#they're That Good

[hellfire-fist]

ZoLu as a ship, is literal perfection from a literary standpoint, it makes me feel like an elitist rooting for them since day one.

[tbookblurbs]

Jade City - Fonda Lee

5/5 - Irresistible world-building, politics (national and gang), intrigue, family tension, everything you could want out of an urban fantasy. MAJOR spoilers below!

Jade City is the first novel in the Green Bone saga and it is deliciously well-written. Character voices are distinct, the mistakes they make are realistic, and even when I didn't like some of the main characters or the actions they were taking, I wanted them to succeed. I was emotionally invested in the outcome of every character's fate, from the secondary characters to the Pillar of the clan, Kaul Lan. Sometimes this did mean I was invested in watching them fail (Bero) but I was invested nevertheless!

The world-building within the novel was incredibly rich. The "magic" system of jade is a very hard magic system but I really enjoyed how effortlessly it was woven into everyday life. Lee takes the time to mention, in an offhand fashion, details about Kekon and the greater world that make it that much easier to fully sink into the world she's built. I read this entire book in one long sitting.

Kekon itself really reminded me of the Philippines. The Kekonese war for independence was with Espenia (Spain) and overall the positioning of Kekon on the global stage is really reminiscent of how formerly colonized nations have to act in our global geopolitics. That said, my interpretation did mean that I don't really jive with a lot of the fanart of Lan, Hilo, and Shae. In my mind, they all have darker skin and a lot of the fanart has them pretty pale (like k-pop idol pale).

I also loved that this book took place over a realistic timeline. Weeks would go by in a few sentences before we'd get a fleshed out scene because Lee understands we don't need to see the minutia of day-to-day life. It also means that the characters were aging, falling in love, graduating school, etc. at a normal rate. There was no instantaneous love, no "I'm better than everyone else and do this without schooling" and this was, for me, really refreshing (especially after reading the All Souls Trilogy, which suffers from this).

The twist with the death of Lan was truly something I never saw coming. Up until, and even after, the point where he falls into the harbor, I was convinced that he would make it. He was so confident, so level-headed, and everyone relied on him so much that, in my head, his death never entered the realm of possibility. And thus I fell into the same trap as the other characters. Scrumptious writing here.

By far my favorite characters are Shae and Anden. They both have internal struggles with their heritage that are realistic and heartbreaking at times. Even when they make mistakes and are rightfully called out for it in other perspectives, I still have such a soft spot for the position they're both put in. It makes sense that they're also close in the book. Plus, seeing Anden struggle with wanting to come out as gay but being nervous about it and ultimately being accepted without conditions, hesitations, or reservations was really heartwarming.

Overall, this book is the combination of urban fantasy, the Godfather, and the Shanghai/Hong Kong gangster movies from the 80s. I would recommend those who love fantasy and thrillers alike, it's a amazing entry into the trilogy.

[murasaki-cha]

THE Three Book Boyfriends are them and them alone!

Percy Jackson

Cardan Greenbriar

Aaron Warner

And I will absolutely take no criticism on this!

The holy trifecta of ya fantasy book boyfriends!

[ditzyblues]

headphones on the tulpar cuz we don't always agree with the DJ!! (curly) #onlyfacts

[s0up1ta]

toxic yaoi or something idk i haven't watched gravity falls

[glitter-stained]

Random goon: Hey boss, were you the one to pick that name as an alias? And why this one?

Red Hood : I used to have another name, before... A long time ago. But that person is dead now. I get to choose for myself now, they can't take that from me. I won't let them.

Goon: Huh.

***

Random Goon: Say boss, why do you never take off your shirt in front of us?

Red Hood: Well uh, I actually have that really fucked scar on my chest and I'm not comfortable with...

Random Goon: Don't worry boss, we get it, you don't have to explain yourself to us.

***

Red Hood, high on some toxin: God, I wish my family...

Random Goon (on boss-sitting duty): why not try reaching out to them?

Red Hood: They would never accept me as I am now... They wouldn't agree with my so-called "life choices". Besides, they don't miss me, they miss the person they think I used to be... I wasn't even a man when I last saw them.

Random Goon: Damn boss, that sucks.

***

And then the goons throw the Red Hood a party on trans visibility day and Jason is so confused he straight up cries.

[ajaxgb]

Okay no I need to talk about the book version of Howl's Moving Castle. I love the movie but the book has such a different vibe and you, yes you, should read it.

Movie Howl is a soulful and quiet. Book Howl is a drama queen and Causing Problems and has a long string of jilted exes and couldn't shut up if you paid him.

Sophie and Howl drive each other up the wall at the beginning and it's really funny. Sophie and Howl are (despite themselves) very much in love by the end and they still drive each other up the wall and it's even funnier.

In the movie, Howl has been ordered by the king to participate in The War, and Howl is avoiding it because he is a brave conscientious objector. In the book, Howl has been ordered by the king to rescue his lost brother from the Witch of the Wastes, and Howl is avoiding it by any means necessary because he is a cowardly weasel who wants to stay as far from the Witch as possible.

In the movie, the Witch cursed Sophie because she was jealous about Howl speaking to Sophie for five minutes. In the book, the Witch cursed Sophie because Sophie had been doing surprisingly powerful magic for years without knowing it and it was actually starting to cut into the Witch's plans. (Sophie does not discover any of this until nearly the end of the book, but the reader can start to pick it up much earlier and the way Sophie's magic works is pretty darn cool.)

In the movie, there's a rumor that Howl eats the hearts of maidens, but this is implied to be nothing but nasty fearmongering. In the book, there's a rumor that Howl eats the hearts of maidens because Howl started the rumor so people would stop asking him to do wizard junk all the time.

The book lightly parodies a couple of tropes from Western fairy tales. In particular Sophie has internalized that, as the eldest of three sisters, her "destiny" is to fail so that her younger sisters will look cooler when they succeed, which is why she's so resigned to the hat shop at the beginning. (Sidebar: Sophie's sisters come up much more in the book and they're great.) There's also a really funny bit where Sophie attempts to operate a pair of seven-league boots.

In the movie, the fourth and final location that the magic door connects to is some sort of black void / mindscape / time portal dealy. In the book the fourth location is Wales, in the UK, on Earth, so that Howl can visit his family, because from Howl's perspective this is an isekai story.

[dirtytransmasc]

the men and boys are innocent too.

we cry "the innocent women and children" to appeal to the masses, to try and force their sympathy, but the men and boys are innocent too.

I have seen sons crying out for their mothers, their fathers, their siblings. I have seen them break down at the loss of their families. I have seen them cling to their dead and grieve.

I have seen fathers cradle their dead children, seen them kiss their faces and hold their little hands. I have seen them faint with grief when asked to identify the dead. I have seen them carry their sons and daughters. I have seen them fasting to provide what little they can for their families.

I have seen men and boys digging through the rubble with just their bare hands, I have seen them comforting strangers, playing with children, rocking them, hushing them, even if the face of such imminent danger. I have seen them cry, seen them grieve, seen them break down into each other's arms, seen them be selfless, beyond selfless, becoming something I don't have a word for.

I have seen the men who are doctors refuse to leave their patients, even when they have no medicine or supplies to give them, even when they're threatened with bombings. I have seen fathers who have lost all their children pick orphans up into their arms and proclaim them their child so they are not alone. I have seen men and boys digging pets out of the rubble.

the men are innocent too. the men and boys are being hurt and killed too. the men and boys are grieving too. the men and boys are scared too. the men and boys are fighting to save their people too. the men and boys deserve to be fought for too.

[liquidstar]

If my mom sees a significant amount of blood she gets lightheaded, and has fainted on some occasions. Once it happened when we were kids, I wasn't there to witness it but I heard the story from my dad. Basically my brothers, around 7 or 8 at the time, were playing outside while my mom was making their lunch, and she accidentally cut her finger. It wasn't anything serious, but it drew a fair bit of blood and she passed out. My dad saw this and rushed over, but he didn't really know what to do so he just sort of started slapping her to wake her up (not recommended, but he had no idea and panicked)

At that exact moment my brothers both came in from playing, and all they saw was our mom unconscious on the floor and our dad slapping her. So, like, without even saying a word to each other they both just INSTANTLY start whaling on him, like, full blown attack mode to defend our mom. Which obviously didn't help the situation, but she did wake up and everything was fine.

Now our dad says that he's actually really glad they attacked him over what they thought was going on, because it means he raised good boys. And I still think that's true, they're very good boys.

[crookedtines]

I finally took the time to photograph my vintage dip pen nib collection, and I need to share with you all how wonderful and diverse their designs are.

These two are my favorite. Just look at them! One of them is named Gorille and the other Mephisto, but to me they're little pumpkins.

And of course you gotta love the Pinocchio nib. You get to write with the nose of a tiny guy! Just not something you get to do anymore.

[lordspoooky]

Ice king is a really good character because they intoduce him and you're like "haha what a freak what's wrong with him" and then the show goes "oh! You want to know? Let me show you :)" and you end up just sitting there like

[sergle]

Are you on southern men swing dancing together tiktok?? Huh??? Because I AM

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

so important for every character to be an idiot, but each in their own unique beautiful way

[susiephone]

*puts hands on hollywood exec's shoulders, staring unblinking into their eyes* listen to me. you will never get people who hate musicals to like musicals by making your musical less of a musical. if you hide the fact that your film is a musical in the advertising, you're going to get a lot of low ratings from people who hate musicals and went into your movie not expecting a musical and got one anyway. people who hate musicals will hate them no matter how realistic and diegetic and lowkey you try to make it. they will hate musicals even if you completely excise anything complicated, over the top, silly, or even slightly challenging. they will hate musicals even if you cut half the songs. they will hate musicals even if you cast that a-lister who can't sing worth a damn. stop trying to market to people who hate musicals. they're a lost cause. your audience should be people who love musicals. this half-assed middle ground pisses off both camps. just embrace the fact that your movie is a musical. lean into it. don't try and trick musical haters into coming to your film when you could be marketing to the theater kids. better cringe than a coward.

[therealraewest]

Laios cuts the tags outta his clothes like an autistic king confirmed

[s0up1ta]

"so grunkle ford how do you know bill?"

"... that's not important."