Konstruitaj Lingvoj por la Estonteco!

Esperanto: mi nomiĝas Alvo, kaj mi revivigas ĉi tiun malnovan blogon en la nomo de konstruitaj lingvoj kaj sunpunko! Lernanto de loĵbano, laadano kaj klingono. Mi uzas ri pronomoj. Kapbildo de Teikoku Shônen • toki pona: nimi mi li jan Awa. ma ni li tomo e toki pali e pilin pi tenpo kama! mi kama sona e toki lasupan e toki latan e toki sinan. sitelen sewi tan jan Teikoku Shônen

[chrysanthemummenace]

[ID: A Venn diagram that has "Women with scoliosis" written in the left circle and "Women with a special interest in historical fashion" written in the right circle. In the middle overlap there are 3 portrait photos of (in ascending order) Bernadette Banner, Jessica Kellgren-Fozard, and Snappy Dragon /End ID]

[lindsayraindrops]

So “A Taste of Gold and Iron” by Alexandra Rowland is an unmitigated delight.

I am not even kidding, I consumed this book in a haze and consciously made myself slow down while reading so I could better savour it. It’s unspeakably good. The world is so rich and detailed and woven into the characters’ personalities and quirks and how they experience their surroundings, it was a joy to read and I cannot stop thinking about it.

(I started writing this review after I read the advanced reader’s copy months ago. In March!! Rest assured I have not stopped thinking about it.)

In this fantasy romance novel with a limited though plot-relevant magic system, Kadou is the Prince of Arasht, struggles with chronic anxiety and his-sister-the-sultan’s annoying lover, and constantly tries his absolute best to do well by his kingdom and the people entrusted to him.

Evemer is a supremely capable bodyguard who gets assigned to Kadou in an effort to keep him out of trouble. He starts out being supremely unimpressed with Kadou. Take one look at the US cover of the book to see just how much he will become attached to his prince—

All of the characters are fleshed out and multidimensional, with realistic flaws and strengths and so much tangibility to them and the context in which they exist, I am absolutely FLASHED by the character work!

Do you like fealty?? Do you like Fealty with Feelings?? Do you like an achingly tender love story of growing devotion where they talk about their positions in each others’ lives long before they realise or admit they’re in love? You will love them. I love them.

Listen to me. Do you enjoy the liege/vassal dynamic but are particular about the power differentials in play? EXCELLENT NEWS the complications therein are addressed in the book, both in general ways relevant to the worldbuilding and relationships with side characters, and between the main couple themselves. Both of them broach the subject on several occasions! Laying open their expectations and fears in scenes most tender and caring and my god it is so well done.

Do you enjoy a world that is dealing intimately with mechanisms of fealty that is gorgeously constructed and thought through and then there is on-page deconstruction of that situation and dissection of what it means and what responsibilities come with it for both vassal and liege, and how the characters deal with that responsibility?? I know I do!!

Are you unsure about the fealty? Have you literally ever looked at fealty in fiction and thought to yourself, “This makes no damn sense—compels me though” ?? Rowland will make you look closer. They will hand you your own emotions and say, look at it. Hold it. Feel the weight of your own heart in your hands. You are allowed to have feelings about it. You are allowed to admit that this is intense, and it is not the same devotion as love is devotion, but it is just as Much, just as Heartwrenching, and NOW watch me add love to it and see how it transforms.

This author lays hands on this trope with absolute precision down to the molecular level and it is so. fucking. good.

And this is not even the only excellently executed and close relationship in the book. Kadou has family he loves, and who love him: the sibling relationship is politically strained and is immediately influenced by the plot. Another plot thread concerns a sexual relationship that ends, with the characters expending effort to transform it into a friendship, and it is not less valued for it.

The plot is gripping! There is a counterfeiting operation going on that threatens the kingdom’s economic stability, and our main characters are charged to investigate it. It flows seamlessly into the worldbuilding and character work. The world itself is queernormative, both regarding relationships and regarding gender, and nuances of it are discussed in narration and between various characters.

I cried about this book twice in one evening bc it has the ABSOLUTE AUDACITY to follow up an intense scene of fealty with an intense scene of the love that is developing underneath.

This book hits is like a needle-fine arrow directly into your heart.

The US edition came out today, the UK edition will be out in two days (September 1st), please read G&I, get it now, enjoy <3

[jado-verda]

Eble iam eltiros la spadon iu

[koramikon]

ne lernu esperanto por la fina venko, lernu esperanto por la bongustaj memeoj

[mi-verdigxis]

Kial ne ambaŭ?

[langblrwhy]

[kolektoesperanta]

La ŝava alfabeto.

[mi-verdigxis]

Interesa

[mi-verdigxis]

Saluton al ĉiuj!

Nun mi estas en Luksemburgo, por ferio inter du semajnoj pri enmiksiĝo en la lingvoj (mi studas la francan kaj la germanan lingvojn) kaj la hotelo donas la eblon havi tranĉaĵon de ĉokolado kuko kun onia matenmanĝo!

[fraktalafortreso]

Some animal sounds in Esperanto. I found this image here.

[tajpu-vian-nomon]

(el la retpaĝo http://ridejo.ikso.net/)

[mi-verdigxis]

Estas stranga, ĝi ne havas sencon

[fraktalafortreso]

[esperantaj-memeoj]

[eo-mimoj]

[eo-memeoj]

Kiel Mi Konsideras Vortproblemojn…

[mi-verdigxis]

Purpure...

[eo-mimoj]

[eo-memeoj]

La Unujo de Honto

[eo-mimoj]

[eo-memeoj]

Dankon Por la “Helpo"

[eo-memeoj]

Mirindaĵo da Vorto

[mi-verdigxis]

Mi ĝojas ke ĉi tiu sento havas nomon

[if-you-give-a-mouse-your-coochie]

“Rompu, rompu la murojn inter la popoloj!”

— L.L. Zamenhof

[dhcarmona-blog]

““Tra densa mallumo briletas la celo, al kiu kuragxe ni iras. Simile al stelo en nokta cxielo, al ni la direkton gxi diras. Kaj nin ne timigas la noktaj fantomoj, nek batoj de l’ sortoj, nek mokoj de l’ homoj, cxar klara kaj rekta kaj tre difinita gxi estas, la voj’ elektita.””

— La vojo - L.L. Zamenhof