#both povs have fantastic conflicts

[bookshelf-in-progress]

It's so nice to have this tiny little selection of WIPs to prioritize. Really helps me to keep my focus where it should be.

Wait, what's this?

IT'S A LONG-ABANDONED WIP WITH A STEEL CHAIR!!

#so two days ago i was looking back at some of my stories i like and thinking that they were all garbage #well then yesterday (actually at 3 am shh don't tell) i was looking at some things i liked less and found that they were surprisingly good #(my imagination kicked in during the interim and supplied some really nice mental movies that made the stories come alive) #and guys that arateph princess and the pea retelling has me going feral #both povs have fantastic conflicts #the fairy tale gets to tie in perfectly with the politics and philosophy issues in this world #and now i really really want to get to the core of this story and try to figure out how to finish it #because there's a ton of thematic and internal things happening #but how to realistically tie it in with the need for action is logistically difficult #i've got at least three threads here and the 'assassination attempt' thing is the most concrete possibility but also the hardest to fit in #i may just have to open a new doc and rubber-duck it to see if something comes together #incidentally the fact that this kind of thing regularly happens with my backlog of seasonally-specific ideas is why i rarely finish anythin #ah well what do you do? #adventures in writing

[heyjude19-writing]

Putting nostalgia aside, what in your opinion makes dramione greater than other Draco pairings? I love both equally personally, but I’d love to know as time has gone on, I now myself have a preference which i now gravitate towards on the basis of their“technicalities”.

So putting aside the nostalgia, what tropes, characteristics of each, do you find more fascinating or more unique in either pairing?

(Usual disclaimer that I'm a "ship and let ship" person and all fanfic portrayals of these fictional characters are valid, this is just a silly, long-winded opinion 😘)

Hmm, I don't think I would say it's "greater" (everything is subjective) than any other pairing, but if you're asking why dramione has remained my favorite, it's simply because I find them the most compelling. We get a lot of hermione in the books, sure, but as we're in harry's head for almost all of canon, i found myself interested in exploring her character and all its glory and flaws without the veil of harry's pov. I adore her intelligence, of course, and her capacity for kindness, but she can also be ruthless (keeping Skeeter in a jar, Marietta Edgecombe), unflinchingly pragmatic (her disdain for divination, wiping her parents' memories), and morally grey when it suits her interests (every book, y'all, every book she is breaking/bending rules with harry/ron).

I'm not going to even attempt to dig through my past asks because tumblr searches are terrible, but I've written before about Draco's unfinished and unsatisfying canon narrative. He is set up several times over to have a somewhat forgiving arc but ultimately it falls flat and it's a stupendous waste of potential for an on-page redemption. It makes him a fantastic character for fanfiction at least.

And so I prefer dramione for what it makes these two confront about themselves and each other. They have shared trauma, or at least overlapping trauma touchpoints, that can lend themselves to some gutwrenching conversations. A relationship, a friendship, fuck even earning the right to breathe in Hermione's vicinity is going to require a lot of soul-searching, apologizing, unlearning of hateful rhetoric and probably a fuckton of therapy for draco. I dont view dramione as opposites so much as complements and there's a vast potential for drama and angst and these two seem really intense in their desires to succeed in the world as very loyal, tightly wound, ambitious over-achievers.

I don't know honestly, it just makes me happy to think about them happy together. Put these two in some situations and let them kiss.

I adore drarry too of course, but harry and draco's animosity is often focused on draco confronting personal conflict/differences vs their ideological differences.

#dramione #fic thoughts #asked and answered #i just want all the traumatized bbs to have happy endings

[dandenbo]

spec reqs recs

so much good work this year, i've been trying to make my way through as many as i can. below are some of my favourites. authors are still anonymous and summaries are my own. thanks to the mods at @spectre-requisitions-exchange

my gifts

be gentle - E, nonbinary shepard/thane

it's art! it's explicit! it's OTTO!! there's dick here, be warned, all the more reason to go look at it. i'm blown away by this, it's so gorgeous, and i'm extremely touched that someone drew my oc. i love you i love you 🫶

make me a home even as i wander - T, nonbinary shepard clone/jack

postwar, the clone shows up at her doorstep and asks for her help. a great exploration of the ways jack does and doesn't change, and how bonds grow between hard-edged people. i'm in love with this clone, btw.

other recs

on the shore (from a distance) - M, kaidan alenko/male citadel doctor

really touching examination of trauma and healing. told from the oc pov, fascinating outside look at kaidan's story. really have to praise this one for its structure too, great use of flashbacks.

seeing a salarian about a ship - T, kaidan alenko/major coats

short, sweet slice of spectre life, a little peek at what things are like for both of them postwar. delightful and funny prose.

astronomy in reverse - G, female shepard/male shepard

not exactly a ship fic. and yet! heh. post-control ending, big existential questions, multiverse something or other. this one really got my gears turning, an inspiring piece of writing.

tell me when - E, samantha traynor/ashley williams

great premise that really delivers on conflict and resolution - ashley and sam are both on horizon and ashley's having a bad time. really strong characterisation, fantastic dialogue. also features a gay bar, which i don't see enough in ME fic.

out on the town - T, miranda lawson/liara t'soni

art in a very distinctive style that i always love. i'm studying the textures and colours, they're so cool. also, fashion!

#fic rec

[hylialeia]

thoughts on the Daevabad Trilogy, short version: holy shit that was good

longer version:

holy shit that was good.

I adored the writing style, the imagery, the worldbuilding, the characters, the character dynamics, and the pacing all the way through. I first picked up this series because of how Global Medievalism talked about it as a stepping stone away from Eurocentric medieval fantasy and it definitely delivered. this is tied with Spinning Silver for my favorite recent reads--which is even more impressive since SS was a standalone, meanwhile this series kept up a consistently high quality across three separate books.

after Fourth Wing masquerading as a rich, complex adult fantasy and then being What It Actually Was, this was an immensely satisfying series to pick up. it skirts the fantasy staple of the Inherently Evil Race/Species that so many works fall into (even asoiaf with the Others) and instead opts to explore in-depth religious and racial prejudices, revolutions, bigotry, power, and privilege in ways that can be frightening for a lot of authors (and readers). I can see why this series would frustrated a large swath of fantasy fans and not just because it steps completely away from the Europe-but-slightly-to-the-left settings that they're so familiar with; people looking for escapism and a palatable black-and-white conflict definitely wouldn't find it here.

that said, I also think the narrative did a fantastic job of showcasing the brutality of oppression, as well as cycles of revenge and violence, without turning into a sermon about how anyone who fights back is Just As Bad as the oppressor. you can sympathize with any faction within the trilogy while still seeing that there's a clear hierarchy. this is a series that asks the reader to be open minded and to sympathize with a variety of people's suffering while still condemning heinous actions, crimes, and ways of thinking. portrayals of violence, swearing, and sex aside, this is where I believe the adult label is earned. the Daevabad Trilogy outshines Fourth Wing in its entirety, actually following through on promises of depth, complexity, and exploration.

I don't think the series reaches into absolutely flawless territory; on reflection, there are a lot of scenes I wish we'd seen happening in the moment rather than summarized or briefly flashed back to. this goes especially for the end of the last book, Empire of Gold, which would have enhanced the pacing quite a bit. there's a bit of rushing through the final battle, and though it's still quite fantastic and follows through on a deal of foreshadowing and character build-up, it definitely feels over too soon. there are also a few loose ends and potential conflicts when it comes to the characters themselves that the series felt too tired to actually flesh out by the end. I can forgive that chiefly because of just how well-rounded and consistent the characters themselves are, even despite those instances.

and holy shit did I adore these characters. I've only seen the barest tip of the iceberg of discourse this series caused (which I'm sure was insane when it first came out), but thankfully the 10 million+ Way More Problematic Characters (that I also love) in asoiaf has made me immune to whatever the hell was going on over there. I also couldn't get involved in a ship war if you paid me.

I think the first book made a good call only having Nahri and Ali's POVs not just from a technical standpoint (Dara's POV wouldn't have added much, and may have even spoiled some meaningful twists) but also in priming the reader for what is the heart of the entire trilogy: their dynamic. Nahri and Ali carry the series whether they're young, platonic best friends who should be enemies, awkward ex-friends who still get a long way too well, or best friends who are deeply in love which each other but too traumatized to admit it. they both stand incredibly well as individuals (evidenced by the fact that they don't even meet until over the halfway mark in the first book), with Ali being a particular favorite of mine from the very beginning. their opposite upbringings yet similar interests made them a fantastic duo, one where it made sense the impact each one would have on the other's journey. there's something so incredibly endearing about their inability to legitimately dislike each other despite their circumstances, one that makes sense based on their already established personalities; they propel the series' most meaningful moments.

for the elephant in the room: as frustrating as Dara's POV could be I found it a worthy and fascinating addition in the later books, one that I think a lot of people missed the weight of if they were too busy excusing him/hating him. his perspective, biased and misguided as it often was, provided so much rich exploration of the trilogy's overall themes: militarism, religious fanaticism, prejudice, free will, just war, revolution, cycles of violence, conditioning and abuse, etc. that so much of this seemed to fall to the wayside in a strive to decide if he was excusable or not (and thus a viable love interest or not) is a huge shame. his ending was, to me, profoundly satisfying; not redeemed but finally allowed to act of his own free will, no longer bound by outside magic or internalized religious obligation. I never violently disliked Dara and Nahri's romantic entanglement so much as I knew it was doomed from the moment Ali had a POV chapter.

the secondary characters were no less engaging for me, especially as their prominence grew throughout the books, antagonists or otherwise. it was refreshing to see Muntadhir and Jamshid's individual characters (and thus their relationship) become a more prominent aspect of the story--again, especially after the tokenism in Fourth Wing. side characters always seemed to have deeper personalities and roles to play, with even early character deaths like Anas having lasting impacts for our main POVs. their presence was as vital to the immersion and depth of the world as much as the setting and imagery--which are also aspects that completely blew me away. from character, technical, to thematic standpoints, the Daevabad Trilogy absolutely amazed me.

final thoughts and rating: if you give me a book where two married characters are in love with the other's brother and expect me not to give it a high rating you're insane. 8/10. maybe even 9/10. go read these books.

#spoiler warning for people who want to read this series (which you should) #thank you chakraborty for Thee character dynamic of all time #ali love of my life. apple of my eye. <3 #the daevabad trilogy

[melrosing]

As your not a big fan of fantasy books in general. What drew you into loving asoiaf? What got you hooked?

now that I'm invested in asoiaf I do genuinely like the fantasy elements of the story, but the stuff that really pulled me in was the human drama and political intrigue etc. I love the character work, almost all of the POVs feel fully realised and subvert typical tropes in really interesting ways (imo). I like the inter-generational drama (the reasons I like succession are v similar to the reasons I like the Lannisters), like if I want to understand Jaime and Cersei and Tyrion I can look to Tywin, and if I want to understand Tywin I can look to Tytos, and if I was to understand Tytos I can look to Gerold, like it's a russian doll of intergenerational trauma what more could a girl want.

and on that note I really like the scope! GRRM obviously feels this need to account for all details minor and major, so that even with everything that's already on the page there's room to extrapolate so much more. i mean here I am writing who knows how many words about a fake 20-episode long robert's rebellion tv series lol like this all happened before the series even starts and yet I hardly need to make anything up bc there is so much to draw on just based on all the random little details we've got here and there from characters reflecting on the same events from different angles, and trying to piece together portraits of the people who died based on the recollections of those on the page who remember them..... it is so fun)

and yeah usually I prefer to read about that kind of thing on a smaller scale but the drama that plays out in AGOT is so engaging that upon initiation I didn't find it so much of a chore to keep track of all the various houses and lands etc in order to understand the full implications of each thing that happened - it felt like it was worth the effort. generally it's the 'keeping track' of it all that I find grating about fantasy bc I really want to just get on with the story rather than keep on top of a hundred magic systems and sub-species of pixie.

and obvs asoiaf is low fantasy rather than high fantasy, i.e. there aren't intricate systems to the magic and or complicated genus for each of the creatures, so that made it feel a lot more accessible for me as someone who just isn't very interested in those kinds of details. Dany's magic is made up as she goes along, it's never explained, and that's the same for pretty much all the fantastical elements - it's very show don't tell. and even though when you count it all up there are quite a lot of fantastical features and subplots, taken together with the rest of the story it's more like.... seasonings I wouldn't usually choose but ended up liking just fine in this overall dish lol

and finally asoiaf just really appealed to me from a fannish perspective! I really hate when you're trying to dig deeper with a work and you quickly start to realise that the writer(s) just weren't thinking that hard. it feels like striking concrete with a spade, like it's a one-sided conversation rather than something both the writer and the reader are participating in. I think some fans are perfectly fine with that and good for them - who cares if the author built the work to sustain your analysis if you're just having fun doing it - but for me it's a complete killjoy, I end up v frustrated and like the work isn't worth my time

so here's GRRM who is so fixated on the finer details that he's churned out a history book like 700 pages long and a bunch of short stories and also another history book just to add a bit more texture to the main story. and I don't have to worry about network input or co-writers or actors' intentions or whatever other external conflict or influence cos for better or worse it's all his story. and that just suits me better lol, it's one guy and his shitty computer, and me reading the shit he wrote with it. pure and simple living in the moment no phones in sight

also jaime and brienne are everything to me xo

#ask #like do i ever want him to finish the story but even still im like. god i love this shit

[tenebrius-excellium]

It leaves me very confused and a little sad that there isn’t a richer, larger, more united and more enthusiastic fanbase for the Avatar movies. I’ve been waiting for commentaries on the second movie, both indulging and critical, and there’s a mere trickle of content appearing in the tags. So far, they all fall in weirdly isolated columns of character x reader, Kiri stans, ‘I loved the movie!’ one liners, ‘boycott Avatar’, Na’vi learners and people being horny over clone!Quaritch on main. 

There isn’t much meta despite the universe being huge, fairly consistent, and ever-expanding. The like-to-reblog ratio on posts is catastrophic. There’s not much art. I miss people being excited. I miss discourse, headcanons and AUs! I miss people giving detailed reasons for the way they respond to the movie, no matter whether they liked it or not. Nothing seems to stick despite so many refined details, e.g. the Metkayina using sign language underwater and having inner eyelids like amphibians! Or the fact that the explanations for the use of English, Kiri’s and Spider’s existence etc. were quite thought-out and satisfying. 

Sure, there’s the epic Pandoran world on one hand, and then there’s of course the “Cameronism”: The two-pronged personal fantasy of the director who is playfully exploring colonialism as negative while reaffirming it in the same breath, combined with a bland, overly conservative story. If the plot really reflects Cameron’s thinking, it is dangerously outdated by 15-20 years and cannot stay relevant. But the point to me is: It was to be expected. 

Avatar and Avatar The Way Of Water are US-American Hollywood stories based on military culture. Once you know that, it is my firm belief that it’s possible to detach yourself from that lense. But perhaps I really am arguing from a merely European perspective that is so used to mediocre language dubs, the strange obsession with heroism, patriotism, weapons and violence, and other US-specific phenomenons that just feel generally outlandish to non-US viewers. We don’t have the same problems, so being constantly faced with yours through entertainment media causes us to... kinda tune those out and enjoy what’s left, tbh. Because some of them are really painfully cringe up to completely unthinkable to the rest of the world. Even the first Avatar was never intended as a global story; - although the RDA is supposedly composed of international players, the representation on Pandora is purely US-American, even more, it’s not even covering all of your own ethnic variety. So if we can’t even expect European, Asian, African and South-American scientists in the space mission, what are we supposed to expect about indigenous voices of smaller civilizations? 

What I’m trying to say is, US media currently have a certain range of messages they convey even here in Europe, because, well, you still have the monopoly on filmmaking and we watch all of your stuff. However, we are very aware that your POV is narrow and limited since it rarely actually applies to us. And sooo, what do we do with the reality of our own exclusion that we are inevitably constantly reflecting? We ignore it, we roll our eyes and don’t think too deeply on it, we leave you guys to solve your own problems and enjoy what’s given. Perhaps we are able to separate a fantastic narrative from the cultural/ political clashes that come with it a little better, because most of the time, we don’t identify with the latter. I’m not saying the differences are in any way good or that they should stay that way. I’m saying that from where I’m at, Batman, Spiderman and Avatar don’t look too different to me when it comes to elaborate escapist fantasies about good vs. evil, and media might not quite be as relevant to conflicts as they seem in the US. Education is much more important, and to act in real life rather than in fiction. As for me, I’ll appreciate Avatar like any other fandom space, because the concept is extraordinary, its future potential still enormous, and I would love for more positive interaction. I harbor the sliiiight hope that Cameron might grow out of his current spree and redeem himself in one of the later sequels. Since there are going to be 3 more of them, you know. There you go :)

#avatar 2 #avatar the way of water #avatar 2 analysis #analysis #avatar the way of water analysis #wherethekiteflies

[isa-ghost]

I need qPhil to tell Sunny how awesome and swaggy she is so she stops thinking he hates her and so Tubblings that clearly don't watch any other POV besides Tubbo's shut the FUCK up about Phil hating her and stop posting the most rancid, untrue, one-sided & illiterate ass takes I've ever seen.

IT'S MISCOMMUNICATION. THAT QPHIL DOESNT REALIZE IS HAPPENING. BECAUSE NO ONE HAS TOLD HIM. BECAUSE QTUBBO'S STUPID ASS (I SAY THIS AS A TUBBLING MYSELF) DOESN'T FUCKING SPEAK UP FOR HIS DAUGHTER. AT LEAST NOT OFTEN ENOUGH. NO ONE ELSE BESIDES HIM REALIZES SUNNY IS FEELING THE WAY SHE IS. AND HE SAYS NOTHING ABOUT IT TO ANYONE. AND SUNNY DOESN'T REALIZE SHE CAN SPEAK UP HERSELF. OR SHE'S AFRAID TO BC SHE'S JUST A KID, WHICH IS COMPLETELY VALID. SUNNY'S ADMIN IS FANTASTIC AT PLAYING A CHILD THAT DOESN'T UNDERSTAND THIS SOCIAL STUFF.

TUBBLINGS NEED TO PULL THEMSELVES OUT OF RP FOR 2 SECONDS AND REALIZE A CHILD'S PERCEPTION OF THE WORLD ISN'T WHAT'S ACTUALLY TRUE. FOR A BUNCH OF CHRONIC METAGAMERS, THEY FUCKING SUCK AT THINKING META WHEN IT ACTUALLY FUCKING MATTERS. I SAY THIS AS SOMEONE WHO WATCHES STREAMS REGULARLY. I SEE CHAT.

AND IT SHOULDN'T BE ONLY SUNNY'S JOB TO SPEAK UP FOR HERSELF WHEN SHE'S FEELING A BAD WAY ANYWAY. PARENTS SPEAK FOR THEIR EGGS ALL THE TIME. TUBBLINGS MAY NOT HAVE WATCHED QSMP BEFORE TUBBO WAS ON TO KNOW THAT, BUT THEY'RE METAGAMING LITTLE FUCKERS ANYWAY. SO IF THEY'RE SO PRESSED ABOUT THIS, THE LEAST THEY COULD DO IS THINK OF PROPOSING COMMUNICATING ON SUNNY'S BEHALF AS IF IT'S AN ORIGINAL IDEA THEY HAD, SINCE THEY LOVE SUGGESTING META OR BACKGAME-Y SHIT SO MUCH.

OR THEY SHOULD THEMSELVES OUT OF RP FOR 2 FUCKING SECONDS TO REALIZE ROLEPLAY IS ABOUT COMMUNICATION. AND TUBBO IS NOT COMMUNICATING THAT THERE IS AN ISSUE. SO THIS IS NOT PHIL'S FAULT.

Also Tubblings & Phil antis in general have this habit of assuming he's being fucking rude when That's Just How Northerners Talk. So good job, you dumbasses are stereotyping. I've seen so many UK northerners speak up about how they hate seeing people from their region labeled as assholes for talking the way they talk. But I digress.

REGARDLESS OF FANDOM ISSUES.

QTUBBO SHOULD HAVE TOLD PHIL BY NOW THAT SUNNY FEELS THIS WAY. INSTEAD OF LETTING THIS FUCKING FESTER. WORSE, SOMETIMES HE STRAIGHT UP TALKS TO SUNNY LIKE HER PERCEPTION OF PHIL HATING HER IS TRUE. RATHER THAN REASSURING HER HE DOESN'T. FROM PHIL'S POV, TALLULAH & SUNNY GET ALONG NOW SO THERE'S NO TENSION BETWEEN THE DEATH FAMILY & THE UNDERSCORE FAMILY. HE HAS NO FUCKING IDEA THAT SUNNY DOESN'T RECOGNIZE HE'S TEASING. OR THAT HE CAME OFF A WRONG WAY. AGAIN, HE JUST TALKS THE WAY HE TALKS. AND SUNNY DOESN'T REALIZE THAT. AND THAT'S OK BC SHE'S A KID.

I hope to god this is ccTubbo playing his character this way intentionally bc I'm down for imperfect/flawed characters. Even if this is aggravating me SO MUCH and even if I HATE characters that think everyone & everything is against them when it's clearly not true. Bc at least then that means there's time for qTubbo to learn he's severely fucking things up going about things the way he is. There's opportunity for the narrative to progress and for the conflict to resolve. qPhil is imperfect and flawed and I snort that shit like crack. I'm down to ride out qTubbo's character development just the same even if I don't enjoy it.

BUT UNDER THE ASSUMPTION THAT THIS IS NOT A MATTER OF META VS RP AND NOT AN INTENTIONAL CHOICE ON CCTUBBO'S PART.

QTUBBO SHOULD BE SUPPORTING SUNNY WHETHER THAT MEANS SPEAKING UP FOR HER OR ENCOURAGING HER TO. INSTEAD HE BASICALLY GOES "DAMN THAT'S CRAZY, WE'RE BOTH SO HATED" AND MOVES ON. WHEN. IF YOU WATCH PHIL OR FIT OR PAC OR MAYBE EVEN BAGI BC SHE'S ON "EARLY" SOMETIMES. THEY ALL CARE SO MUCH ABOUT THEM BOTH. THEY CARE ABOUT EVERY ISLANDER. EVEN THE ONES THAT DON'T SHOW UP FOR FUCKING MONTHS. ITS THEM VS THE FEDS. ALWAYS. EVEN AFTER FUCKING PURGATORY, THEY WILL ALL STILL DROP EVERYTHING TO MAKE SURE EGGS ARE OK OR ASK IF PEOPLE NEED HELP WHEN MESSAGES POP UP IN CHAT. THEY STILL PANIC EVEN WHEN MESSAGES OF SOMEONE GOING DOWN POP UP BECAUSE THEY'RE PLAYING AROUND. IT HAPPENED JUST THE OTHER DAY WITH RICHAS AND MIKE. NOT EVEN BEING FORCED TO BETRAY AND HURT EACH OTHER, AND BEING PITTED AGAINST EACH OTHER FOR WEEKS HAS BROKEN THE BONDS THEY ALL HAVE. THIS ISLAND HAS ALWAYS BEEN AN "IT TAKES A VILLAGE" ISLAND. EGG NEED HELP, EGG SAD, PARENTS SCRAMBLE TO HELP AND COMFORT. SAME WITH FELLOW ISLANDERS. EVERYTHING THE ISLANDERS DO IS TO A) PROTECT THE EGGS NO MATTER WHO'S EGG IT IS, B) PROTECT AND SUPPORT EACH OTHER, AND C) TO FIND ANSWERS FROM THE FEDS TO GET CLOSURE. OR ESCAPE THE ISLAND. THE DAY TUBBLINGS LEARN THAT IT'S NOT AND NEVER HAS BEEN TUBBO VS EVERYONE IS THE DAY I KNOW FUCKING PEACE.

SO I AM BEGGING. THAT IF QTUBBO WON'T FUCKING SPEAK UP FOR SUNNY. AND IF SHE'S TOO AFRAID TO SPEAK UP FOR HERSELF. THAT AT THE VERY LEAST, PHIL FUCKING DOTES ON HER SO SHE REALIZES HE DOESN'T FUCKING HATE HER. AND THEN TUBBLINGS REALIZE HE DOESN'T FUCKING HATE HER. HE DOESN'T HATE ANYONE ON THE ISLAND THAT ISN'T A FED OR A PURGATORY FUCKWAD. AND BY DOTING ON SUNNY AND TELLING HER HOW COOL AND FUN SHE IS, TUBBLINGS WILL FINALLY SHUT THE FUCK UP. AND SUNNY AND THE CROWS WILL ALL KNOW FUCKING PEACE.

#rant #TUBBLINGS DNI UNLESS YOU ACTUALLY HAVE MEDIA LITERACY SKILLS I SWEAR TO GOD. #discourse #qsmp

[the-last-thread-of-my-sanity]

TOP 10 favourite AA fanfics?

Thanks for the ask! I previously tried to answer an ask like this with lots of links and things and Tumblr kept eating it- so I think I am going to give up on that and just put names and authors 🫣

‘Favorite’ is super subjective, always, but I am answering with fics that live-rent free in my brain or that I return to often. But my list of fics to read is super long and I’m sure nearly all of those are great too! Just haven’t gotten to them yet.

In NO particular order-

A leaf in the wind is all I want - by Anonymous (or @distortedclouds) - Beautiful one-shot of Annie and Armin eloping :) But EVERYTHING they write is incredible!

Paranoid- by Flailingkittylover ( @flailingkittylover ) - An amazing Cadets Aruani slow burn. There are moments from this fic that made me literally tear up, especially chapters/moments in Annie’s POV. I downloaded this on my e-reader so I can enjoy it over and over again

Moments- by lady_shudragon- Both works in this little series are great, but I chose the smutty one to recommend. Armin is such a supportive and caring partner in this and it makes me weak every time I read it.

Village By the End of the World - by moonspirits ( @moonspirit ) - One of the best fics I have read in any fandom, currently ongoing. The situations and conflicts the characters are placed in Post-Rumbling lead to such interesting developments. The characterization feels so lovingly accurate and canonical while also being unpredictable enough to keep you hooked. Bonus points for some beautiful narrative foils achieved through some engaging original characters. All the praise!

Silhouettes- by jelly - I am not usually a modern-AU enjoyer, but this fic is downright literary even for a one-shot and it makes such interesting use of the reincarnation trope. Reads like a fever dream in the best way possible.

To Be Human by brittle_bluebell ( @brittlebluebell )- A fantastic ‘first-time’ smut fic, but it’s honestly so much more than that. Great explorations of all of Armin’s and Annie’s relationships with the Alliance characters and their fears and anxieties Post-Rumbling

Dawn by aikrm- Perspective on Armin and Annie as new parents from Levi’s POV. Absolutely lovely. Falbi is here too.

washed in the tide of your breathing- by alyalyanime - A great Annie-centric retrospective on her feelings for Armin. I love the symmetry of this writing.

By Each Crime and Kindness (I’m bound to you) - by aruanimess ( @aruanimess ) - Currently ongoing. I have a Cadets Aruani agenda, and I love fics that depict awkward teenage relationships accurately. Love the sense of humor that is present within both tense and tender moments. Excited to see where this fic leads.

Warmth- by orphan_account (wish I knew who this was!! It used to be listed!) - Another cute Cadets Aruani fic. “And there was only one tent” trope- need I say more?

In conclusion, though, if you’re writing in the Aruani fandom, I think you’re awesome and it’s only a matter of time before I read your fic tbh because the brainrot has taken hold.

#aruani #annie leonhart #armin arlert #fic list #fic rec #thanks for the ask!

[lacependragon]

2024 Book #1: The Hanging City by Charlie N. Holmberg

Intended Audience: Adult Genre: Romantasy (Romance-focused fantasy) Length: 335 pages Finished: February 17th, 2024

Narration: single narrator, first person pov

Summary: In a fantasy world consumed by an endless drought, a young woman on the run from her father has arrived at the last place that might take her in: the troll city under the greatest bridge ever built. But in order to get in, she must tell the leaders of her strange magic ability - she can push fear onto others, though she'll feel it too. As Lark, our MC, tries to fit into trollis (their preferred term) society, she finds herself struggling to fit in when kindness and compassion don't get you far in a society of strength. But some trollis soften to her, especially a handsome one named Azmar that Lark can't stop thinking about, no matter how dangerous it is.

Review: This is a very good book. Lark is a fun, compassionate, and quick thinking main character whose mistakes are understandable and who uses all the information at her disposal in clever ways. I loved how her compassion and struggle to fit in led to so much of the conflict in the story, and I loved how it also was a huge part of her success in the story, too. Lark's relationships with other characters, including Azmar and Unach, who she lives with, are just so, so good. I loved the job that Lark ended up with - monster hunting - and I really appreciate how it never stops being relevant to the story, both in activity and in social situations. In fact, this is just a very tightly written little book and everything circles around in some very fantastic ways.

The writing is lovely, too. I really enjoy the way this author writes books - I own a few of them - and I find there's a nice cadence to the words. It's smooth to read. And that spreads into how information is given to the reader, as well. Everything feels very smooth and easy flowing.

And, just to come back around, I really, really love compassionate protagonists. I love when characters want to help others, no matter the cost, and sometimes make stupid decisions because of that. Lark is such a fantastic protagonist who works around everything she is given. I love her. I love Azmar, too.

I think my biggest problem is that this is a seriously closed door romance. A few on-screen kisses and that's about it. Some light references. I would have loved to see more - I prefer my romances a little smuttier - but YMMV.

Just a fantastic book, seriously. So glad it was my first of the year.

Things I liked, specifically:

The romance was good. I understood why Lark was attracted to Azmar, and even though we never get Azmar's point of view, it was clear to me why he liked her. Watching them fall for each other was just adorable. Also, I love when a romance doesn't rely on badly done miscommunication for its third act drama. This does something SO GOOD that has nothing to do with that!

The worldbuilding was really neat. This is a standalone, so there's a lot of questions left unanswered, but the answers we got were fun. I also loved how it tied into the plot, as well as the culture of the trollis. You really get a sense for what their people value when the architecture is described. It's very evocative. And the cultural bits we get, the government and tax and law systems, the currency and caste stuff. God it's all so good and intriguing. Layered in just enough, in my opinion.

The friendships. There are so many good supporting characters in this story, including Unach, the trollis woman originally assigned to look over Lark. She's Azmar's sister and she's basically my fave. She's so gruff and short-tempered but also fantastic. Love her. I loved all of the supporting characters. All of them were well-written, well-rounded, and had motivations that were clear to me.

LARK. Again, emphasizing that Lark is just a fantastic, compassionate and kind protagonist. She is tired of fighting. Tired of having to hurt others. She wants a family, friends, and peace, and it is beautiful to watch her strive for her.

The themes. Sometimes you can't change a place, only you can change. Family isn't what your born into, but the people who will accept you no matter what you are. It is always right to try and save others. What is a monster? What is a man? Just to name a few that I personally pulled out of the story that I just adored the execution of. It's so good. And the trollis society embodies both good and bad, and you get to see the way it echoes into the themes and guh.

Rating: 4 1/2 stars.

Recommended for: Fans of romance who enjoy good worldbuilding, fans of Holes, fans of Gentle Giant men.

#book reviews #books #reading #bookblr #charlie n holmberg #the hanging city #amreading #lace speaks #lace reads #lace reviews #lace reviews books

[ae-neon]

Finished Gardens of the Moon at 1am and immediately fell asleep so it's only really hitting me now and I need to ramble

Non-Spoiler

If you haven't read it it's a High and Epic Fantasy that follows a cast of characters during several conflicts. There's a dark elf demi god, a puppet that wants to kill people, undead neanderthal things, a girl possessed by the god of assassins and a man whose dreams are alt dimensions. That might seem like a lot of spoilers but I promise it's barely scratched the surface.

The biggest complaint you might hear is that it's confusing but I say don't worry about being confused, or not picking up on every name, event etc. Look up a map and just go with the story. The story isn't confused or confusing, you just aren't spoonfed or given all the information at once. It makes sense not to know or understand something since half the characters you're viewing the story through, don't either

It's genuinely so much fun, so fresh and by the end even a little profound.

The worldbuilding is so rich and deep and unabashedly fantastical - a floating city! Mages! Ancient immortals! - without being nonsensical, how refreshing.

The storyline was like a river, a main body fed from the past and flowing to the future while having streams here and there that all connected to the main body or branched off from it. And all the while this undercurrent about action, hope and compassion in the face of inevitable loss, violence and dominance.

For me there's genuinely only two problems with this whole book. The Non-Spoiler problem is that I wish the author described the characters in a little more detail.

4/5 stars 🌷🌷🌷

Spoilers, Avert Your Gaze

Where do I start??!

That false climax is so iconic, drama at the fête > the potential end of the world hahaha

Kruppe. Truly, he falls in his own category. What a character in both the story and narrative.

While Tool, Lorn and Rake are maybe my favourite characters, there isn't a character I disliked, honestly

Lorn 💔 why couldn't you just go with Tool

Tool 💚 I hope we see you again

I think I might be alone in not being the biggest Bridgeburner fan - they're literally introduced as an invading imperial force so maybe I wasn't supposed to like them.

Or maybe it's that I'm not as much of a Whiskeyjack fan as I thought I'd be given his reputation amongst fans, in this book at least, I preferred Dujeck Onearm (+Toc, we better see him again!!!) - though Ben + Kalam and later, Hedge + Fiddler were definitely some of my faves.

Tattersail! 😭 What a bold narrative decision, holy fuck, but ultimately so so so interesting and I can't wait to read from that character's perspective in the future

One gripe I do have is that the writing didn't work to make the connection between Tattersail and Paran believable let alone deep enough to warrant something that crosses her lifetime.

Individually they're both great, but the idea that what happened between them had any real weight to it was not conveyed well in the narrative. It was said but not shown.

In contrast, the relationship between Apsalar and Crokus, my sweet children, is done sooo much better. Even Crokus' misunderstanding of Challice, and the realistic portrayal of her pov, had more depth than Paran/Tattersail

I literally pulled a face at the end when Paran sensed and "spoke" to adolescent 'Sail. Like whyyyy, took a lot of my enjoyment out of Paran's pov, which was perfect except for this aspect.

Coll, Rallick Nom and Murillo - the three musketeers. Rallick just sitting on the Azath was hilarious, I predicted Coll's story but his time and bond with Paran was unexpected and very enjoyable, and Murillio... Those few lines about how vengeance and justice had twisted him, that hollowness in the 'victory' after he left Simtal with the dagger... That really left a deep impression on me especially as I wasn't too into Simtal being this one note sex symbol villainess.

All the gods are interesting but I think Cotillion might have been my favourite. Hope his ambitions bring him back into the fray. Sorry was Iconic. Also definitely wanna see what happens with the two hounds who escaped Dragnipur

And Anomander Rake... How beautiful was the unveiling of this character's story and motivations?? The conversations between Baruk and Rake were some of my favourite moments and I can't wait to reread them.

I cannot wait to see more from his side of the board, including Caladan, Prince K'azz, Crone and Silanah

I also hope K'rul has a good day and gets some devout followers.

4/5 stars. Literally the only thing stopping it from being perfect was the lack of Paran/Sail depth and that I wish Erikson would add a little more description of the characters besides the broad strokes of body shape and age

#gardens of the moon #malazan #book rambles

[darrowsrising]

I know you will probably demolish this take, but I’ll put it out anyway: Virginia not having any chapters after the battle of Phobos was disappointing. She doesn’t have any character development either, she is just a mean to show us the battle. Don’t get me wrong, the battle was fantastic, the chapters with both Pax and Darrow touching, but I felt like she was just being used as a screen to see the story rather than being actually part of it.

So many issue that desperately needed addressing don’t get touched upon (her guilt for abandoning the howlers, her fear of being a tyrant, her conflicting sentiments towards Abonadrius). Some of her character development (especially the fear of becoming her father) appear to be resolved off-page, and that’s honestly disappointing. I wish Pierce had thought of something for her to do after Phobos, maybe just 3 chapters were she prepares Mars for the siege. It would have been much better than nothing at all

Contrary to your own expectations, I actually mostly agree with your take. In trying not to repeat Iron Gold, we kiinda had the same effect, opposire direction - Lysander had way too much pov chapfers that were not necessary and dragged the plot away from focus and he never actually underwent significant chances, as Cassius dying was not that significant. Especially irrelevant, because in DA there was not much Rim plot featured and the pacing of Iron Gold was off due to trying to give the same amount of page time to all povs.

He tried to only give Virginia important and significant moments that were relevant to the plot, but ended up only using her pov for convenience and, had the ironic effect of affecting the pacing of Light Bringer. I think a few more chapters were needed and I don't care that it would have been too much, she is the best pov. A few more chapters with a sublplot of her own would have went perfectly with the rest of Light Bringer.

The problem is that Light Bringer is a set up novel and it reads like one instead of a continuation of Dark Age. The skimming over plot points left off in Dark Age also affects the pacing and the transition from DA to LB. That is not to say the atmosphere should have been grimdark at all, Light Bringer can be what it is, it's just that it has some small noticable bumps.

Basically I wished it was more of a transition between Dark Age anf Red God, instead of a set up for Red God if that makes sense. It should have had a smoother transition via the placement of Virginia's pov and the plot points that could not have been resolved in this book but needed at least an acknowledgemsnt, a reson not to happen. And yes, I understand we will have all that in Red God, I just don't like it, because set ups are abrupt, whereas if it was more of a transition, things would have been smoother and more technically flawless.

HOWEVER,

I disagree with the second part. Virginia has not resolved things off page, she has obviously buried them, as she has other stuff to deal with. We will have a proper use of her pov in Red God and an address of her plot points and emotional dilemmas. That much is obvious.

I am disappointed as well in the sparse usage of the best pov. I know this book will be a fandom fave, but I am hard to please 4 years after the best book in the series - Dark Age. Also, I will have to deal with stupid her haters until Red God, which kinda adds to the disappointment.

I also understand that Light Bringer was incredibly difficult to write, as he had to navigate his own personal difficulties in life, so he only kept what he knew for sure was good. And that just ended up not being quite enough for me, personally, but I am sure Red God will deliver, after all IG delivered DA.

I think Light Bringer is a great book as it is, even if it's not better than DA. Pierce Brown in virtually incapable of writing a bad story. So I do love it and I think it was really necessary. I just don't like one single aspct of it - it is a set up novel. And if you liked thaf aspect of it, that is okay, I just didn't because it messed with my perception of the pacing.

Howl on!

#light bringer spoilers #red rising #pierce brown

[the-knight-of-the-stars]

Mark of Athena, first reading thoughts:

—Forgot to post this again, who knows how long this has been on my notes.

—First, I loved having Annabeth's pov, I missed her as a central character and I loved the development she had here.

—BRO, they are all TOGETHER NOW AND THEY ARE IN A FLYING SHIP HAVING ADVENTURES. This the perfect setup, I would have read a 10 books series of just this.

—I liked so many diferent povs, at first I thought it may become confusing, but far from it, it was fun and so dinamic. I already love all these characters and getting in their heads throught the book was great.

— PERCY AND ANNABETH FINALLY REUNITED. 😭 It was so cute, 10/10

—The Argo II WAS SO COOL. It kind of reminded me of Legends of Tomorrow and I fricking love that show, I wish this dynamic of the seven on the ship lasted forever, I adore that kind of premise. Even the moments when they just weren´t getting along were interesting.

—I felt a vein popping out of my eye with all the Camp Jupiter hunting them down thing, because it was just a misunderstanding, but I do understand why it happend (a little), and it was just so frustraiting.

—All the interactions with Nemesis, Echo and Narcissus were such a trip, jesus.

—God, I fucking love Leo, not only because he is so funny, but because he is so incredibly smart. Is a diffrent kind of smart then Annabeth, wich I really love, they both bring interesting things to the table and is a delight to read.

—Wich is why Leo feeling so left out and like the "seventh wheel" was much more heartbreaking. He makes concernig comments the whole book, but because is just in his head nobody notices. I dont like where this is going...

—As much as I loved all the adventures, I was so stressed out for Nico the whole time, it was driving me insane.

—GJFHUYREGFEU Every single pov is so interesting, this book was GOLD. This is a masterclass in how to make distinctive narrative voices, it was so good.

—The break between Percy and Jason was actually very interesting. I was afraid it would be reduced to petty jelousy (wich it is a little, but I mean, they are teenagers), but there was some nuace there. Like, I felt like it drew interesting parallels of what makes them so opossite despite being the " "liders" " of their camps. It even drives home what makes the roman demigods and the greek demigods diferent.

—Jason being so serius and even cold, and Percy being as hotheaded as he is. Jason not knowing any other life apart from being a soldier vs Percy rejecting that life every chance he gets. Even the diferent perception they both have of the gods because each know a side of them the other doesn´t.

—Their possesed fight was kind of funny tbh.

—I also love having the chance to explore each characters powers with every obstacle, I feel like it was very well used, I never thought, "well, why didnt they used x power."

—"Please, she thought, wondering if her mom, the goddess of love, could hear her. Don’t let it be Jason’s final breath. If love means anything, don’t take him away" Oh, Piper, honey. These kids are legit breaking my heart.

—I really liked the scene of Annabeth and Percy on the stables, it was so sweet.

—I dont know exactly what it is, but I can tell this is a much more curated, experienced writter. And is absolutely fantastic to get so far into the series because I can tell by now Riordan knows these characters so well. They have so many layers, is specially interesting with Percy and Annabeth because we see them grow so much.

—The scene at the aquarium was very creepy and fun.

—Percy developing a fear of drowning was like, so sad.

—Ok Leo, I love you, but dont need to be a bully, come on.

—Jesus, the whole conflict Annabeth had with her mom in this book made me so sad. The way all the gods just use their children (and have been for generations) gets more unberable with each book, I dont respect any of them, these kids just... still try to make them proud and not think ill of them and its so unfair.

—Even the interaction with Aphrodite, I just kept getting angry. I got bad flashbacks from her praising the other two girls in front of Piper and making those weird comments.

—On this one it hits harder and harder that all this kids want is a future, a good life, and they just never get a chance.

—“You dropped this,” he said, totally poker-faced.

Annabeth threw her arms around him. “I love you!” (I died, actually)

—Was not a fan of Hercules´s aproach. Moving on.

— "Percy blinked. “So your brother is a winged horse. But you’re also my half brother, which means all the flying horses in the world are my... You know what? Let’s forget it.”

He’d learned years ago it was better not to dwell too much on who was related to whom on the godly side of things. After Tyson the Cyclops adopted him as a brother, Percy decided that that was

about as far as he wanted to extend the family." - Percy, I love you.

—Wisdom’s daughter walks alone. SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP

—The minute Annabeth went on her own I was so nervous, my heart was racing the rest of the book.

—Geez, I wanted to hug her so bad, everything just kept getting worse and worse.

—Gaea is seriusly getting on my nerves.

—There’s too much going on,” he said. “And honestly…before last month, I didn’t even know

when my birthday was. Thalia told me the last time she was at camp.” - That is so fucking sad.

— “What is that?” Jason asked nervously.

Piper slipped her hand into his. “The ghosts are dancing."

Dude! That entire scene of Piper, Percy and Jason and how it ralted with the story of the flood was AMAZING. Easy one of my favorite scenes from the whole saga.

—Rescuing Nico had me so stressed

—"Entertain me, heroes of Olympus." I- Im gonna kill him. I´m gonna kill ALL THE GO-

—Ok, but I liked Percy and Jason coming together and fighting alongside each other.

—Oh my poor Nico, CAN HE GET A BREAKE FOR ONCE

—My girl Annabeth, she is so smart, ahhhhh!

—But Also, WHAT WAS THE NEED TO MAKE HER SUFFER SO MUCH

—Few scenes had me in such a hold and as emotionally invested as the scene when Percy and Annabeth fall to Tartarus. What the Actual Hell. I was speechless for like an hour. The emotion, the tension, the terrible, brilliant moment when everything suddenly conects.

PEAK LITERATURE

— Nemesis wanted him to wreak vengeance on Gaea? Leo would be happy to oblige. He was going to make Gaea sorry she had ever messed with Leo Valdez.

I am filled with dread, and fear, and hype.

#fist reading #percy jackson and the olympians #this is from so long ago #sorry #there is probably some writting errors but i want to post them as i wrote them in the moment #i already read house of hades will post i hope soon #pjo #percy jackson #heroes of olympus

[danggirlronpa]

Odd question perhaps, but do you have any particular ships with Ruruka and Seiko? Besides each other, I mean. I love Ruruseiko, but their potential for other wlw ships is so slept on.

Personally my choice for Ruruka would be Celeste! Fancy ladies that pretend to be in control of the situation but actually have so many issues. I think they would date for a few months, have some sort of misunderstanding or conflict, wildly overreact due to their personal flaws and then have the messiest break-up imaginable. Bitter exes to the extreme.

And for Seiko, I'd say Hina. I feel like every anxious mess of a girl needs a sweet sunshine girl to help her out. Plus they both have attempted murder- not sure how the potential of murder would impact their relationship, but it sure is interesting.

The good news is that I've seen both of those ships on this blog, even if only a couple posts!

Personally, my favorite Ruruka rarepair is Ruruka/Hina. POV we bond over donuts and my disarming straightforwardness charms you and brings out the better in you, and your loud self confidence enables me to stand up for myself earlier so that I don't reach a breaking point before showing that I'm not okay. And we were both girls ❤️

Seiko/Mikan is sort of the go-to non-Toxicandy Seiko ship, but I do genuinely think they'd be fantastic together. Hanging out under the bleachers avoiding the other students out of their own excessive anxieties and building a comraderie from their shared difficulty relating to their peers & their interest in medicines, and through their connection grow confidence. These two are like...peak that girl in high school who you didn't know you were dating until years later when you realized you like girls and all of a sudden a ton of things click in retrospect. A Seiko/Mikan centered slice-of-life would be so heartwarming.

#asks #anon #celesruru #seihina #ruruhina #seimiki #meta #headcanons #talk to the mod #multiple #ruruka ando #seiko kimura #celestia ludenberg #aoi asahina #mikan tsumiki #dr3 #thh #sdr2

[walmart-sekai]

Okay I finished Leo/Need. Final thoughts below the break.

Stuff I liked:

It feels very realistic.

I mean not the part about hatsune miku taking you to a pocket dimension created by your feelings, but like. I remember being a lonely teenage girl and, in many ways, Leo/Need captures that experience very well. The conflicts, the characterizations, and (with a few exceptions) the dialogue all feel very familiar.

The end wraps things up nicely.

There are some Project SEKAI stories (cough VIVID Bad cough) where the end feels a little rushed or anticlimactic, like the writers were fighting against that 20 episode format.

Leo/Need, on the other hand, felt very satisfying to finish. The band is back together, Honami has come clean to her other friends, Ichika told the others she and Saki have written their first song. They’ve tied up the loose threads while still leaving a lot to be explored in event and side stories. It’s very “the end of this chapter, the beginning of the journey,” vibes.

Saki’s fucking fantastic.

I love, love, love Saki. Her design, her characterization, her motivation is everything to me. The other characters I needed a bit to warm up to, but they do a very good job of making Saki bubbly, energetic, and endearing from beginning to end. She was, hands down, my favorite thing about this story.

Stuff I did not love:

It feels very realistic.

“But Walmart, you said you liked the realism! Why would it be a pro AND a con?” Well gimme a fuckin second here, let me explain.

Leo/Need is very true to the depressed teenager experience. There is miscommunication, there is weird, illogical snap decisions, there’s jumping to conclusions. It’s true to life—but that doesn’t mean it’s interesting.

For many of us, myself included, being a teenager was/is frustrating. It’s confusing, and lonely, and honestly, very annoying. It was annoying to live through and as much as I hate to say it, it was annoying to read.

There is no conflict.

The opening of Leo/Need sets you up to think these characters have had some huge fight. It’s heavily implied that Ichika in particular said something to piss Honamori and Shiho off. This would explain why she’s so hesitant to tell Saki what happened, because she doesn’t want her friend to see her as the villain.

The problem is, nothing happened.

There was no fight. There was no huge, explosive event. There was just three teenagers miss-communicating. This is supposed to be a twist, but it reads like a cop-out. It’s boring.

Again, this isn’t unrealistic—I’ve seen friendships fall apart over miscommunications and good intentions like this, especially when I was younger. It happens in real life all the time.

It’s realistic. But that doesn’t mean it’s compelling storytelling.

Saki’s fucking fantastic.

“Wait, you already did this one too, why did you put two things in both pro and con—“ shut up, it’s my list.

Saki’s great. She’s interesting, she’s multi-faceted, she has an in depth backstory.

Her returning to school is the catalyst for the entire story. I’m nearly every episode, her actions are what drive the narrative forward.

So why isn’t she the main character?

Reading from Ichika’s POV gives us a lot of flashbacks from when Saki was gone, but since the conflict is basically nonexistent, these flashbacks are arguably unnecessary.

Imagine this story reframed from Saki’s POV. Imagine hearing her inner monologue when Honamori and Shiho brush her off when she gets to school. Imagine her practicing that song to impress Shiho, knowing she’s pushing herself too hard, but thinking getting her friends back together is more important.

Imagine getting this sinking feeling in your gut knowing she’s going to push herself too far, knowing somethings going to happen. Then imagine that scene where she collapses from fever while they’re playing hitting that much harder, because you’d been dreading that moment happening.

Cool, did you imagine it? Did it make you feel stuff? Did it feel compelling and heartbreaking?

Cool, so I ask you again, why didn’t we get that?

Final thoughts:

Overall, I enjoyed this story. Really, I did.

Is it my favorite PJSK main story? No. Do I have a lot of criticisms of it? Yes.

But I like it. I like Saki, especially. And I think with the way the last few episodes wrapped up, I’ll enjoy the event stories a lot.

So yeah. If Leo/Need is your favorite, I definitely see the appeal, no disrespect at all. I didn’t come here to start shit, just sharing my thoughts.

#really though I did like it #it’s just definitely not my favorite is all #leo/need #final thoughts #pjsk #live tweeting #saki tenma #project sekai

[ravenkinnie]

which authors in your opinion writes the best silcos?

okay so I feel like it won't be the best silco but more like, my favorite silco - because honestly I think fic doesn't have to be a 1:1 replication of canon, it's a conversation with canon and I like seeing how interpretations of a character differ from author to author or even fic to fic. a lot of fics I've enjoyed aren't necessarily my version of silco (or any other character shdhjs) but they are interesting and play off canon and I like seeing what aspects of a character people leave out or play up, what parts are the ones they want to explore

also, as a disclaimer I don't acc read as many silco fics as proper silco simps bc I mostly read like. him and jinx, gen fics, vanco, I don't really read any other m/m ship he has or /oc and xreader fics so that's big chunks of this fandom that I just don't know djhdhdjdj

anyways my favorite favorite silco is wiitts' silco which is the trifecta of four letter word for grief, root, anchor and one day bear fruit, and lead based and gilded with the last two being him through jinx's pov. it's just so. cess has this incredible talent for giving you a snapshot of a character/relationship and managing to pack so much complexity into this brief glimpse, you could write 50k words for something she manages to capture into 5k. all those contrasts and balances and conflicting feelings that exist within and between characters it's just insane, I adore characterization for both him and jinx in these and the dynamic between them

lullabyes has two fics but I haven't started the second one yet so I only know from the ashes - it's one of those that gives credit to how fucked up both him and jinx are, both separate and together dhhdjsjdjsj but also has this balance of that toxicity and genuine love and care, v fun v good read

divide et impera and I don't even ship f/m and I know some of you bitches will be like omg patrycja recommending mel/silco she's finally lost it but Listen. it's insane how good this one is to both of their characters, I feel like it gives credit to both him and also mel for this manipulative scheming side they both have but also they are both fully fleshed out with a more vulnerable side too

also ghosts from zaundads zine has me fucking gagged still it's such a fantastic study on grief

#asks #silco

[luckspren]

So I finished The Blade Itself. I heard a lot of good things about the Fist Law books and I am happy to report that I loved it. I was a little worried because even though I am a chracter driven reader, I heard that the first book has like no plot at all. And I can see how poeple come to that conclusion. I don't know if I agree with it a 100% though. After all there are multiple conflicts brewing on the national and international level, it's just that our pov-characters are not the driving forces behind these conflicts and range from being at least somewhat aware of how they connect to these conflicts to not being aware at all. And TBI has no self contained story, it's basically all set-up for the rest of the series. Nevertheless I shouldn't have worried (and probably should have known better, because I also enjoyed The Way of Kings all the way through and that one is also notorious for being slow as fuck)

So here are some thoughts:

First of all my edition (the one from orbit) doesn't have a map and instead you get treated to a giant picture of Joe Abercrombie himself with a look like he wants to debate me...which okay, i guess you can do that. But the missing map really bugs me :(

I was promised a character driven book that follows a bunch of bastards and I certainly got that. I think Abercrombie did a fantastic job differentiating between the different pov to the point that even without the names I would have been able to know who I was following almost immediately

even though this is a grimdark fantasy (and it is certainly bleak and violent) the tone of the book still feels "lighter" than I anticipated. Probably because of the snarky humor.

I don't really have a clear favourite character yet. I'm guessing Logen and Glokta are very popular, they get mentioned practically every time someone recommends the First Law and I really loved both their pov. The Dogman and Ferro were probably the pov that I liked the least (which doesn't mean I hate them... I was just more interested in the other characters and they didn't have that many chapters to begin with)

so this is probably a very unpopular opinion (given that I wasn't really aware of him at all before I started reading even though he's one of the main pov) but I actually quite liked Jezals chapters. Like he's a pompous rich asshole who thinks he's the best thing since sliced bread and never really had to work for anything in his life. The reader is supposed to dislike him. But with this type of character the story often goes in one of two directions. Either they learn their lesson and you're in for some great character developement or they learn nothing and you can enjoy their downfall. Out of the main pov-characters I think Jezal certainly has the most potential for change right now.

So Bayaz seems to have collected Logen because he can see and speak with spirits and Ferro because of her weird healing abilities/colourblindness/whatever else-powers (like whats up with that, is every colourblind person in this world like her or what?)...but I have no idea why he had Jezal picked out. What's so special about him? Like I don't think it's because of his perfect jawline and i didn't notice any special abilities in his pov. My best guess is that maybe it has something to do with his family? His father seemed to know Bayaz. Maybe one of his ancestors is connected to the Juvens backstory? Like we know Kanedias had a daughter and apparently there were two other brothers if I remember correctly (something about the four sons of Euz (?))...at least one of them probably had offspring that survived and then had children of their own and so on.

I really enjoyed the little tidbits we got of the whole Juvens/Kanedias/Bayaz backstory...but I'm not sure yet if I trust the information we got so far. Like that family was apparently super important because they kinda invented (?) the magic in the world. The scenes in the house of the maker were super interesting, but I feel like we don't have enough information about the conflict between the brothers. Right now Kanedias seems to be the clear "bad guy" in the story, but that seems like something that could be switched up in later books.

I really love Bayaz as a character because he is super unreliable. His character can go into so many different directions and I kinda think he might end the series as a antagonist.

i don't really get the magic system yet and I'm probably not supposed to ... so if the first law is something along the lines of "not directly interacting with the other side", but all magic actually comes from the other side, how do you actually break the first law? Is the other side like another world you can enter or something? That at least seems more direct. Maybe this seed that Bayaz is searching for is something like a key? Also can anyone just become a Magus or do you have to have a certain mindset or abilities. Apparently Quai has "potential" whatever that means. I'm starting to wonder if he's alsways sickly because of his apprenticeship

The appearance of the Bloody Nine at the end of the book almost reads like possession, but I'm not sure if that was intended or if it's just pure bloodlust and adrenaline. Kinda reminds me a little bit of the Thrill from Stormlight

Everyone said that the entire cast is made up of grey characters that you kinda feel bad about rooting for and here I was thinking "What? West is right there"...and then that fucking scene with Ardee happens. I guess we really can't have nice things. I really liked the scene he has with Glokta after though

Speaking of Ardee I hope she gets pov-chapters... with everyone else now scattered across the world, she could be the eyes in Adua

Given that The Blad Itself seems to be regarded as the low point of Abercrombies books, I have really high hopes for the rest of the series and I'm very excited for Before They Are Hanged :)

#The Blade Itself #The First Law #I never know if I have to tag spoilers for books that aren't new releases #like i think you should know better #i also wont be going into the tag until im finished #so this is more for my own thoughts