a gay who blogs

yassss slay versace slay the house down boots mama

[juicywithjustin]

I will never recover after reading The Shadow of Kyoshi

“She didn't have the right to lose herself in her rage and let it take her to oblivion. No matter what she'd been through. She wouldn't allow herself to become a human scar, a compendium of personal loss. She had the obligation to be more than the sum of her grievances with the world.” ― F.C. Yee

If The Rise of Kyoshi was a good book then The Shadow of Kyoshi was a great one. In this book we receive a very complex reminder that Kyoshi and Yun are two sides of the same coin and we see how their paths divulge after the (SPOILER) death of Jianzhu. I think Kyoshi seeing how blinded he was with revenge added to her desperation to prove him innocent. Their relationship serves as a beautiful backbone to the story and that is the reason why it is so good. 

We also see Kyoshi dealing with the aftermath of the world finding out she’s the Avatar and her constant feeling of unworthiness towards the title. Every Avatar deals with adapting to being the Avatar as a part of themselves but Kyoshi has to deal with living her life believing herself to be nothing but an orphan. It is important to realize this and I think her ongoing battle with herself is the reason for these conflicts within herself and the mistakes she makes in diplomacy. At the core of Kyoshi’s character though is a strong sense of justice which is so breathtaking to see.

I also have to say that I loved seeing Kuruk guide her through his life and gain a better understanding of his life as an Avatar. I think it’s really easy to just look at any avatar surface level and take them for what you see but it is true that Kuruk spent his whole life protecting the world like an Avatar is supposed to do, dealing with the mistakes Yanchen left behind. Adding these complex elements and showing how each Avatar leaves an imprint on their next incarnation is so incredibly interesting. Seeing how Kuruk’s relationship with his friends blends in which Kyoshi’s relationships with a lot of her mentors and seeing how his ongoing battle with spirits created that connection with Kyoshi was so amazing. I think it’s incredible that we see these consequences Kyoshi has to deal with despite them never being hers and how blinded she is through her idolization for Yanchen. Aang’s quote at the end of the first season of the Legend of Korra seems really relevant here. It was only at her lowest moment where she found herself being able to connect with Kuruk and create that relationship she refused to have earlier on. I can go on and on about Kuruk and Kyoshi and how they are direct parallels to one another, with Kyoshi not making the same mistake he made his whole life by fighting all his battles alone but I won’t.

It is time to move onto the gays. Rangi and Kyoshi Rangi and Kyoshi Rangi and Kyoshi. Thank you Raava for your undying love for women, you eat every single time. Rangi and Kyoshi’s love is something I hope to achieve. I love them and I love how no matter how far Kyoshi falls, Rangi will always be there to pick her up. I also loved the deeper insight into Hei Ran and Rangi’s relationship because they’re truly just a mother and daughter who love each other deeply and seeing Kyoshi build such an emotional relationship with them both is a beautiful development.

Overall these two books are some of the best things I have ever experienced. I love Kyoshi and I loved being able to gain more insight into her story. I love that I was able to find new characters to love and I am so sad that it is over. I probably missed out on a lot but this is just me writing down my stream of thoughts about the book. I wish I had someone to talk about this with irl. I can’t wait for the Yanchen installment coming out this year but I want you to know that for me it’s Kyoshi and Korra 4ever. When am I getting my Kyoshi funko pop btw Funko I hope you’re listening. Anyways I’m crying and I’m so sad and I love Kyoshi and I loved this book and I loved Rise of Kyoshi and that quote I entered in the beginning is some of my favorite writing I’ve ever read. Thank you F.C. Yee for thinking I was worthy enough to own this. So sad so mopey so listening to avatar soundtrack with rain. #lifeisunfair I think my first review was a lot more cohesive than this but idc gn ily sweet dreams someone pls talk to me about avatar. ALSO ROKU I HATE YOU YOU ARE SO DUMB DO BETTER

[juicywithjustin]

The Priory of the Orange Tree

“When history fails to shed light on the truth, myth creates its own.”  ― Samantha Shannon, The Priory of the Orange Tree

Wow. That's really all I have to say about this book. At a page length 848, this book at first glance, is a very scary sight. But as a longterm fan of high fantasy I have to say this book is an egregiously good addition to the genre. Samantha Shannon is able to weave lore through character growth and self discovery in a way that is not completely overwhelming.

My problem with a lot of high fantasy is just how much information is being thrown at you at once. It gets so overwhelming and confusing, but Shannon is able to envelop you in the lore and plot in such a way that doesn't make my brain explode. If you're a fan of Game of Thrones you will most likely LOVE this book the way I did. And if you LOVE powerful women I almost guarantee you, you'll practically have this book glued to your hand.

As a warning I have to say that you will be switching POV's in this book and you probably will not love them all equally. I really loved each of them except for a certain Alchemist's who seriously irritated my body and soul; But for a book to make me so frustrated at a character is an accomplishment. And although I didn't love him, I can't deny that he had an amazing character arc. Obviously Ead was a highlight in this story for me, but I also felt strongly attached to Tane. These two women's journey of growth and self discovery through their ancestry almost had me more interested than the literal dragons and wyrms being introduced. ALSO the representation in this book is AMAZING. We had multiple POC characters and multiple LGTBQ+ characters as well. This is not something Shannon shies away from and it's the reason why this book is my new fav. Truly this is my new favorite book and I am SO excited for the prequel coming up next year. I have so many more words to say but I'm too lazy to type them lol. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy, thank you goodbye.

[juicywithjustin]

Before the coffee gets cold

“Water flows from high places to low places. That is the nature of gravity. Emotions also seem to act according to gravity. When in the presence of someone with whom you have a bond, and to whom you have entrusted your feelings, it is hard to lie and get away with it. The truth just wants to come flowing out. This is especially the case when you are trying to hide your sadness or vulnerability. It is much easier to conceal sadness from a stranger, or from someone you don’t trust.”  ― Toshikazu Kawaguchi, Before the Coffee Gets Cold

Before the Coffee gets cold is a phenomenal novel that explores themes like grief in such a way that you finish the book and start rethinking the way you've been approaching your relationships. I didn't expect to be so moved with such a short page length but here we are. Now below this is a rant and there's a lot of spelling errors but im too lazy to fix them sorry. enjoy. This novel is able to move through the stories of about six characters: Fumiko, Kazu, Kei, Nagare, Hirai, and Kohtake. I cried because of every single one these characters. Seeing how Fumiko introduces us to this world within the cafe and getting to explore each of their relationships was so uncalled for fr. Hirai avoiding her sister just to be filled with regret upon finding out she died like what like literally are you being so fr with me rn? And then her finding peace going back to the inn and repairing her relationship with her parents? OW it hurts. AND THEN YOU HAVE KOHATE AND FUSAGI LIKE OMG. FUSAGI HAS EARLY ONSET ALZHEIMER'S AND HES SLOWLY FORGETTING HIS WIFE AND SHE GOES BACK IN TIME AND HES LIKE I FORGOT YOU DIDNT I WHAT THE FUCK AND SHES LIKE HOLDING BACK TEARS TRYING TO MAKE HIM FEEL BETTER AND THEN COMES BACK TO THE PRESENT WITH NOTHING CHANGED. BUT SOMETHING DOES CHANGE AND SHE DECIDES TO STOP TREATING HIM FROM THE DETACHED NURSE VIEW BUT TO START VIEWING HIM AS HER HUSBAND AGAIN. OWW. OW. AND THEN WE HAVE KEI, NAGARE, AND KAZU. KEI IS A BALL OF SUNSHINE WITH A HEART CONDITION AND SHES SLOWLY DYING BECAUSE SHES PREGNANT AND DOESNT WANT TO TERMINATE HER CHILD. WE GET A GLIMPSE OF THIS WHEN HER DAUGHTER TRAVELS BACK TO GET A PICTURE WITH HER BUT WE DONT KNOW WHAT WERE IN FOR. KEIS CONDITION WORSENING, SHE GOES TO THE FUTURE TO MEET HER DAUGHTER AND HER HUSBAND DOESNT WANT HER TO GO BUT FOR THE FIRST TIME KAZU DIESNT LISTEN TO HIM AND HELPS KEI BECAUSE SHE LOVES HER SISTER AND THEN ITS SO SAD WHEN KEI SEES HER DAUGHTER AND I CRY BECAUSE THEYRE JUST SO THANKFUL FOR EACH OTHER.

Anyways that was my rant without any edits or pauses. I will not polish it this is how I feel. Immediately after finishing this I found out there's a fucking trilogy to this series and got the second book. I'm excited to read and I'm excited to read the third installment coming out in September. I have to say that even though traveling in time doesn't physically change anything in the present, it changes the mindsets of the people who travel in such positive ways. This book gives me hope and that's more than I could ask for.

[juicywithjustin]

The Dawn of Yangchen is NOT a Kyoshi Novel

Going into The Dawn of Yangchen I think it's important to realize that it is not a Kyoshi novel. I think F.C. Yee did a very good at distinguishing the two through his writing from the very beginning, and if you walk into it thinking it's gonna be another Kyoshi book you're going to be sourly disappointed because of this. This book is also a lot more politically focused so there's not much actual physical action but instead there's moved and countermoves. This made me extremely anxious the entire novel so it's not likely I'll reread it. That doesn't make it bad though.

This book follows Yangchen but it also follows her counterpart, Kavik very closely as well. This is a choice some might like and some might hate but it's one you should be prepared for. I quite liked this choice because it made Kavik so much more compelling and it made me understand his choices so much more. Throughout most of his life he's dedicated to his family and his brother is one that he is dedicated to most of all. He idolizes his brother because of the sacrifices he's made for Kavik. Especially that month they spent in the cold of the North in which Kalaayn lost two fingers. Knowing all of this made his betrayal to Yangchen make so much sense and that much more conflicting. Understanding Kavik made it hard for me to hate him and I liked that. I also liked his relationship with Yangchen. A relationship that starts off as purely transactional but turns into an actual friendship, which just makes the betrayal hurt so much more. But yeah, all this to say that all the pages Kavik got was something I liked.

Now moving on to Yangchen who I found I liked a lot more than I thought I would. Through the Kyoshi novels we experience the peace she brought to humanity but learn about how she failed the world spiritually. She gave humanity too much of what they wanted and it came a great cost with a lot of regret. Understanding this I already had some preconceived notions of what I thought of her as a person but this novel did a good job at making me empathize with her. Although I'm still a Korra and Kyoshi Stan I can say Yangchen wormed her way into my heart. She's someone who's had to experience the lives and regrets of all the Avatars before her, which I can honestly say I found quite interesting. She also had to experience losing her sister Jetsun because of this which resulted in so much guilt. I'm so interested in her hopefully exploring her spirituality in the next book. Another casual F.C. slay.

[juicywithjustin]

    The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Following Song of Achilles I was sure I was done being so affected by books I discovered by TikTok; Then comes this book. I originally picked it up because I knew it was gay but I had no idea what I was in for. It definitely wasn't going to be a happy go lucky lesbian novel.

But that fact was what made it an even more incredible novel. It's realistic, the pain, the characters, the relationships, they're all real. It made it that much more painful to me. I felt immensely connected to the characters and their experiences. Especially with Evelyn who was a stunningly flawed main character. I know I love something when I immediately get defensive of it and I immediately got defensive over her. I love her I, I understand her, I feel for her.

The way her trauma in her early life adds to her desperation to succeed and how it affects her relationships. I have to say I found her so three dimensional and that's what made me glued to the book. She's someone who makes mistakes and someone who finds such amazing love and support in her relationships and within herself. Her and Harry make me pee my pants. what an amazing familial bond.

Harry Cameron is such a slay. I love him. He made the book so grounded and gave it life that was desperately needed in such a hard book. This review is gonna be all over the place because im just writing as im thinking. Anyways I love him I miss him. He's my bestie but he's also the love of my life. I want to be Evelyn just so I can have a baby with him.

Celia is someone I have a hard time with. I feel like she's such a painfully white white woman that it frustrates me at times. I think she's unfair a lot of the time and I understand where she's coming from, especially from a place of privilege as someone who never really had to struggle financially or racially as a white woman. I don't hate her. She's just not a Harry or Evelyn to me. I want to make it clear at this point that this is all MY feelings. Anyways.

I was so worried about the pacing of this book because I knew we had seven husbands to go through and I was like 130 pages into the book and we had only gone through 2 husbands. But I felt satisfied although I would've liked more pages I feel like the author knew what she wanted for the pacing and I just like slower paces in general tbh.

To be fair, I love this book. I love it so much. This book made me feel so much, I'll never recover. I'm peeing I can't stop thinking and feeling it. Ow ow ow. It makes me want to watch Daisy Jones and the Six but at the same time I just know it won't hit the same because it's not gay and the main character isn't Latina. Ok bye. Don't criticize the book to me idc. bye. bye. bye. bye.

[juicywithjustin]

It's In His Kiss? More like It's Fresh In My Memory 

On this episode of TikTok made me do it. Featuring the youngest sibling of the Bridgerton family and me, an 18 year old gay nonbinary human. An unlikely pair but when Tikok says this is the best Bridgerton book I have no choice but to obey. Also every time the main character goes oh my to seeing their spouse's "member" for the first time I absolutely live. (SPOLER WARNING)

I have to say that this is my favorite Bridgerton novel. It maintaining a mystery subplot for its duration made it so much more appealing for me. It made for a much more unique way to initiate romance than the previous novels, not following the exact same format as most of the other Bridgerton novels. Really in their Sherlock Daphne and Velma bag in this one tbh.

Another thing thing I loved was the characters and their dynamics with each other. Lady Danbury being at the center of many of these dynamics means this book was honestly set up for success. I have to say I loved how much she was in the book. The way she shaped Hyacinth's and Gareth's relationship was so slay. I loved the way Lady Danbury served as a role model to Hyacinth and the way that their banter played out. The same goes for Lady Danbury and Gareth instead of the obviously more strong maternal aspect that I loved.

Gareth as a character was something I really appreciated as well. His dynamic with his father was so realistic and relatable. That disgusting feeling that seems to never go away in the presence of abusive parents is something that is very real and I felt was done really well. It added depth to his character and made me really want to root for him as a reader.

Now when it comes to Hyacinth, she slayed. As a protagonist I was rarely annoyed by her which is really rare and I thought her being more outspoken made her so much more likable. She's that Bridgerton sibling always lingering in the background and I loved being able to bring her to the spotlight. Which I have to add that although I loved her and Lady Danbury's relationship, I definitely loved her relationship with Violet as well. The conversation they have later in the book about Hyacinth saving her life was so sweet I live.

I also live for her and Gareth's relationship. I love that sex doesn't take away who she is and she remains a very consistent character. I also loved their banter. Gareth and her dynamic is what I feel like most of my friends feel about me, excluding the sexual and romantic feelings. I too, can't stop talking and I feel as though my friends just nod their heads to my rants as well. Literally need to find myself a Gareth. And omg her realizing she was going to marry him before he did? What a slay.

Obviously this book isn't revolutionary but I loved it and I loved Gareth and Hyacinth. Younger siblings win yet again with this portrayal of awesomeness. Pretty sure I'm not gonna read anymore of these novels but it was fun while it lasted. Thank you gfs. Can't wait for this season to come out eventually.

[juicywithjustin]

The Song of Achilles is my new favorite book

"I could recognize him by touch alone, by smell; I would know him blind, by the way his breaths came and his feet struck the earth. I would know him in death, at the end of the world." ― Madeline Miller, The Song of Achilles

Booktok has a lot of recommendations and in my efforts to be different I usually don't listen but after months of my sister badgering me to read it, I finally picked up Song of Achilles.

I've always loved Greek Mythology, its heroes, its tragedies; And I'm embarrassed to admit that this is the first book I've been able to read with a gay male love story. Which makes this book a perfect read this pride month.

I have to say having Patroclus be the main character was such an interesting choice to me. One glance at the title and I was fully expecting it to take place in the perspective of Achilles but I think Patroclus was a smart choice. He's a lot more accessible to readers than Achilles is and in a way he makes Achilles more accessible as a character as well. I think he's a very caring person and I found myself rooting for him as well as feeling so much empathy for him.

Achilles is a character that is hard to love for me but despite that I find a lot of his actions throughout the book justified and not without understanding. I think with my background knowledge of who Achilles is through mythology, I already had an okay understanding of who was before reading. I want to be beautiful and powerful like him that would be so beautiful.

I thought Achilles relationship with his mother, Thetis was also really intriguing. I appreciated but didn't appreciate the relationship she had with Patroclus because I felt that it made the ending that much more impactful. I stand for sea nymphs being left alone to be beautiful in the ocean btw. So strikingly beautiful and she slayed tbh.

Briseis is such a slay. I love her so so much and I know she was only in the last part of the book but her character was something that added to the tragedy that is this book. I literally will never recover financially or emotionally for what Pyrrhus did to my poor baby. I love her omg.

Those are all the characters I felt important enough to mention. I know there's so much more but I literally can't do this with you right now. You need to give me space, give me some room I can't breathe please. I'm begging you on my knees 🙏🏽.

The author followed The Iliad for most of the book and knowing this created the worst anticipation I have ever experienced. Like Achilles and Patroclus later in the book I knew what was going to happen and yet I continued reading thinking I would leave the other side unscathed. I thought the prophecy added a sense of urgency to their relationship and it added an urgency for me to finish reading to figure out how Miller would handle it. Fucking Helen. I though Madeline Miller ate this shit up and she added to the Greek tale instead of taking away from it. I usually have so much more to say but I literally have no words I'm so sad I love this book and I'll never recover. Goodbye.

[juicywithjustin]

The Viscount Who Loved Me made me painfully aware of my dating status

"I have to tell you it was the first time even after all these years of expecting my own death that I truly knew what it meant to die because with you gone there was nothing left for me to live for."

After Watching Season 2 of Bridgerton I knew it was only a matter of time before I read The Viscount Who Loved Me, especially after my TikTok for you page would not stop talking about how much better the book is then the show. They did this for season 1 as well but I did not feel as inclined to read a book about Daphne and Simon as I did for Kate and Anthony. So when I found myself at Target with a gift card and a 20% off copy of The Viscount who Loved Me, I just had to buy the book and start reading. (SPOILERS AHEAD)

I should start this off by noting that this is the first romance focused novel I've ever read. Unless you count episode stories as novels because I've read a lot of those. I thought it was important to note this as I walked into this novel with no expectations other than what I watched on the show.

Starting with the characters, I thought Anthony's sense of morality was such an interesting addition to the book that wasn't present in the show. I loved that his keen awareness of his morality interfered with the way he created relationships, specifically his relationship with Kate. His decision to marry without love just has so much more depth when you put this into consideration. Watching the show without this addition feels so much more lacking now. I liked that it started with an explanation of his father and his relationship and what happened after his death. Him sitting with his father's dead body was definitely something I wasn't expecting but I liked as a story choice. It makes Anthony's decisions later in the book so much better explained.

Moving too Kate, I found her character work to be also some really good stuff. Although in my head she will always be Simone Ashley. I appreciated the show's choice to make her Indian as it's so much more interesting than a white woman from the country but that's just my own personal thoughts. I loved being able to spend more time with Kate's character and her fear of storms being able to be fully fleshed out was something I really appreciated. They gave us time with this fear and when she decides to get to the bottom of it and ask Mary I was so happy with the way it was explained. Having it tie into her own morality and grief is something I wasn't fully expecting and I was so so happy at this. Not at her mom dying but you know what I mean. Understanding the way both their parents deaths cloud over both of them makes Kate and Anthony's dynamic so much better explained. It also makes you realize why Kate felt the need to take on such a patriarchal role when it comes to Edwina. So so slay.

And I need to just say how much I loved Mary and Edwina in this book. I felt like we didn't get to know Mary at all in the show and in the book we're given the opportunity to truly understand her and her character. Edwina is given so much more thought and she's a lot less annoying which I totes so appreciated. Characters other than Kate and Anthony really having time in this book helped me feel much more apart of the Bridgerton world. I felt like I was apart of the ton.

Okay now besties we need to talk about all the Kate and Anthony content we are fed in this book. Literally so slay. The tension is so built in this book that I literally want to explode. The library scene? ARE YOU KIDDING ME. The first time they play pall mall??? UGH its just so good I literally can't breathe. Kate, Anthony, and I are literally in a throuple, I'm convinced. Obviously the book has so much more room to further explore their relationship and I am so so happy at that. It makes them admitting their love for each other so much more of an achievement at the end of the book. I'm an enemies to lovers fiend and being able to get my hands on one as good as this makes me literally salivate. Honestly I sound like a middle aged woman right now and I'm not even half ashamed. So slay.

I didn't expect to like this book so much and I think I might read Hyacinth's book next. I heard it's pretty good. I'm excited to see Penelope and Colin's season next spring although I find Colin so so annoying.

[juicywithjustin]

The Viscount Who Loved Me made me painfully aware of my dating status

"I have to tell you it was the first time even after all these years of expecting my own death that I truly knew what it meant to die because with you gone there was nothing left for me to live for."

After Watching Season 2 of Bridgerton I knew it was only a matter of time before I read The Viscount Who Loved Me, especially after my TikTok for you page would not stop talking about how much better the book is then the show. They did this for season 1 as well but I did not feel as inclined to read a book about Daphne and Simon as I did for Kate and Anthony. So when I found myself at Target with a gift card and a 20% off copy of The Viscount who Loved Me, I just had to buy the book and start reading. (SPOILERS AHEAD)

I should start this off by noting that this is the first romance focused novel I've ever read. Unless you count episode stories as novels because I've read a lot of those. I thought it was important to note this as I walked into this novel with no expectations other than what I watched on the show.

Starting with the characters, I thought Anthony's sense of morality was such an interesting addition to the book that wasn't present in the show. I loved that his keen awareness of his morality interfered with the way he created relationships, specifically his relationship with Kate. His decision to marry without love just has so much more depth when you put this into consideration. Watching the show without this addition feels so much more lacking now. I liked that it started with an explanation of his father and his relationship and what happened after his death. Him sitting with his father's dead body was definitely something I wasn't expecting but I liked as a story choice. It makes Anthony's decisions later in the book so much better explained.

Moving too Kate, I found her character work to be also some really good stuff. Although in my head she will always be Simone Ashley. I appreciated the show's choice to make her Indian as it's so much more interesting than a white woman from the country but that's just my own personal thoughts. I loved being able to spend more time with Kate's character and her fear of storms being able to be fully fleshed out was something I really appreciated. They gave us time with this fear and when she decides to get to the bottom of it and ask Mary I was so happy with the way it was explained. Having it tie into her own morality and grief is something I wasn't fully expecting and I was so so happy at this. Not at her mom dying but you know what I mean. Understanding the way both their parents deaths cloud over both of them makes Kate and Anthony's dynamic so much better explained. It also makes you realize why Kate felt the need to take on such a patriarchal role when it comes to Edwina. So so slay.

And I need to just say how much I loved Mary and Edwina in this book. I felt like we didn't get to know Mary at all in the show and in the book we're given the opportunity to truly understand her and her character. Edwina is given so much more thought and she's a lot less annoying which I totes so appreciated. Characters other than Kate and Anthony really having time in this book helped me feel much more apart of the Bridgerton world. I felt like I was apart of the ton.

Okay now besties we need to talk about all the Kate and Anthony content we are fed in this book. Literally so slay. The tension is so built in this book that I literally want to explode. The library scene? ARE YOU KIDDING ME. The first time they play pall mall??? UGH its just so good I literally can't breathe. Kate, Anthony, and I are literally in a throuple, I'm convinced. Obviously the book has so much more room to further explore their relationship and I am so so happy at that. It makes them admitting their love for each other so much more of an achievement at the end of the book. I'm an enemies to lovers fiend and being able to get my hands on one as good as this makes me literally salivate. Honestly I sound like a middle aged woman right now and I'm not even half ashamed. So slay.

I didn't expect to like this book so much and I think I might read Hyacinth's book next. I heard it's pretty good. I'm excited to see Penelope and Colin's season next spring although I find Colin so so annoying.

[pinejay]

why do ppl keep giving condescending tutorials on the basics of tumblr to new users telling them the stupidest shit like "don't forget to change your icon, here's where u can get a new one!". this is a kill or be killed place. if someone doesn't know to change their icon we should tear them limb from limb

[loveatfirstbiteblog]

Star Wars is for Hot Girls

Be honest. When you think of a Star Wars fan, what do you picture? Like I said… be honest. It’s ok to say you picture a geek. A crusty man with glasses, who rants on twitter and owns a plastic light saber. The truth of the matter is that Fandom culture is not forgiving to women. The attractive woman is mostly used as a canvas for fetishization and a doubt of genuine interest, which is contrasting but coexisting in their minds. I grew up on Star Wars, growing up at the time of the prequels, young when I watched the originals, a teenager at the time of the sequels, from A New Hope and Clone Wars to The Book of Boba Fett. 

I have been accused of my interest being popularity based, aesthetic based, and on one incredibly insulting instance, I was accused of liking Star Wars to appeal to the male gaze.

Why can’t I be a woman and like one of the most popular franchises in history? I can like it for the plot and for the hot guys. LEAVE ME ALONE FAN BOYS.

I honestly think that they forget that some of the bravest key characters in the franchise are hot, incredibly capable women. The OG baddie of the Original big 3, Princess Leia. She’s beautiful, a princess, turned general but she’s hot headed, brave, and snarky. Ahsoka Tano, who is a young talented Jedi, but also playful, and complex. Padme Amidala, a former Queen turned diplomat, level headed, courageous, and hopeful. 

I can think the Mandalorian is hot and also understand the plot. These are not ideas that are unable to coexist in my head. I can appreciate the plot progressions of the movies and shows, without necessarily liking every decision made. i can be a girl and like masculine dominated things, which really honestly is based on stereotypes. Star Wars is emotional. A main theme is the suppression of emotion and how shielding yourself from who you are can be your downfall. Yet emotion is for women and women only right? The toxic, misogynistic culture of the Star Wars fan base is discriminatory and makes a community that is constantly at odds among themselves. I just want to like what I like in peace. 

[juicywithjustin]

big puur

[juicywithjustin]

The Rise of Kyoshi is a Yay for the Gays

The Rise of Kyoshi is a novel that was released in 2019 and it’s a novel I’ve been extremely interested in since it’s release. Anything expanding on the Avatar universe immediately pulls at my intrigue but I wasn’t able to get my hand on it as soon as I wished to. 

So it was to my very pleasant surprise when I went to Barnes and Nobles to find out they had a 50% sale on Hardcover books. I was immediately thrilled at this and purchased The Rise of Kyoshi. Upon reading it you might think the writing would be on the childish side, seeing as the Avatar is a children’s show; But this book does a lot to distinguish itself as a book with adult writing and dialogue. I honestly wasn’t expecting this book to be so good. 

It fully expands on the story of a character that’s already dead in the television show; And in a way that isn’t horrible. Kyoshi is already an established legend in the show, a woman feared by many and influence even 100 years in the future. 

In this story she isn’t that legend though. She’s a an orphan with no confidence in herself and her abilities as a person, especially not as an avatar which she doesn’t find out she is until later in the book. You see this character grow. she goes through betrayals, the deaths of friends, finding a found family and also finding love. It’s a coming of age story that doesn’t shy away from the gore and hard details that come with growing. AND ITS GAY! THE LAKE KISS! WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT IT!!!!!

It’s really hard to find a portrayal of a gay relationship, especially between two women, that is true and doesn’t fetishsize the love shared between two women. It’s sad how rare that is in today’s media but it’s so exciting for it to be pulled off so wonderfully. I love consuming gay fiction that isn’t absolutely abhorrent. This book is a yay for the gays and if you’re not reading it you’re really missing out!