bennet had not even taken the slightest interest in the conversation she had struck with him.

“I do not understand why we must partake in this conversation, my dear,” Mr. Bennet grumbled as he made his way to the drawing room, with all six women in his life trailing behind him.

“Oh Mr. Bennet! You must call upon these gentlemen for the sake of our daughters! Surely you must know what I am referring to? At least one of them must be engaged with these gentlemen!”

“Indeed, Mrs. Bennet. But there is no need. I already called upon the two gentlemen,” replied her husband with a smug grin on his face as the girls cheered and thanked their father, immediately talking amongst themselves.

“Oh, Mr. Bennet, how could you? Have you no compassion for my poor nerves?” Mrs. Bennet regarded with a huff.

Mr. Bennet sighed at his wife’s usual, overdramatic remarks and replied simply with: “Indeed I do have compassion for your poor nerves, as they have been my constant companion for these past twenty years.”

The witty response caused the girls to giggle in amusement and all at once they began bombarding him with questions about the two gentlemen.

“Are they handsome?” Iris questioned. “Are they amiable?”

“Are they going to the ball?” Tina suddenly asked, stirring anticipation amongst the women.

“Papa, please tell,” you begged, knowing you can always get it your way with him. He had a soft spot for you, for you were the most similar to him in not only looks but in personality as well.

“They are amiable,” noted Mr. Bennet, “and quite the handsome gentlemen too. There is an elder Mr. Seokjin Kim, and a younger Mr. Taehyung Kim. They are currently living with their sister, Ms. Caroline Kim as well, and there have been speculations of a third gentlemen, their cousin supposedly. I have no problem with letting either of the two choosing whichever daughter they please.”

This caused the girls to heighten the volume and pitch of their conversations, and once again did Tina have to ask her question. “Papa, are they going to the ball at Mr. Jeon’s tonight?”

As if to drag on the suspense of the situation, Mr. Bennet kept a straight face before breaking into a soft smile. “I believe so.” He had somewhat regretted his decision to break the news to them, as all six women nearly bursted his eardrums at his announcement. The girls immediately made many changes to their outfits for the night, for it was not often for such an opportunity to come into their lives.

“You’ve been quiet all day, Kyra.”

You snapped from your gaze from the mirror and turned towards Sophia, who was doing your hair. Your lips shaped into an expression of uncertainty as you adjusted your slouched posture. “What good does it do to us competing for two men? You’re lucky you do not have to squabble for a man no longer. Jungkook is perfect for you.”

“There is a possibility of three men, might I remind you,” Sophia assured her younger sibling. “Do not lose hope, Kyra. You’ll find your man some day.”

“Only a fool would believe I would chase after him, and a fool would also believe they could win me over easily,” you murmured.

“Besides, you do not have to be burdened of finding a husband if one of us marries rich. And do not forget, if all goes well with the Mr. Kims, we will have connections with others with a high class status.”

At that thought you smiled and Sophia kissed the top of her sister’s head. “You’re so silly, you know that?” Sophia whispered. “Do not fret. I’ll experiment with a new hairstyle on you. You’ll be sure to charm all the men at the ball.”

Your gaze softened at your sister’s actions and thanked her as she continued to work magic with your hair. If none of the men wished to bother with you, you knew that tonight you at least had Yoonji Min to keep you company. She was your closest friend in a similar situation as yours. She was older by a few years. You were to be twenty-one this year, while she was to be twenty-five. You both shared similar personalities and tastes, and during the balls your favorite pastime was observing the crowds of people and soaking in whatever gossip you could find, thanks to Tina’s associations.

In a couple of hours, they had arrived at the Jeons’ estate. Mr. Bennet has claimed he was too exhausted to participate in any social activity, so he stayed home. Lucky him, you thought to yourself bitterly. But you could not let your sister’s efforts go to waste. It was not your best outfit, but it was enough to leave an impression. The inspiration behind the outfit was to have the appeal of a butterfly in the spring. Hopefully it would be effective for the night, or at least result in pleasurable company.

Like any other party they had ever been to, Meryton Hall was bustling with locals, who were already dancing. Iris and Sophia were quick to the dance floor as usual, as Sophia had quickly found the Jeon heir and due to Iris’ quickness on her feet. It usually took some time before the other three girls were asked out to dance, so they found Yoonji and began to converse about the special guests for the party tonight.

“I heard of the three Kims. Is that whom you are referring to?” Yoonji asked the three of them as they all nodded eagerly. “I am surprised. They are of such a high status... I wonder why they would bother being at this commoners’ ball.”

“We all know that these balls are much better than the pristine ones held in mansions. Much more goes on, and the people are friendlier,” Tina remarked as she took a swig of her champagne.

Jessie nodded as she took a sip of her drink. “This is a more preferable and comfortable setting. I am sure those boys would like to explore something new for a change, regardless of their status. After all, they are people too.”

“I have very little information about them, but I overheard some conversation between my family and Sir Jeon,” Yoonji proffered, sitting up in her chair.

“Oh yes, please tell us,” Tina said immediately.

“Do you find them interesting at all? Or are they just rich?” you asked Yoonji, whose typically stone-faced demeanor was replaced with a grin.

“Kyra, it is unwise to judge them based off their wealth,” Jessie advised her as she adjusted her glasses.

“But remember, my dear sister, we are only having this conversation because we need that wealth.”

“I have heard the eldest Mr. Kim is one of the most amiable men that people have ever come across. A classic gentleman, who will undoubtedly have all the ladies in the room fawning over him,” Yoonji told them as she thought of other details to relay. “They describe him as very princely. His younger brother is of the same reputation, though he is thought to be less sociably inclined. The younger Mr. Kim is not a hermit, however, and actually is said to have a better sense of humor than his brother, whose humor is noted to be old-fashioned. In terms of wealth, both are equally rich, as they inherit 5,000 pounds a year, which I am sure you have heard by now.”

“At least they have personality,” you said with a grin. “I trust Papa’s opinion of them being handsome. They cannot be worse than some of the men here. Look at these humorless poppycocks. If none of them fall in love with you Yoonji and the rest of my single sisters, then I have no more to say on others’ opinion of beauty.” You brought up a fair point. The other men in the ballroom were ghastly looking, but they were scarce in comparison to the amount of women, therefore regardless you would end up dancing with each common buffoon out there. They would try to hit on you and your sisters, but you knew better than to play around with people not worth your time.

“Kyra, one day you’ll find someone who will catch your eye and then you’ll have to watch your tongue,” Tina remarked, drawing a scoff from you.

Before you could protest, the room suddenly fell silent as the crowd parted for the four guests. So there was another after all, you pondered. The four individuals all had quite a presence, you had to admit. The individual who stood out amongst the rest was the only blond individual, who happened to be the tallest too. While the two handsome dark-haired gentlemen she assumed were the Kim brothers, this man was expressionless and looked absolutely miserable.

“Okay, now who is who?” you whispered to Yoonji as Jessie and Tina focused more on trying to get a proper look at the long awaited guests.

“Mr. Seokjin Kim, the eldest brother, is the one with the elegant eucalyptus leaves on his suit. The taller dark haired male. His younger brother Mr. Taehyung Kim is on the right, whose suit is decorated in the white flowers. Of course, the only female among them is their only sister, Ms. Caroline Kim, and the man who looks and acts like their own personal guard is Mr. Namjoon Kim, their cousin.”

“The one with the quizzical brow?” you asked as Yoonji nodded. “He looks as miserable as me, poor soul.”

“He may be miserable, but he is anything but poor. Those four come from the same family, but Mr. Namjoon Kim is worth 10,000 a year.”

“10,000?!” the three sisters exclaimed in hushed tones.

“And he owns half of Derbyshire, in a beautiful estate known as Pemberly,” Yoonji related as Sir Jeon began to walk them through the crowd.

“The miserable half?” Your comment caused your own self and Yoonji to snort in disbelief at the rich man. Everyone had their eyes on these four individuals, but closely payed attention to the blond Kim upon the spread knowledge of his wealth.

You had come to meet Mr. Seokjin Kim as an amiable and charming individual. He was a flirt and reminded you of a cliché protagonist in the stories you had read. He was also a great dancer you found out quickly. It was no wonder why he drew in so many women. He also was a personable and casual gentleman and fit perfectly within the setting. He made sure you used no formalities when around him, which made you see Seokjin more as a friend than a stranger. You especially gained his respect when you saw the way he admired Jessie from afar and scouted her out, rather than she chase after him. The two of them engaged for the rest of the night, and you shared her pleasure.

The younger Mr. Kim was equally amiable and handsome, and you noticed the accuracy of Yoonji’s information when you found yourself in his company. The younger Mr. Kim was a quieter individual, but when he struck up a conversation with Tina, the two were inseparable. You too shared Tina’s happiness when you realized that not only the elder Mr. Kim, but the younger too took an interest in one of your sisters.

You did not engage at all with Ms. Kim, but found yourself in an amusing situation regarding Mr. Namjoon Kim.

You had not been involved with him directly. You were tired from the endless dancing, and seeing as there were not enough partners, you sat down and observed the dance from afar. You watched in amusement Yoonji attempted to dance with an ill-mannered companion as you took a sip of your champagne. It was then when you noticed Seokjin step out of the dance and approach his cousin, who had only engaged in one dance with Ms. Kim. The two were only a table away within your vision, so you were able to clearly hear their conversation from where you were sitting.

“My dear cousin, I cannot have you standing around in this stupid manner! Namjoon, you must get up and dance. There are plenty of women to go around, and I have never been in the company of such beautiful women in my life.”

“You and Taehyung are in the company of the only pretty women in the room,” the blond noted, fixing his gaze on Jessie and then to Tina.

“Nonsense!” Seokjin exclaimed as he slapped his cousin’s back, causing him to wince. “Look, Namjoon, over there! She’s a rather beautiful creature as well, is she not?” It took you a moment to realize Seokjin was referring to you. “That’s one of Jessie’s sisters. I shall have my partner introduce you two.”

You had unintentionally made eye contact with Namjoon’s cool ones. The intimidating glare he gave off created tension in the air as you turned away. For the first time that night, you heard him speak with any ounce of emotion. “She is tolerable, I suppose, but not handsome enough to tempt me. It is useless to waste your time on me, Seokjin. Go find your partner and enjoy her smiles.” He walked off with an air of pride, leaving Seokjin frustrated and flabbergasted. There was nothing Seokjin could do, so putting on a smile, he went back to be in Jessie’s company.

Unbelievable. It was utterly unbelievable the way he spoke about you. Well, it could not be bothered if he did not want anything to do with you. In fact, you were becoming amused by the whole situation. You were itching to tell him off right on the spot, but that would make you as proper as he was. You could just bite your thumb at him, but what would that do? Instead, it ended up being quite a humorous discussion amongst your family and friends. It was vexing, but there was nothing you could do about it. You were just going to keep your head up high and find another man or woman worth your time. Yet you could not keep your eyes off that handsome man...

You and Tina shared the same room, as the two of you were the youngest. You were not sure if Tina was drunk or not, but her face was stained bright red and completely enamoured.

“He was just what a young man ought to be,” Tina sighed contently under the sheets. “He’s sensible, good-humored, lively. He had such happy manners, Kyra, something I have never seen before in my life. Of such good breeding too!”

“On top of all of that Teeny, he’s handsome. His character is therefore complete,” you stated confidently, pinching her cheek. Tina slapped your hand away and groaned.

“Do not call me that, dear sister,” she whined. “I’m not a child anymore. Unless in return you wish me to call you Kiwi.”

You scoffed and pinched her cheek lightly, and she mimicked the action. “You will always be a baby to me. You are the family’s baby. You will be stuck being called by your baby name at intimate family gatherings as long as we are stuck in this household.”

Tina raised her eyebrow and smirked at you. “Not if I get married before you.”

“Ouch, a real shocker!” You put your fist to your heart for a dramatic effect as you both giggled.

“I do not understand though why Mr. Kim would make such a tiring effort to put up with me.”

“You do not understand, but I do,” you argued. “If I were half as beautiful or humorous as you, Tina, I would not be as oblivious to why Mr. Kim took interest in you that night. You were ten times prettier than all the women in that room. I would think him a fool if he had not taken interest in you.”

“Thank you Kyra, but I think all the men were fools to not ask you to dance.”

You only adjusted your position in the bed by slightly curling in a ball with a sigh. It had somewhat bothered you that after the whole Mr. Kim incident that not a single person had asked you to dance that night. It could not be bothered due to the lack of men in the room, but you still felt slightly offended and irritated by the matter. “It might help if they realized I was a tolerable partner.”

Tina knew you well enough that your sarcastic remark covered your frustrated state. You both sought to ignore and downplay your feelings, which both of you understood about each other. “I did not know the comment affected you that much. I should have been there for you. You should know you are always welcome in the company of me, regardless of whom my partner is. Do not set on solitude, my dear sister. It is not right when you have four other sisters.”

You only grinned in response to her remark. “False. I enjoyed the solitude, and I spent my time making out this Mr. Kim’s character. What a cousin! To think I will be related to such a creature in some shape or form is a horrid revelation, yet unfathomable. You and Jessie are already so deeply in love with those brothers, as they most definitely are for you. You must unfortunately have to put up with him. But do not let my feelings and vexations restrain you or Jessie from your romantic adventures.”

Tina took your hand into hers and brought it up to kiss it. This was something you both did whenever you quarreled or were bothered by something. It was an action that soothed both of you. You did not need the gesture, though you welcomed it, as it expressed your sister’s worries and love for you. “One man should not dampen your spirits. There will be the militia coming to town in only a fortnight. Did you not hear Iris announce it?”

“Of course I did, but you do not understand, Teeny. Only the deepest love will persuade me into matrimony, which is why I will die an old maid. I will not settle, Teeny. Never.”

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cromulentbookreview · 5 years ago

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Sonata in A! K331! 3rd Movement!

Funny thing is, this is surprisingly accurate.

And by that I mean: The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu!

You don’t have to be a music fan to know the name Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. In fact, you probably have no idea what in the hell a Sonata in K K331 Third Movement even is until you hear it. Then you’ll know it immediately. In fact, you can know nothing about Mozart but still be familiar with many of his pieces. Maybe you had the misfortune to be forced to watch the movie Amadeus* in your German class (a movie that is probably not appropriate to show public high school students even if it’s dubbed in German) or have seen the 30 Rock parody episode where, instead of writing music, they create a porn video game. My point is: you know Mozart. Everyone knows Mozart, especially kids who were made to learn piano. Or, in my case, piano AND violin**. The main reason for that is, well, public domain, but also because Mozart is the shit.

I mean, I’m more of a Beethoven girl myself, and I have a lot of love for the 19th century Russians (Tchaikovsky and The Five FTW!), but, seriously, if you learn anything about music, you learn about Mozart. And, as someone semi-fluent in German, who has dedicated most of her life to learning German, you have no choice but to learn about the greats of German music. Yes, Austrians count as part of German music. As I’ve mentioned before, there was no “Germany” until 1871, and I’m including any and all native German speakers as part of German music. Austrians speak German. Kind of. I mean, 99.9% of my German teachers were either from southern Germany or Austria, so I may have a bit of a bias...though my main bias is against Swiss German which literally is not German stop calling it that, Switzerland!

What were we talking about?

Oh. Yeah. Mozart.

You know he had a sister, right? One who was a musical prodigy in her own right, who used to play for the courts of Europe alongside her little brother, right?

No?

Yeah, you probably don’t. Because back in the 18th century, women weren’t allowed to be composers or musical prodigies. Once they grew up, they got married, had children and were subsequently erased from history while the men in their family achieve immortality.

Meet Maria Anna Mozart, known by her family as Nannerl.

The Kingdom of Back is Nannerl’s story.

Salzburg! 1759! Nannerl Mozart is only eight, but is desperate to please her father and prove her mettle as a musician. The Mozart family is in a perpetual state of one-missed-paycheck-away-from-homelessness, and Nannerl’s stage dad, Leopold, hopes to cash in on the whole child prodigy thing. Unfortunately, Nannerl’s first demonstration for a court musician goes wrong when she’s distracted by her baby brother, Wolferl. That night, Nannerl dreams of a beautiful kingdom full of music, and of a beautiful boy with glowing blue eyes.

As she gets older, Nannerl is as shocked as her parents when Lil Wolferl shows a knack for music. She’s horrified to discover that she feels jealous of her baby brother, who idolizes her. One night, Nannerl and Wolferl are woken up by a strange light coming from their music room. When they investigate, they find the beautiful boy from Nannerl’s dream, in the flesh. He steals Nannerl’s music notebook then promptly jumps out the window.

Like so:

Complete with broken glass.

Anyway, the next time Nannerl sees the boy, she’s out in Salzburg with her brother on a shopping trip when she opens the door to a shop’s storage room, only to find it leads to the magical kingdom she’d seen in her dream. The boy, Hyacinth, wants Nannerl’s help to reclaim his throne. In exchange, he will make sure Nannerl gets her greatest wish: to be remembered forever.

Shortly after, Nannerl and Wolferl are called to Vienna to play for the Emperor and Empress. Wolferl puts on quite the show, charming everyone in the room and even proposing to the Emperor and Empress’s youngest daughter. It’s after this that Nannerl and Wolferl’s parents decide to take them on a massive tour of Europe. In the long, dull carriage rides between destinations, Nannerl and Wolferl come up with a name and origin story for Hyacinth and the magical kingdom that they saw: The Kingdom of Back. As the tour continues and Wolfer’s fame rises, Nannerl worries more and more about being forgotten - that her fate is sealed: she will never be a composer and a musician, instead she will become a wife and mother and nothing more than a footnote in history.

But the Kingdom of Back is more than just a fantasy story shared between two bored kids. Hyacinth’s magic has an effect on our world, causing calamities and illness. As Nannerl struggles to cope with her conflicting emotions, Hyacinth starts to seem less like a fairy prince and more like something sinister. But his promises of fame and immortality to Nannerl are so very, very tempting. I mean, wouldn’t you be a little jealous if your baby brother was an 18th century child rockstar?

(Ok, the throwing of underthings may not have happened to Mozart, but it definitely happened to Liszt so that episode of the Simpsons isn’t entirely inaccurate).

If you come into The Kingdom of Back expecting it to be something like Marie Lu’s other novels - namely, action packed sci-fi/fantasy serieses - you are bound to be disappointed. The Kingdom of Back is unlike all of Lu’s other novels - it is a standalone historical fantasy dedicated to someone who, in spite of her talent, was relegated to the dustbin of history just because she was a girl. I adore Marie Lu’s books (the Legend trilogy is probably one of the best YA trilogies ever - if you haven’t read it, stop everything and do that now, please) and I’m also a fan of music, 18th century Germans, and 18th century German musical composers so I wasn’t at all put off knowing that The Kingdom of Back wasn’t going to be like her other books. It was more like “holy shit, Marie Lu is wrote a book about Mozart’s sister, put it in my brain immediately, please.” The Kingdom of Back is just wonderful, you guys. Lu beautifully captures what it’s like to have a sibling that you love, but also envy. Lu’s writing is lyrical and enchanting without crossing into purple prose territory. Music can be difficult to capture in prose, but Lu manages to do so without alienating the reader with too many weird technical musical terms that would be off putting to the average reader (hi!). The way time works in the book is weird - you’re never quite sure when you are at any given time or how old anyone else, unless you have the timeline of the Mozart children’s grand tour open while you read. Months can go by in a single sentence which can be a bit jarring, but the book manages to condense a decade into 300 pages. I’d rather have 300 pages and a few pacing issues than way too much detail within 900 pages.

My absolute favorite aspect of this book is Nannerl herself. Nannerl, as an 18th century girl, is bound by 18th century constraints - she’s not allowed to compose openly, as herself. She’s not allowed to talk back. She’s expected to look after her brother, as her position as older sister makes her mom-in-training. Nannerl is a good and proper 18th century lady, and she hates it. She hates the limits placed on her by society, but at the same time, she’s desperate to please her parents and earn their praise. Because what else can she do? It’s the shit situation women have experienced since time immaterial: conform, or else. Nannerl may seem meek and submissive compared to the likes of June from Legend or Emika from Warcross, but make no mistake, she is just as strong as they are. Her strength lies in her quiet resilience. Nannerl can’t exactly fight back against the system the way June and Emika do, so she rebels in other, quieter ways. She maintains eye contact for her father, waiting for him to break first or stays quiet when she’s expected to voice her praises. She creates a whole fantasy world in which to take refuge. Nannerl’s way of fighting back is subtle because it has to be.

Unfortunately, it takes only a click of a Wikipedia link to know how Nannerl’s story ends. It is bittersweet and something that will definitely strike a chord (pun absolutely intended) with any girl or woman who reads The Kingdom of Back.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Any girl or woman who has ever seen her accomplishments ignored or passed over in favor of a man’s, anyone with a sibling they’re just a little bit jealous of, music fans, Mozart fans, Marie Lu fans, anyone in the mood for a gorgeously-written YA historical fantasy.

NOT RECOMMENDED FOR: Haydn aficionados, Leopold Mozart, children who were forced to learn piano, men’s rights activists, people who would mistake an 18th century girl’s quiet resilience for weakness.

RELEASE DATE: March 3, 2020 - hey, I promise cromulent reviews, not “on time” reviews or “reviews in advance of publication.”

RATING: 4/5

MOZART RATING:

BEETHOVEN FANS, WHEN ENCOUNTERED BY MOZART FANS:

You can hear the 5th symphony with every haw.

*Please remember the movie Amadeus is also a historical fantasy - Salieri and Mozart were peers and were most likely friends, if not friendly. Also, Salieri had like, 8 kids and at least 1 mistress, he wasn’t some pious weirdo like he’s portrayed in the movie. I mean, he was Italian. F. Murray Abraham was awesome in it, though. My point is, don’t get your history from movies. It’s a bad idea.

Get it from Wikipedia, like a normal person.

That soundtrack, though. If you want an intro to Mozart’s music, that is a good way to go.

**Ahahahaha I was, then and now, and will forever remain, terrible at both.

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ginnyand · 7 years ago

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hi there!! i was wondering if you had any cdramas to rec? :)

hello! anon I am SO SORRY for how late this reply is, I’ve been traveling and then busy, and then this took forever for me to write up because I am slow, but I do have cdrama recs! Nirvana in Fire was my first venture back into cdrama world so these are mostly recent ones…

this got really long, so see under the cut for info about:

Nirvana in Fire / 琅琊榜

The Disguiser / 伪装者

Ode to Joy / 欢乐颂

When a Snail Falls in Love / 如果蜗牛有爱情

Candle in the Tomb / 鬼吹灯

and bonus mentions of Divorce Lawyers / 离婚律师 and Surgeons / 外科风云

I’m not sure what you have or haven’t seen, so this might be redundant, but I hope something on here helps!

Nirvana in Fire /琅琊榜 - the last survivor of a terrible betrayal comes home to right wrongs and fuck shit up. if you haven’t seen this, definitely watch it! every detail counts and it has great rewatch value, too—there are so many things that I didn’t catch on the first watching that came back to be significant later. also, it has its funny moments as well as its incredibly heart-breaking moments. it’s been about 1.5 years since I watched and it’s still ruining my life, if you want to know how good it is.

strengths: amazing plot, amazing characters, so engaging, you will blow through all 54 episodes without realizing how long you’ve been sitting in front of the television, also the costumes are so pretty and the soundtrack is great

weaknesses: the first few episodes are a bit confusing, just in terms of introducing a lot of characters and a lot of different branches of the plot, but like that’s it. seriously, that’s the only weakness I can think of.

The Disguiser / 伪装者 - spoiled youngest child becomes a spy against the backdrop of the japanese occupation, while his older siblings continue their work to keep household and country afloat. I loved this. my favorite thing about this was the family dynamic and how believable it was, I just want to wrap up all the family scenes and cuddle them near my face. also the relationship between ming lou and ah cheng bears special mention. ming lou and ah cheng, and jin don and wang kai’s portrayals of them, left a really deep impression.

strengths: amazing characters (except for one), the entire ming family dynamic/interactions/casting/everything, superb acting from everyone but especially jin dong and wang kai, very pretty wardrobe, good soundtrack

weaknesses: the plot requires increasing suspension of disbelief after about episode 26 or so. also, the setting can be alienating for some! it’s kind of complicated to get into here, but by nature of the time period it’s set in, there is some communist propaganda (there’s one character who seems to exist solely as a propaganda prop), but honestly it was way less biased than I expected. I was reluctant to watch it at first because I expected a strong bias and lots of propaganda, and I ended up actually being shocked that something like this (i.e. portraying the nationalists in such a non-negative light) could air on tv in china. however, I also realize that I’m coming at this from a very different angle than most people, and I think general consensus is that there is more propaganda than most western viewers expect from their tv shows. ymmv!

Ode to Joy / 欢乐颂 - five girls who are neighbors become friends and go through various hardships in life together. really, watch it for the friendship between the girls! because most of the men in this show suck. there’s also a season 2 out now! but I haven’t watched it yet, so I can’t speak to how it is.

strengths: very watchable, easy to pick up but also easy to put down, there’s that great fight in episode 39 *-*, I feel like they tackled the sticky issue of filial piety pretty well

weaknesses: filial piety was maybe the only issue they handled well. in one storyline, assault was treated as romantic, and they handled andy’s entire mental health storyline so badly.

When a Snail Falls in Love / 如果蜗牛有爱情 - a psychologist becomes a detective and gets wrapped up in a case that spans generations. I really liked the first 15 episodes and didn’t like the last 6, and I also felt like every third episode tended to be the strongest.

strengths: cute friendships between the main character and her roommate, wang kai is as pretty as ever

weaknesses: I felt like the pacing was a little weird? also lots of yelling at the screen for everyone to make better life decisions

Candle in the Tomb / 鬼吹灯 - in post-cultural revolution china, two friends get into the tomb-raiding business and join an academic archaeological expedition that’s really not what it seems. like Snail, I liked the first 15 episodes and didn’t like the last 6.

strengths: very watchable, easy to pick up and put down, actually not that scary! and great for feeding your da ge complex

weaknesses: again, like disguiser, the setting may be alienating for some. I feel like I saw a lot of complaints about communist propaganda on the show when it was airing, but actually, the show makes fun of propaganda! however, this does mean that there are some jokes that are only funny if you’re aware of the history. for example, my parents thought this show was hilarious, because it poked fun and pointed out the ridiculousness of some of the propaganda they were subject to when they were growing up, but they had to explain some of these jokes to me. similar situation where I was shocked that something like this could air on tv in china (though apparently it ended up being cancelled and web-series only).

Honorable mentions:

Divorce Lawyers / 离婚律师 - two divorce lawyers end up thrown together/pitted against each other by work and end up striking up a friendship and an unlikely romance. I watched this a long time ago on a whim (light study break fare) and enjoyed it.

strengths: the female lead is actually very competent and they’re not afraid to show it! also yao chen is so beautiful and her makeup on this show was amazing. watch this just so you can admire her.

weaknesses: I felt like it dragged a little bit, there’s something very uncomfortable about the way they characterize female adulterers versus male adulterers, there are also some super uncomfortable depictions of abuse

Surgeons / 外科风云 - a renowned cardiothoracic surgeon returns to china to find his missing sister and uncover the true story behind the event that changed his life. I’m currently watching this so I don’t feel qualified to comment yet, but I’ve been enjoying it so far!

strengths: the female lead is so competent, I love it. and there are lots of super cute friendships between characters! also very very good for feeding your da ge complex

weaknesses: every time a patient plot appears I just want to fast forward, because they all seem like patient-of-the-episode type plots and don’t seem to be impacting the greater storyline at all

#replies #cdrama recs #I rlly haven't watched a lot sorry anon ;;#and yet this got SO LONG ;;

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