Olive Readin'

ENFP| Aries ♈ | Hindu 🕉| 🇮🇳| Bibliophile 📚| Matthias Helvar stan 🐺💙 (She/they)

[re2]

YOU USED CORRUPTION, BELIEVING IN ME? HOW BEAUTIFUL.

“Chuuya and Dazai stood side by side. There was something surprisingly perfect about it.“

[indianariesolive]

My Unpopular(ish) opinions/takes on Legacy of the Gods series by Rina Kent

Contains spoilers ⚠️

Starting off strong, let me just get this off my chest, I really dislike God of Malice. This is mainly due to the insufferable MCs; Killian & Glyndon.

First of all, I found Killian really difficult to empathize with. Sure, what his dad said about regretting having him sucks but that's no excuse to be an a$$hole. I'm sure that if a mid/ugly guy with no money & prestige did the same things he'd done when first meeting Glyndon (iykyk) they'd be mercilessly ripped apart by the fandom. Also that one line in his POV when he said that the main reason why he chose to be a med student was because that gave him a free pass to poke & prod into people's innards & watch them squirm in agony 🤢

Coming to the 2nd part, Glyndon. As a protagonist she was such a blank slate. Killian at least had personality! (A bad one but he had one nonetheless). Same can't be said about Glyndon with her wimpiness coupled with an absurd inferiority complex (despite being talented & surrounded by a powerful & loving family & friends) as well as her lack of a deep connection with her friend group. On a more serious note, I despise the absolute double standards with which she views Killian & her brother Landon. Both are clinically diagnosed psychopaths but she has none of the grace & understanding for her own brother but readily excuses her boyfriend's behavior even though both of them are the same person, different font. 🙄

Moving on to the 2nd book, God of Pain is one of my favorites in the series but not without its fair share of drawbacks. Even though Annika appeared to be a manic pixie dream girl at the beginning she grew on me as chapter by chapter, her POVs revealed her to be more complex & headstrong, contrasting the whimsical image she's perceived as (both by her love interest, the MMC Creighton as well as the other characters like her friends & family). She's a sweet, soft girl with a dormant badass side that can get dangerous when provoked & that's precisely what Creighton had to learn through the hard way.

Getting to the gist of my main problem, I really hated the way everyone treated Annika after the you-know-what. I mean, what else was she supposed to do, watch her beloved brother get murdered by the love of her life? Everyone cut her off 'cause 'she hurt Cray-Cray who's like our brother'. Well, SHE HAD TO DO THAT TO SAVE HER OWN BROTHER, YOU ABSOLUTE DUMBASSES!!!! Y'all brains weren't braining here. Also, that scene near the end where there's this huge confrontation Creighton has with Adrian Volkov & Annika with her quick thinking just snatches a guard's gun, negotiates & diffuses the situation without bloodshed was just chef's kiss. 😌

Also, everyone gushes over Lia & Yan's friendship but Yan's bond with Annika, how he plays the role of the fun uncle while Adrian glares & has to rein them in as the level-headed dad. 🥺

That brings me to this sidenote: Glyndon could take a page out of Annika's book & learn a lesson: How to Love Your Brother & Stand Up for Yourself.

Regarding Jeremy & Cecily, I don't have any major complaints. I like how Cecily put Jeremy in his place & made him grovel for disrespecting her with his trust issues. Putting his mommy issues aside, Jeremy was overall a good character for a dark romance. He's got the hot biker thing going.

Moving on to Landon & Mia. I have nothing against Mia per se. She's pretty cool. I only hated how the author ruined her bond with her twin Maya. Also, I'm kind of ashamed to say that I wasn't the biggest fan of Landon at first but then going through his POVs made me realize that I'd been bought into the anti-Lan propaganda by Glyndon. He actually cares for his siblings, unlike Killian. He just has an unconventional way of showing it. Plus there wasn't a huge power-gap/imbalance between him & Mia so that's another point in his favour.

Last but not the least, God of Fury featuring Nikolai & Brandon has got to be among my top favorites. I only dislike the unnecessary mud-slinging with the irrelevant ex Clara. Everything else was perfection. I never expected Nikolai to be such an adorable & funny character. Also something I find really funny was that both in this book as well as in her POV, Glyndon claimed to be the one closest to Brandon. The way she described her dynamic with her brothers was, "Bran & I are a team against Lan." And not only did Brandon shut her down in a gentle yet firm tone, also her dense arse never noticed anything wrong with Brandon like!?!?! Landon was the one who'd picked on Brandon's tendency to hide & repress his emotions & stuff, and he was the one who'd tried to help Brandon open up, even if his attempt was unsuccessful. So much for her being the one on the same team lol.

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SoC brainrot

An interesting parallel between Inej & Matthias's characters is reflected through their individual experiences with religion; Leigh does a marvelous job in depicting the effects of religion on society by showing us the different ways it can impact people. (Both positive & negative).

For Inej, religion has always been a personal choice & the emotional support crutch she leaned on during her dark days as a victim of sex trafficking at Heleen's Menagerie.

However, in Matthias's case, religion was used as tool of manipulation by his bigoted father figure, Brum, who abused his position of authority to enable Matthias, a wounded orphan, (as well as countless other innocent boys) to act in an irrational, prejudiced & deeply harmful manner that resulted in the persecution of millions.

On the other hand for Inej, religion was empowerment; something that had strengthend her mind & nourished her soul but for Matthias it became a dogma he had to free himself from in order to kick-start his redemption arc, as in his case religion, or rather, a twisted version of it was what had tarnished his mind & corrupted his soul.

And this is honestly such a frank, healthy & nuanced way of portraying the complex reality of religion instead of swinging between the extremes of 'Religion alone gives the morals that sustains society' to 'Religion is a scam made up by the elites so don't believe that hogwash'.

Because, at the end of the day, religion is like a knife, as in, it can be used for good (e.g:- cooking) or bad (e.g:- killing) depending on whomsoever is wielding it.

[indianariesolive]

My Unpopular Foodie Opinions

I don't like fizzy drinks. I only prefer Coca-cola (out of the options available), tolerate Sprite & Thums-Up and I HATE orange Fanta. Grape Fanta is much better. 🍇

I think that briyani is overrated. Oops, I said it.

Eggs are kinda delicious if cooked right. 🍳

South Indian cuisine is more than just Dosa & Idli & if presented right, the breakfast dishes alone can make other cuisines run for their money.

Veg over non-veg any day. It's healthier & more eco-friendly.

Indian cuisine is more than just Naan & butter chicken. It's super diverse & delicious.

Noodles are also slightly overrated. Fight me.

Mayonnaise can be gross or nice depending on how it's used.

Capsicum 🫑 is one of the best vegetables.👌

Coconut flavored ice cream is awesome. So is the underrated chikoo (both as a fruit & as an ice cream flavor) 😋

Watermelon as a fruit is kinda mediocre.

(Sorry watermelon lovers.) 😬

Also, broccoli 🥦 is yum. Yes, I mean it.

Tea & coffee are both awesome. I can't pick one. ☕️

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My Unpopular Bookish Opinions (part 2)

I didn't like Hunger Games that much. I dnf'd book 2. Don't come at me.

I'm not gonna read Shatter Me & Throne of Glass as spoilers can be found all over bookstagram so what's the point?

I didn't like Nesta until I read A Court of Silver Flames. I still think that she was a bad sister to Feyre. (Luckily she redeemed herself at the end.)

Speaking of A Court of Silver Flames, the book did a complete 180 & RUINED Rhysand for me. I will never forgive him for what he did. (ACOTAR fans know what I'm talking about.)

Also, Elain is not bad. I think that there are many ways to be badass & just because a female character chooses to be girly dosen't mean that she is weak.

Speaking of femininity, I don't like the way Rick Riordan portrayed the members of the Aphrodite cabin, especially in the early books. They were shown as shallow & airheaded just for liking makeup & fashion & Piper was clearly set aside as the one who's 'different' & in a way, better than the others. This leads to impressionable young teen girls to think that they need to shun their femininity in order to be seen as strong & that's harmful.

I also didn't like the 'glowup' that was given to Frank. In House of Hades, Frank receives the blessing of Mars & all of a sudden he's got muscles & confidence & Leo stops making fun of him. He could've stayed chubby & still been a badass. I don't get why that had to change. (Ngl I felt the whole concept was a tad fatphobic.)

Last but not the least, Reyna is an absolute queen & I love her. She needs more recognition from the fandom.

[indianariesolive]

My Unpopular Bookish Opinions

The pregnancy trope is nice if it's written well

I am not always a fan of 'morally grey' men when said men are a$$holes whose actions are justified by the narrative to make them look good.

Twisted Love is my least favorite book in the Twisted series. Ngl I think Alex Volkov is a tad overrated.

Amren is one of the best characters in the ACOTAR series.

I am a HUGE fan of the enemies-to-lovers trope but I would prefer the friends-to-lovers dynamic irl.

Speaking of enemies-to-lovers I think the trope isn't justified unless it's both parties having a mutual hatred towards each other at first. A lot of books claim to have enemies-to-lovers when it's just the girl who considers the pair to be enemies while the guy is later revealed to have been in love all the while. THAT'S NOT ENEMIES-TO-LOVERS.

[indianariesolive]

Six of Crows as Hera Pheri memes part 2

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Just take a look at this...

Six of Crows, pg 409 👇

He turned to Brum, this man who had become father and mentor to him. When he'd lost his family, it had been Brum who had recruited him for the drüskelle. Matthias had been young, angry, completely unskilled. But he'd given what was left of his broken heart to the cause. A false cause. A lie. When had he seen it? When he'd helped Nina bury her friend? When he'd fought beside her? Or had it been long before...

Pg 411 👇

He looked at Brum now, mouth slightly open in sleep. One of the things he'd respected most in his mentor was his mercilessness, his willingness to do hard things for the cause. But Brum had taken pleasure in what he'd done to these Grisha, what he would have gladly done to Nina and Jesper. Maybe the hard things had never been difficult for Brum the way they'd been for Matthias. They had not been a sacred duty, performed reluctantly for the sake of Fjerda. They had been a joy...

..."The life you live, the hate you feel- it's poison. I can drink it no longer."

This is proof that Matthias was good all along. Brum had exploited his good heart for his own gain but Matthias saw through him & chose right in the end. Poor guy was literally brainwashed into a cult as a young orphan & shed that bigotry as he grew up. His story resonates with everyone who's been taught lies. The fandom tends to overlook his traumatic backstory; something which has to change.

[indianariesolive]

Six of Crows as Hera Pheri memes part 1 😁

[indianariesolive]

Attention! PSA

Not so dear Matthias haters,

The Darkling & Matthias cannot be compared since the former was an evil megalomaniac who committed multiple genocides without any remorse whereas the latter was brainwashed since childhood to hate a particular group of people AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, HAD THE GUTS TO OWN UP TO HIS MISTAKES AND CHANGE.

Thank you.

[indianariesolive]

My thoughts on Shadow & Bone S2

Overall: Pretty good, but I prefer the first season tbh

Likes: Kanej & Wesper, especially Wesper. The fact that they gave us ruthless Kaz 👌 & also how they managed to sneak in a lot of book quotes even though the plot is very much different from the books. Honorable mentions; Nikolai and the twins Tamar and Tolya.

Dislikes: What they did with Malina's ending. The lack of Helnik and lack of screen time for Matthias, like he spent the whole season in prison while the rest of the Crows went on adventures. I'm kinda salty about that. Also what they did with Genya and David.

[indianariesolive]

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Fanon vs Canon characters

(Contains spoilers, duh)

Percy Jackson:

fanon Percy: OH this is a pen guys!!! Lolz wtf am I doing again? 🤪Annabeth who? The love of my life is blue food. Omg I like, don't even know where my head is unless my smart gf points it out to me. 😅Haha

canon Percy: is actually smart, though self-deprecating and funny. Is immensely loyal & protective but has the presence of mind to quickly think his way out of a problem. Even Annabeth admits he is pretty intelligent; she simply likes to tease him like he's an idiot.(which he clearly isn't)

Wylan Van Eck:

fanon Wylan: Omg Jesper *blush* *stutters* 🥺*blushes again* oh gosh Kaz, nooo ahhhh I'm just a baby OR Yo get out of the way bitch, this is Kaz Brekker 2.0 & I'm gonna push you into the canal. 😠

canon Wylan: is very smart but insecure. Yet stands up for himself and his friends. Quite kind & modest yet develops confidence along the way. Super smart; His father is a dumb asshole for not recognizing the genius in him. Definitely a badass survivor but dosen't let his shitty circumstances knock the goodness out of him.

Nikolai Lantsov:

fanon Nikolai: Haha I'm so funny & handsome lolz 😝😏 lemme flirt *wink* ah darling I'm just here for the laughs. #partyanimal Narcissus 2.0

canon Nikolai: Funny, smart, charming & brave. Disguises his dangerously smart mind, fears & insecurities behind a well-constructed mask of easy-going charm & wit. Is also deeply patriotic & optimistic despite battling demons from all sides. Is a king through & through, even without a crown.

Jesper Fahey:

fanon Jesper: Shoot! *finger guns* *wink*😜😘 ohhhh Milo *ignores Wylan* my dearest, love of my life, aww. I'm not throwing out the goat. 🐐Haha I'm the dumb comic relief. I'm just here to be loud & funny & annoy Kaz hehe.*twirls guns*

canon Jesper: Friendly, brave, talented but also impulsive & reckless with gambling addiction. Suffers trauma, identity crisis & masks it with humor. Lowkey protective of his friends & hates to disappoint his loved ones. Likes to live in the moment. Looking for purpose in life.

Alina Starkov:

fanon Alina: ugh, so dumb, & whiny all the time. I have no personality guyzzz, besides going back & forth between Mal & Darkling. Meh, there's nothing else.

canon Alina: Snarky, sassy, insecure, also very brave & patriotic, bit of a hero complex, carries the burden of the Chosen One even though she dosen't want to solely to save her country. Is deeply in love with her best friend & is scared of losing him. Very powerful but dosen't let the greed for it overcome her & refuses to let go of her humane & compassionate side. Can be quite funny when she wants to.

Nico di Angelo:

fanon Nico: McDonald's for life. *angst* *gay* *angst* *angst* wow I'm depressed. Casually jokes of death all the time or just yells & swears.

canon Nico: Moody, depressed, used to a joyful kid but scarred by death of his sister. Also kinda angsty & powerful. Eventually overcomes his fears & learns to move on. Comes out as gay & learns to accept his identity, falls in love. Is also brave & loyal. Has a hidden soft side only a few know about. Is the Ghost King; radiates deadly authority. Speaks in a low & quite voice but still carries his point across.

Matthias Helvar:

fanon Matthias: I'm just a boring straight guy who's also misogynistic & homophobic.(insert Ch 40 joke) *Karen 2.0*  *dumb af* Being an uptight edgy prude is the only highlight of my personality. (Insert Ch 40 joke) *rolls eyes* *simps* (yet another stupid Ch 40 joke, now laugh guys, so funny haha)

canon Matthias: Big grump with a kind heart. A tragedy in childhood made him get recruited by a hateful cult. Unlearnt the bigotry & left said cult even at the cost of being branded as a traitor by his beloved country, appears cold at first but is extremely loving & tender, hella brave & wants to do the right thing. Told a misogynistic line just once then revised his opinion & started respecting the warrior sides of Nina & Inej. The only one in the group who cared for a pregnant lady. Stoic & strong, patriotic & heroic soldier, faithful & religious, believes his country can do better. Loves Nina whole-heartedly, notices Jesper & Wylan falling in love & never harbors homophobic feelings against them.

[indianariesolive]

[undruskelle-deactivated20220525]

“you are the bane of my existence and the object of all my desires.”    matthias to nina xo

[indianariesolive]

This trend but make it fictional ✨

(Ofc it HAD to be my favorite Crow 😌💙)

(I do not own the audio or the images. Only the edit is mine)