#armi reads books

[alteredphoenix]

Finished reading K.J. Parker’s Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City.

It was...decent. I don’t think it was as good or as acclaimed as the reviews made it out to be. The cast is pretty shallow, all things considered, but at least the intricacies of engineering being fleshed out makes up for it (bit of a slog to go through those passages, though, if you’re not into that sort of thing; maybe it’s the way they were written, but I wasn’t).

Also (spoilers under the cut):

Orhan’s scum, but at least he’s shamelessly honest (and honestly shameless) when he admits that everything he does is to save his own skin, will do what he can to make himself look more heroic and eloquent than he actually is in the story, and shows, a few times throughout the story, he’s willing to betray the people - most of whom don’t like him not just for being white but his decision-making in keeping the City going - he’s been trying to keep from getting slaughtered in the siege just so he doesn’t have to betray and kill his friend (the guy leading the siege).

So I’ve never been happier to have an MC die when Orhan takes an arrow right through the gut in the last couple pages of the (e-)book, when the assault has been thwarted by the Imperial Sixth Fleet. Like, at least when Fire Punch’s MC dies at the end I knew it was a foregone conclusion but at least I felt a little bad for him for all the trauma he went through (that, you know, he didn’t cause). No such thing for Orhan here. Good riddance, I say.

#bookblr #armi reads books #also i should like to mention the story absolutely hits the gas pedal about 2/3 of the way in #so about more than halfway through #so i'm not sure if it's b/c mr. parker wanted to move on from writing it #or - perhaps more realistically - the MC was dying #also apparently this is a prequel to another k.j. parker book 'the hammer' #this is revealed in an in-universe translator's note at the end of the story #so it gave me some very strong smug satisfaction when even the translator looks so unfavorably upon the MC #going into this blind i was NOT expecting to hate the MC as much as i did #but i do so congrats orhan you made me feel a hatred i normally reserve for villains that are *pure evil*!

[thegoodduckfan]

One of the best things about Scrooge McDuck is that the dude is fucking unhinged and very paranoid. If he just thinks you plan to steal his money he will not hesitate to blow your brains out

#uncle scrooge #scrooge mcduck #huey dewey and louie #donald duck #carl barks #don rosa #comics #comic books #he has militray ties he can send the army to kill you #he also has a gun #I would be dead #ducktales is good but #the book was better #disney comics #disney #go read donald duck

[symphonyofsilence]

I was going to yell at people for accusing Jiang Cheng of being classist until I saw some people accusing Mu Qing of being classist...

#the evidence for it being that he hated Hong Hong er #bc ofc you only don't let 14 y/o into the army bc you don't like that they're poor #unlike you who are SO RICH! #twitter contains the hottest of takes #I was going to ask if some people read the Google translate translation of the book but these takes can't even stem from that #they must have outright read the Chinese version without any translation or any knowledge of Chinese #tgcf #mdzs #cql #the untamed #mu qing #jiang cheng #jiang wanyin

[jimlingss]

two years!! :D it’s been two years since my final curtain call and seven years since Jimlingss began! Seven years!!! Now that’s a crazy yet meaningful number!

Hello to everyone reading this message :D hopefully you remember me (it’s ok if you don’t) and for those who care, hopefully this is a treat! just a quick update on my life — I successfully completed my first year of law school and what a whirlwind it’s been. 

I’ve had so many ups and downs in the past year and I honestly feel like I’ve changed a lot. like evolved from pichu to pikachu. It was my first time moving away from home, away from my parents, and making so many friends. it’s been 20% bitter and 80% sweet. overall, I feel like I’ve learnt so much about myself and became a lot more stable in who I am.

school is hard but completely manageable. luckily, I don’t think my choice was wrong. there are days I quite enjoy what I’m learning. I got 2 years left in the game. soon (hopefully) I’ll be making the big bucks $$$ and I’ll be able to fund my sugar baby dreams (except I’ll also be my own sugar mommy). Although my dating life is as stale as always with 0 movement, I’ve become close with a handful of folks that I hold dearly to my heart. guess I’m in my friendship arc hahahaha

funny enough, I actually came back to this blog out of my own volition 2 weeks ago and re-read some of my stories. I feel so nostalgic. some of my stories really slap ngl. anyway, I really miss creative writing so much. Fortunately, there’s a few extracurriculars at school that allow me to write creatively so it’s somewhat of an outlet for me. it’s not fully satisfying but it’s something!!

I regularly come back to tumblr to check messages and do plagiarism checks lol. Speaking of which, I’ll take this time to answer some messages in my inbox.

unfortunately, i don’t have any socials that anyone can follow me on. my socials are pretty private and only the people who i’m close to, I follow and vice versa. but no worries because I will always come back to this blog to do a yearly update so you’ll hear from me! I will satiate your curiosity if you’re every curious about what I’m up to!!

for anyone who ever messages me compliments to my stories and/or missing my presence, no worries, I read them all :) your messages and feedback is never lost! it’s very sweet and always warms my heart.

if you can’t reach my masterlist, it’s here lol

I’ve kind of fallen off my fic reading game so if you ask me if I know a specific fic, I won’t be much of help unfortunately ://

if my fics ever help you through hard times, then I’m super glad!!! life can undoubtably be downright terrible. life can really really suck (understatement). but I think it’s comforting to know that everyone at some point thinks the same. it’s a universal sentiment - and in that, you’re not alone.

anyway, that’s it for now! you’ll hear from me again!

I’ll be back! And I hope you will too! :>

#also more updates I guess - I did indeed travel to Japan this year! #it was a blast #in terms of the book writing process #my brain has not been operating in that way so I still am at a standstill #I actually had a dream recently that I couldn't even write a poem #hahaha my book writing dreams haven't died tho - I'LL DO IT ONE DAY #on another note - I haven't been keeping up with BTS that much #other than knowing that Jin and Hoseok have headed off to the army #which imo is a good thing cause that makes us one day closer to an ot7 album again #also Jimin's solo slaps #Like Crazy and Alone are on my playlist woooo #what bangers #I hope everyone has been doing well #I am manifesting success and money and love for everyone who reads this WOOOOOOOOOO #Jimlingss

[themelodyofspring]

JOMP Book Photo Challenge

August 10, 2023 - Sunshine

#jompbpc #justonemorepage #my plant army #the starless sea #erin morgenstern #booklr #mypics #books #bookblr #read #books and plants #sunshine #books and sunshine

[cipher-fresh]

Did Crowley and Aziraphale ever put together the fact they were being scammed out of (admittedly worthless to them and magically generated) money to the tune of 250 pounds a month (week? probably month) by the SAME GUY who never got the hang of fantasynamegenerator

#good omens #there was a lot of jokes i didnt register the first time i read the book and the hilarity that they hired the SAME GUY and didnt realize it #AND agreed that their 'army of agents' shouldnt work together. genuinely hysterical. #sergeant shadwell #updates from cipher

[eddiebabygirldiaz]

okay but imagine eddie withering away in a war he doesn't want to fight, staring down at hands that have killed and saved, and only wanting a kiss. all he can think of to get him through the terror, all that gives him the strength to keep moving and get back home, is the thought of a tender kiss. just some softness, some gentleness, when those things have been so foreign he doesn't even really understand them anymore, can't recognize their true shape on his tongue, but he knows he wants it and thinks maybe if he gets it then he will be okay, he will be whole, he will be healed and cleansed of the dirt and death and loss. the hope that something full of love can win out over the mangled hurt and gruesome horror he has witnessed and been turned into.

#yeah i basically copy and pasted my post about another character from a book im reading BUT STILL THE POINT STANDS #just gonna wreck myself with thoughts about army eddie tonight i guess ✌️ #eddie diaz #911 #ry rambles

[branwendaughterofllyr]

I think all Sansa antis need a primer on soft power and how women wielded power in the actual Middle Ages and Renaissance.

#Very few women actually led armies and the ones who did almost exclusively did in symbolic capacities #like my girlie Caterina Sforza #Now piling on the benevolent lady symbolism???? that's like being a woman ruler 101 #also NEVER underestimate the power of household management #There's a reason why women would fight over who had the control over the household accounts because that's THE MONEY #theres a reason why we joke so much about book Jon being an accountant #because those boring and soft power aspects are sooooo important #why yes I have read an entire book about Elizabeth of York's expenditures and household accounts how could you have guessed?

[princess-of-purple-prose]

Hey wtf happens in tlt 🤨

The actual, genuine answer is "So Fucking Much" that I stared at this for thirty seconds straight trying to figure out what part of the books I could lampoon without out even needing to embellish and completely failed to come up with even one thing due to the aforementioned glut of Muchness. Idk what to tell you, man. God's name is john and before he was god he twitch streamed necromancy as part of his attempt to solve global warming. They're really good books

#his name is john and he's maori and he makes awful dad jokes and he's bisexual and he's #a violent imperialist and he eats peanuts in important army meetings. you should read the books #asks #arataka-reigen #kay talks #tlt

[bonebabbles]

A Forest Divided: BEGIN

I'm so happy im finally at the book where Clear Sky's mom calls him a bitch. I cannot wait for this. I'm kept alive on fumes.

Also wolf mention;

This is less "ecological nitpick" and more wondering what they think of wolves? DOTC is like... a weird mix of America and England. Appalachian Scafells. Scaffalachia.

Wolves are extinct in England but we do have them in America... though I'm not sure if we had them between 1910 - 1950, when DOTC takes place.

Anyway, big dream thing again where all the leaders are called together so StarClan can hand them the plot again. This moment stands out;

fuck you mean, "If he hadn't let her leave"? She left because he was getting people killed, throwing disabled people out of his Clan, and fighting with her publicly while bossing her around, why the hell are you phrasing it as "LET HER LEAVE"?? She left BECAUSE you were so controlling

"If only I had been even worse u_u" -Clear Sky

Anyway the StarClan cats are angry that no one has followed their vague order to "grow and spread." ok. At the very least, we get to watch Clear Sky get yelled at by a baby so that's cool

"It's so good to see you, my very first fridged girl :D"

"FUCK YOURSELF SIDEWAYS"

I love you Fluttering Bird, BEST Quiet Rain kit, no contest, I love you I love you I love you.

Clear Sky sees everyone hanging out with each other in the dream but no one wants to talk to him, and for the FIRST time, EVER, SOMEONE FINALLY TELLS HIM IT IS HIS FAULT.

This is building up to how he needs a wife though, btw. Star Flower is a reward for being good now, so he'll have "someone to care for him" and defend him against the horrible ordeal of People Being Mad At Him. She is an object for Clear Sky's narrative.

As cathartic as it is that finally, someone's mad at him, you're supposed to feel bad that they're being so harsh. To the dictator. Who got more than half of the dead cats in this dream killed.

I'm not being hyperbolic about the wife-thing btw. That's just what's written.

Spoiler alert for the rest of the book: He tries to control his family again and they say no, because what he's supposed to do is find contentedness in Star Flower. His new wife. She becomes a Clear Sky Stan and acts as a writer mouthpiece for how cool and strong he is.

And THAT. THAT is why they were always going to waste Star Flower. They aren't telling a story about how Clear Sky is just like One Eye, and that he effectively got out-dictator'd by a bigger boot, and that he has to reflect on that. No, they're playing this completely straight, One Eye was a point of reference. He's what ""EVIL"" is supposed to look like, to contrast Clear Sky, who was NOT evil.

So they don't think there COULD BE a person who encourages his worse instincts, the way the fandom wants Star Flower to do. He doesn't HAVE worse instincts, his ""abuse"" was just love misapplied. Or, more accurately, it can't be abuse if it was based in real love.

Star Flower is not a person. She is a sexy lamp for Clear Sky to win.

#You may have the instinct to say 'well at least the books will say you dont have to forgive your abuser' #and that would be nice. unfortunately they already wrote an entire book of thunder forgiving his abuser #and telling him it's not his fault he started a massacre #and helping him win his army back #So maybe this book is good if you just ignore the previous 4 books again :P #dotc hate #bonefall reads dotc

[alteredphoenix]

Michael Moorcock's The Whispering Swam and The Woods of Arcady definitely look like reads I'd enjoy. Now if only the first book (Swarm) was on sale with Arcady >:V

#i can't say i've ever dabbled in reading metafictional fantasy before #probably the only other one i can think of i've heard about is philip k. dick's 'valis' #but valis is dick's exploration w/ his religious experiences in the '70s w/ a sci-fi bent #whereas the sanctuary of the white friars is basically a fictionalized AU of moorcock growing up in the '50s and '60s #with a fantasy bent to it #there's something very human and enjoyable about reading post-WW2 london that i liked #when reading the excerpt for the whispering swarm #i'm hoping if i ever get around to reading it in full it'll maintain that atmosphere #armi reads books

[dutchmancallypso]

"You are the only person I'd like to say goodbye to when I die, because only then will this thing I call my life make any sense. And if I should hear that you died, my life as I know it, the me who is speaking with you now, will cease to exist."

#Just finished reading CMBYN and I can't get over this quote #CMBYN #call me by your name #oliver and elio #timothee chalamet #armie hammer #luca guadagnino #andre aciman #book quote

[saraharchivee]

regency era😳

(Font: Pinterest)

#bts army #yoongi #btssuga #bts yoongi #ai character #ai fanart #aifanartbts #bts ai #bts fanart #fantasy #aesthetic #after the storm #quotes #daily life #bts #books and reading #suga #regency

[themelodyofspring]

JOMP Book Photo Challenge

August 20, 2023 - Made me feel...

#jompbpc #justonemorepage #when women were dragons #kelly barnhill #plant army🫡 #booklr #mypics #books #bookblr #read #books and plants

[cicadaemon]

Im reading 'Japanese Society at War' by Naoko Shimazu and honestly it is such a good read if you want a better idea of the impact of the Russo-Japanese war. I've been reading quite a few books about this war cause of the train commute home, but this is the first time I've read one that isn't stale and goes on to suck Emperor Meiji's dick.

Shimazu actually goes into the societal and cultural impact. It goes into how soldiers felt about the fighting. It actually talks about the people who's lives were impacted by all this. Really gonna help when I get really down and dirty with GK fanfic writing >:)

#golden kamuy #history #txt #Its genuinely such a good read #I was reading Japan's Imperial Army by Edward Drea before this #and its such a difference #it also actually talks about propaganda and antiwar sentiments in Japan too #highly recommend this book

[furryllamas]

Hi guys, I just got scammed for 850 dollars so if yall can send any donations if would be super grateful. I’m a broke college student so there’s not much I can do without that money unfortunately.

PayPal is wvall4

I’ll tag any community I’m in down below, even 1$ helps.

#mlwtwb #clothing #fashion #kol mikaelson #style #benedict bridgerton x reader #alex walter x reader #aaron hotchner x reader #nct dream smut #nct #nctzen #army #bts #kpop #bad omens #the neighbourhood #billie eilish #batman #bruce wayne #dick grayson #books #reading