T. Kingfisher's romantic subplot dynamics are almost always "middle aged practical woman with a major failed relationship in her past meets buff polite guilt-riddled hunk of a man", and ya know what I respect that
Okay so I’m really loving these books but I simply cannot deal with the amount of empathy the author wants me to feel for the war criminal who uses war crimes as a coping mechanism for the guilt he feels about all the war crimes he previously committed yaknow?
Best Books I read in 2021
Nobody asked, but here are the best books I read in 2021.
1. The Greenbone Saga by Fonda Lee
"Perhaps that was the great tragedy of jade warriors and their families. Even when we win, we suffer."
Now my favorite book series of all time. The Green Bone Saga chronicles the life of the Kaul family of the No Peak clan. This is being marketed as The Godfather meets kung fu meets magic and that tracks, but this series is much much more than that. The Green Bone Saga, at its core, is a family drama - and that's where the series excelled: its interesting and complex characters and their relationships. It has one of the best character arcs I have read (Hilo) and some of my favorite female characters (Shae, Wen, Mada). It also has one of the best worldbuilding in high fantasy. From the first page of Jade City, Fonda Lee will immediately immerse you in this fantasy metropolis. It's very visual and for me it played out like scenes from a Wong Kar-Wai film. Not to mention that it has well-written fight scenes, I think this is the first time I could picture out a fight scene vividly in my head (Fonda Lee's martial arts background definitely came in handy). This series is also heavy on the geopolitics and economics and I absolutely enjoyed this, it's one of my favorite things about GBS. I appreciate that Fonda Lee detailed the logistics of running a crime family, not just the military side, but also the business side. I'm not a fan of gangster/mafia stories and I usually steer clear of those, but picking up Jade City was one of the best decisions I made as this series has become my number 1 favorite book series.
Rating:
Jade City - 4/5 stars
Jade War - 4.5/5 stars
Jade Legacy - 10/5 stars (favorite book of the year and maybe ever?)
Overall - 5/5 stars
TW: violence, death, drug use, murder, torture, sexual content, addiction, abortion, pedophilia, rape
2. The Poppy War trilogy by RF Kuang
"History repeated itself, and she was only the latest iteration of the same scene in a tapestry that had been spun long before her birth."
The Poppy War trilogy is a grimdark military fantasy inspired by the second Sino-Japanese war, particularly the Rape of Nanking, and the Chinese Civil War. If you're familiar with those events, then you'll basically know the general plot of the series, just add shamanism and drugs and lots of heartbreak. Before Jade Legacy came out, this was my number 1 fantasy series, it's still in my top three though. This series is INTENSE. It will break you. It certainly broke me and I still haven't recovered since I finished the trilogy in July. Actually, I still haven't processed the entire and I want to break this series down because there's lots to think about (the commentary on colonialism and that ending alone give me lots of food for thought). Rin had one of the most interesting arcs I have read. She's an already unhinged girl becoming more and more unhinged as the series progresses. Watching her descend into madness and her realizing she's actually the villain and not the hero was both fun and heartbreaking. This also has my favorite platonic relationship ever (rinkitay, my babies). The series is not perfect, I have some issues with it but it's still one of the best I have ever read.
Rating:
The Poppy War - 5/5 stars
The Dragon Republic - 5/5 stars
The Burning God - 4/5 stars
Overall - 5/5 stars (still like it as a whole despite some issues in TBG)
TW: graphic violence, war-related violence, rape, sexual violence, substance addiction, massacres, genocide, self harm, abuse, human experimentation, cannibalism
3. The Sword of Kaigen by ML Wang
"Wholeness, she had learned, was not the absence of pain but the ability to hold it."
The more time passes, the more i realize i love this book, and it has cemented its place as one of my all-time favorite books. This is so underrated (only 7k ratings in goodreads, it's still underrated compared to other popular fantasy books) and you should read it now. The commentaries on propaganda, war, misogyny, family, and parenthood were written well and I enjoyed reading those. The characterizations were on point. The book had two POVs: Mamoru - the son, and Misaki - the mother. Misaki had one of the best character arcs I have read and is now one of my favorite female characters, the book is basically one giant character study of Misaki. The book also had an unusual structure, it had two climaxes, one leading up to the battle near the middle of the book, and another battle (this time more internal) near the end. The magic system is also interesting. The battle scenes were amazing. These people are basically waterbenders and they took waterbending to a whole new level. This book also made me legit cry, lol. It's intense, it's heartbreaking, but it's also hopeful. If you enjoyed the poppy war and would like to read a mature version of a:tla, then go read this book now!!!!
Rating - 4.75/5 stars
TW: death, violence, miscarriage, rape, suicide
4. The City of Brass and The Kingdom of Copper by SA Chakraborty
"People do not thrive under tyrants, Alizayd; they do not come up with innovations when they're busy trying to stay alive, or offer creative ideas when error is punished by the hooves of a karkadann."
City of Brass and Kingdom of Copper satisfied my craving for something MENA-inspired after We Hunt the Flame massively let me down. The first book was the very definition of no plot, just vibes but the vibes were immaculate and I had a fun time reading it. It was slow and focused on worldbuilding and politics. Characters still felt surface-level in the first book but I began to like them better in the second book. Shoutout to Prince Ali, my precious economist. As someone who previously worked in the government, I super enjoyed the fantasy economics and politics of development here. I have yet to read the third book but I hope it delivers a good ending.
Rating:
The City of Brass - 3/5 stars
The Kingdom of Copper - 4/5 stars
5. The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang
Favorite nonfiction book this year. This chronicles the events before, during, and after the Rape of Nanking. The book is easy to read but difficult to digest because of the subject matter but it's very eye-opening. The world made sure that Germany never forgets the holocaust. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Nanking, as there are still groups of people persistently denying the true nature of the massacre, or claiming that it never happened at all. RF Kuang dedicated the first poppy war book to Iris. In the epilogue to the 2011 edition, Iris' husband revealed that it was Iris' dream to have her books be made into documentaries or films, and RF Kuang dedicating her book to Iris made me emotional, lol.
TW: rape, sexual violence, death, gore, genocide, racism
Rating - 5/5 stars
6. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
No need to say anything, I think everyone likes this.
Rating - 4/5 stars
Why Blossutch?
This is going to be looong, slightly irrelevant, but I needed it for my fic. Since I am having somewhat of a block (I am just lazy + work), I figured it was harmless enough to give it a try.
- Butch is the perfect representation of hyper masculinity. He often shows physical strength, is portrayed as a ladies men, is into sports…all the good stuff. And then there is the not so good stuff. He is someone who doesn’t understand his emotions, deals with them very aggressively and feels it is his responsibility to be “the man” and protect the people around him. I think Blossom is the perfect match for him because she allows him to drop all of that. She is emphatic enough to understand what he doesn’t show, while being able to be his rock. She is a certainty, a soothing presence, someone you know will have your back. She has everything under control, or tries to give that impression, and next to her he is allowed to feel safe.
- Butch is chaotic, impulsive, and very emotional and I do feel he needs guidance, a more rational person in his life. Someone who will make him stop and take a moment to understand what he feels, and not just feel. Blossom is that person.
- Plus (at least in my little head) Butch has the tendency to get unmotivated and to not take anything seriously, because poor baby has been taught he was good for nothing since a very early age. I see in Blossom his biggest cheerleader. She is very passionate about what she likes and she is an inspiration. When you see somebody so dedicated, you feel you can be too. He can do whatever he puts his mind to and Blossom is there to remind him that and support him all the way through.
At the same time:
- Blossom has a very hard time to let go, she follows the rules of society - and the ones she has created for herself - almost religiously. Butch is the one who could bring spontaneity in her life, because life is also about breaking some of those rules. As said before, he is impulsive, he doesn’t really think about consequences and he acts rather than reflect…and you need that in a couple, if you want something to happen.
- She also needs someone she is comfortable enough with to show vulnerability. Because, yes, she screws up, like everybody. Maybe she is an awful cook, or a terrible driver. Maybe she had called the teacher “mom” when she was in fourth grade or, on a more serious note, had devised a terrible strategy that had hurt one of her sister in their last fight. The point is she is not perfect and with Butch it’s ok. More importantly, she doesn’t feel the need to be perfect with him. He will never judge her, because as he loves to remind her “who has screwed up more than him?”. And not even that, he just knows that is not someone’s mistakes what defines him.
- Lastly, she needs simplicity. I love Blossick, I think it is a great ship for a lot of different reasons, and one of the thing that makes it such a great ship is its intensity. Let’s face it, I get an headache only at the thought of one of their fights. Blossutch is the total opposite. Blossom is incredibly smart, and smart people are not easy people. They get lost in a world that is often not a good representation of what is actually happening. I can see her completely trapped in lies her mind is making up or in crazy elaborate plans or standards she creates for herself. Butch steps in and breaks that cycle. He brings her down to Earth and makes her realize everything is much simpler, and that very few things are that important.
Plus, she is hot, he is hot, the colors look good together, now kiss!
If anyone has written any good Blossutch stories or knows of any PLEASE send them my way. I literally love these two so much and I feel like there isn't enough Blossutch out there. 😭
Butch: Boomer and Brick have been yelling for over an hour now
Buttercup: are they fighting?
Butch: no, they were, but Boomer ran out of things to argue about so he just started screaming random things he’s memorized
Boomer: IM IN THE CABINET I AM COMPLICIT AND WATCHING AND GRABBING THE POWER AND KISS IT IF WASHINGTON ISNT GON’ LISTEN TO DISCIPLINED DISSIDENTS THIS IS THE DIFFERENCE THIS KID IS OUT
Georgette Heyer romances helpfully ranked on four highly subjective categories
Cotillion: Our Heroine contrives a fake engagement so she can go to London and get sucked into Many Plots and Schemes
Rakishness: 1/10. Absolutely no kidnappings, duels, or fortunes lost at cards.
Shenanigans: 7/10
Pining/Stricken-ness: 2/10
Snobbery: 3/10
Sylvester, or the Wicked Uncle: Our Heroine Flees to London to Escape a Distasteful Proposal, and Creates a Great Scandal with her Romantic Novel
Rakishness: 2/10
Shenanigans: 8/10
Pining/Stricken-ness: 9/10
Snobbery: 4/10
Faro’s Daughter: Our Hero attempts to Deliver his Nephew from Scandal by buying off a Designing Female. Our Heroine is so incensed that she goes to war.
Rakishness: 6/10.
Shenanigans: 8/10
Pining/Stricken-ness: 8/10
Snobbery: 2/10 Actually includes a woman out of a gaming house and a man who is careless about his clothes.
These Old Shades: Our Hero acquires a Page in Pursuit of Terrible Vengeance
Rakishness: 9/10
Shenanigans: 6/10
Pining/Stricken-ness: 10/10
Snobbery: 10/10
Devil’s Cub: Our Heroine attempts to prevent her Sister from Absconding with a Notorious Rake, accidentally gets abducted instead
Rakishness: 10/10. Duels and abductions and gambling and horse racing and outrages upon ladies’ virtue, plus Our Heroine uses a Pistol.
Shenanigans: 4/10
Pining/Stricken-ness: 9/10
Snobbery: 10/10
The Masqueraders: Our Hero and Heroine daringly crossdress to infiltrate London Society in the wake of the Jacobite Rising
Rakishness: 6/10
Shenanigans: 7/10
Pining/Stricken-ness: 4/10
Snobbery: 2/10
The Convenient Marriage: Our Heroine Arranges a Marriage for herself to Save her Family, but Nefarious Persons plot against her Happiness, and she can’t stop getting into scrapes
Pining/Stricken-ness: 3/10
Rakishness: 4/10
Shenanigans: 10/10
Snobbery: 6/10
The Talisman Ring: a murder, an arranged marriage, a midnight escape, a humble inn, and a great deal of Frenchness
Rakishness: 6/10. You’d think the presence of an honest-to-goodness smuggling band would push this higher, but the je-ne-sais-rake just isn’t there.
Shenanigans: 10/10
Pining/Stricken-ness: 2/10
Snobbery: 3/10
The Reluctant Widow: Our Heroine is Unwillingly Embroiled in Family Drama, now featuring Spies, Gothic Mansions, and an Adorable Dog
Rakishness: 2/10
Shenanigans: 6/10
Pining/Stricken-ness: 4/10
Snobbery: 4/10
one time i saw someone make a post that was like “only reason juno wasnt in love failure is bc she wouldve found melon hot” and it never left me
Basically the PPG x RRB ships imho:
Reds
- Expectation: Smooth, intelligent bad boy seduces sweet, innocent straight A student. Lots of leering smirks and blushing cheeks. Sexy and rebellious, full of drama. Your fave if you're into smut.
- Reality: Two closet dweebs battle it out to see who can be the most neurotic. Overthinking, overcomplicating, over-the-(h)edge. Somebody's gonna pop a blood vessel, and their name is probably Brick. The drama part was right, though, but don't worry. They'll figure it out. Maybe. Your fave if you're into pain.
Blues
- Expectation: The background couple in every Reds/Greens fic. Your fave if you've only seen the cartoon.
- Reality: I dunno who told everyone Brick was the smooth-talking ladies' man, but it's always been Boomer. Yeah, Brick's got the girls lining up, but Boomer's the one that actually dates 'em. Come watch the fun-loving commitment-phobe get bowled over by the deceptively sweet bullshit detector. Probably the closest to an actual rom-com couple. Your fave if you're into healthy relationship dynamics.
Greens
- Expectation: Drugs, sex, rock and roll. Those memes about being the Harley Quinn to someone's Joker come to life. Your fave if you're into MySpace cringe.
- Reality: Video games and burping contests. Come see the best buds who definitely, absolutely don't like each other like that, nope, no way, not even a little. Somebody needs to tell these kids friends don't cuddle while watching The Bride of Chucky, and it ain't gonna be me. Your fave if you're into high-fiving while making out.
In conclusion, I love these idiots like they were my own lab accidents. :)
(And, if you were curious, I'm into pain. I just don't know any better.)
I dm’d this girl and her boyfriend sent me this back
imonlyhereforthegiggles
😂😭😭😭
exquisitdreams
In crying 😭
Sometimes I’m looking for something online - often “how to” articles - and I want to filter for - like - a website that was clearly built in 2010 at the latest, which may or may not have been updated since then, but contains a vast wealth of information on one topic, painstakingly organized by an unknown legend in the field with decades’ worth of experience. I don’t want a listicle with a nice stolen picture in a slideshow format written by a content aggregator that God forgot. I want hand-drawn diagrams by some genius professor who doesn’t understand SEO at all, but understands making stir-fries or raising stick insects better than anyone else on this earth. I don’t know what search settings to put into Google to get this.
thank you for articulating this cri de coeur for me
ngl these days i’m just happy when it’s not a video
The search engine calculates a score that aggressively favors text-heavy websites, and punishes those that have too many modern web design features.
This is in a sense the opposite of what most major search engines do, they favor modern websites over old-looking ones. Most links you find here will be nearly impossible to find on a regular search engine, as they aren’t sufficiently search engine optimized.
“It is a search engine, designed to help you find what you didn’t even know you were looking for. If you search for “Plato”, you might for example end up at the Canterbury Tales. Go looking for the Canterbury Tales, and you may stumble upon Neil Gaiman’s blog.
If you are looking for fact, this is almost certainly the wrong tool. If you are looking for serendipity, you’re on the right track. When was the last time you just stumbled onto something interesting, by the way?
I don’t expect this will be the next “big” search engine. This is and will remain a niche tool for a niche audience.“
" T H E A T L A S S I X "
B Y @olivieblake
"More interesting than the game is always the players, you know."
no ad is as powerful as a tumblr mutual who has a new hyperfixation
i see ppl complaining about having spotify premium and like. you guys do know theres modded versions of spotify app right
and theres like, an app you can use to make youtube ad-free too. i can send a link to that as well
ok so heres the youtube thing, never ever under any circumstances download it if you dont want any ads
https://vancedapp.com/
and never, NEVER download this if you dont wanna pay for premium
https://apkmody.io/apps/spotify-premium-mod-apk
There is so much intimacy that comes with being academic rivals to lovers and Libby and Nico embody that so well. Nico is a fidgeter; Libby can tell how he’s feeling by the way he fidgets. Nico knows when Libby is most likely to speak in a conversation; he could tell when she was silenced by Callum. They know each other inside and out from four years of watching each other, learning each other, trying to best each other and instead they formed a bond they continued to refuse to acknowledge existed.
They are always thought of together, when there were thoughts of Libby and whether or not to kill her, Nico was never far behind; this was an occurrence even before the six found out they had to kill one of their own. At one point in the book, they are even described as binary stars, circling around each other. The other four are all impressed with their power, whether or not they admit it aloud and Libby’s own boyfriend is still intimidated by their connection, despite Libby constantly denying there is nothing between them and that they are simply academic rivals.
The thing that gets me most, however, is Nico’s reaction to Libby’s disappearance.
It will never be anything compared to Tristan’s. This may be an unfair statement to make, but I don’t think so and here’s why.
Tristan, being able to see through the illusion, is confused at the other’s reactions, but because a vast amount of his emotional experiences with Libby have been sexual, he could never have such a reaction as Nico’s.
Nico, who screams when he sees her dead body.
Nico, who falls to his knees and folds into himself, unable to comprehend her death.
Nico, who’s immediate reaction is anger when he sees that Tristan’s reaction is merely confusion.
Nico, who asks, “Is this death not enough for you?”
Nico, who falls into fast relief after finding out Libby’s not dead, which turns quickly into concern.
Nico, who will tear himself apart to find her again.