18/literature nerd/pre-engg student
82 posts
unpopular opinion after finishing 2.5 books: shatter me was entirely ass and hot pile of garbage. The only good thing being aaron warner.
finished shatter me book 1 in half a day and my brother stared at me like i am a lunatic. My mother taunted me about studies. Fantastic.
AINT NO WAY, DIED, STOP CALLING ME OUT LIKE THAT
Told her to undress me, she showed me my jee ka result kyuki nanga to usme bhi hua tha
Fuck, this hit too hard, god no đ
My mama didn't raise a quitter..
She didn't raise a winner either so imma do the secret third thing and rot in my bed đ
finished shatter me book 1 in half a day and my brother stared at me like i am a lunatic. My mother taunted me about studies. Fantastic.
Ok chat, i shouldn't have finished the book.(The book thief)
Ok today i WILL finish the book im currently reading cuz i just ordered 3 more books and have another already waiting for me. I am falling behind chat.
Ok today i WILL finish the book im currently reading cuz i just ordered 3 more books and have another already waiting for me. I am falling behind chat.
Pleading for my exam tomorrow to be cancelled. Can't study jackshit atp. My mind is cooked.
Well. Now to get more serious.
As an indian, this entire india-pak conflict has been enlightening about one thing- other countries don't give a jackshit. Nor does global. In the sense that, the pain india felt due to Pahalgam can never be translated to you.
Disclaimer: I do not hope for a war or escalation. I am just tired of seeing people talk about this stuff in black and white terms.
I am tired of entire narrative with this, "ahhh india attacked civillians!"
Civilian deaths are to be mourned. They shouldn't happen. I pray for their families but the attack was never targeting civilians- unlike what Pak did last night. Which I will get to shortly.
So, it was a calculated retaliation (on terrorist sites) to Pahalgam which was fucking horrific and bone chilling. The entire country was chilled.
And yes. Pahalgam is backed by Pakistan. It has been a pattern. Here is a video to get you started on this mess, entire history of kashmir conflict and what not. The history of terrorism. It has sources linked.
Let's get to last night now.
I live in the state adjacent to a border one. My hometown itself was one of the places which was rained by missiles. My family could hear the blasts, the crackling noise till 2 am. My baby cousin was crying scared. All was dark and the only light was of missiles.
Pakistan attacked civillian cities, alongside the ones with army bases. They did not give a fuck.
I don't know how it isn't clear what the country is trying to do already.
I am just so sick. Hoping no escalation happens. We don't need a war. No one does. But stop painting India in red. Pakistan isn't the victim. They haven't been from a while.
Final words? Asking the common citizens of both countries to stay safe.
link click withdrawal is hittin hard rn, ill just try consuming something else to escape
lets talk about the plane scene in bridon arc, where cheng xiaoshi's sleeping head falls on lu guang's shoulders and lu guang, the man, reaches his hand out to touch his hair. I dont even ship them but just his yearning, trying to feel that yes, he is here. trying to feel the 'there-ness' of CXS. I love them your honor.
Btw stop making lu guang suffer omg
being a stem major with high love for humanities feels like being in a business marriage with a rich high class wife and having a constant affair with a dark academia mistress
VOLUME 5 MOMENTS THAT I ADORE (HUALIAN MY BELOVED) (ft. TINY HUA CHENG!!!!!)
1) Xie Lian watched him in a daze, not speaking a word.
Hua Cheng frowned slightly. âYour Highness, youâŚâ Suddenly, Xie Lianâs free hand reached out and pinched Hua Chengâs cheek. Hua Chengâs eyes widened as his face changed shape from the entirely unexpected squishing.
ââŚGege!â
Xie Lian laughed. âHa ha ha ha ha haâŚsorry, San Lang, but youâre too cute; I canât help myself. Ha ha ha haâŚâ Hua Cheng was speechless.
2) Hua Cheng clasped his hands behind him. âYes. Iâve endured this for too long. I canât wait any longer.â
Just as he finished talking, Xie Lian slipped his hands under Hua Chengâs arms and lifted him. He raised him high in the air and laughed.
âItâll be such a shame! I wonât be able to pick you up like this once youâre grown again. Iâd better hug you as much as I can right now. Ha ha ha ha ha ha haâŚâ
3) Xie Lian held Hua Cheng even tighter, and his hand smoothed his hair.
4) Hua Cheng reached out and lifted Xie Lianâs chin. âHis temper is certainly nice, but mine is bad. No one but me can touch the things I love.â
5) âTry touching him, I dare you,â Hua Cheng warned frigidly. âDo you think I would so easily allow you lot to touch my heartâs dearest treasure?â
6) Only a single âhaâ had left his lips when Xie Lian flung out his silk bandage; it whipped out so hard that Pei Ming was almost sent flying. He only barely dodged with a backward leap.
âYour Highness, just how deeply do you treasure Hua-chengzhu? Canât even take a joke?â
~~~~
Ps. I LOVE PROTECTIVE XIE LIAN.
I looked everywhere, the deepest depths of media, mangas, anime. From novels to games. I dived in the darkest depths of ao3 and I have discovered that Luke Pearce and Rosa are the epitome of the "childhood friends, seperated and reunited, to lovers" trope. Fight me. ITS NEVER DONE WELL, THIS TROPE, BUT TOT DOES IT PERFECTLY. FIGHT ME. THE ANGST, THE FLUFF, THE YEARNIG, THE PINING, THE SUNSHINES AND THE DARKNESS- ITS ALL THERE, WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT??
watched some rory gilmore clips and hopefully i wont hate studying anymore
ok but i love it when the important moments that have been built up from LONG in stories actually turn out to be really... humanly normal? Yet fitting? The meeting with that once in a lifetime love you been hyping us up for 9 years (see: how i met your mother) actually just happens under rain, on a station and they actually just joke about how the guy once entered the wrong class to teach. Confessions being accidental, transformative moments not appearing like that without the hindsight etc etc.
On A TANGENT, I ALSO love when the moments happen with a full cheesy bang and boom, if it calls for it! yall been beating around to bush for 4 seasons (see: Kaguya-Sama: Love is War) and THE MAN FINALLY confesses with an elaborate set up, on a special night with a hunt and hundreds of balloons timed, the lighting timed and on the damn roof of highschool???
its just good seeing stories be apologetically *themselves*. I think we are becoming too hyper aware of tropes, irony and a lil too critical of unrealistic fantasy that something just leaning into fully being ITSELF, trying hard, being cheesy is just FRESH.
Ah, I babbled.
Hermes having the twinkiest and sexiest designs in all epic fanarts and animatics is my personal holy moly. the mischief in the eyes?? the grin, the smirk??? the pose?? perfection.
YOU MADE HARVEY LOOK SO??? AVK??M WJXJJWJ he looks so. Fine.
bachelors + bachelorettes
instead of studying, I made a terribly compressed chart of the secret history characters and their dynamics by the end of the book: [TSH SPOILERS!!!!]
What is this.. how.. wha... oh my god. Oh god oh no. Keep cooking.
Just imagine the chaos these three could have caused together...
Just finished reading the secret history and lemme tell ya, the moment I reached 450 page mark- it was a whole another moment. audibly yelled, "what, what the fuck, what the fuck is happening" at what the fuck was happening.
got into tears of themis so bad recently but too broke to buy foreign merch, so diy we go:
Bad lighting x)
I think this is why I love TOT dudes so much. They appear a trope but instead, are a full exploration and deconstruction of that trope.
From Artem appearing like a Cold Black Suit Boss trope but actually being just some dude who is actually really kind and awkward, learning to better socialise.
From Marius appearing like a Spoiled Rich Boy trope to actually being just someone struggling with ambition and responsibilities of his family name.
From Luke appearing like Childhood Friend Sunshine trope to being just someone struggling with being seriously ill, hypocritical due to his circumstances and seriously self destructive.
And.. well, it's a little hard to dissect Vyn to a trope but I think I have made my point already.
I just love these boys SO much and they all have so much love to give. So much kindness to show. So much affection to lay.
the take of "artem is so boring i don't get why people like him" always makes me laugh because like. .. wording aside, that's kinda the point! the appeal?!
he's introduced as this Serious and Cold suit wearing senior attorney of themis, which in most otome would indicate your typical Sexy and Smooth Daddy Dom. like. the first official art we see of him is him sweating and pulling his tie loose. upon global launch, advertisements for tot always included the first evo of his atmospherics ssr out of context.
but the twist is that he's just A Dude. he's respectful and gentle with rosa. he struggles to make friends because he's really socially awkward, takes his work seriously, and has a resting bitch face. he has a film review blog and likes to write fan scripts. his dad wasn't around much and rarely visits. despite appearances, he is deeply empathetic. he's surprisingly idealistic in regards to his work and the impact he wants to make on the city. he grew up not wanting to cause trouble for the adults in his life and as a result has great difficulty acknowledging what he's struggling with and expressing how he feels. he's easily flustered. he has been called out on his bullshit several times by rosa. his father figure is missing and he would do anything to save him. he is earnest in all he does. he is only friends with one person at work and that's celestine, the founder of the law firm and a family friend of his mother's. he's endearing!
despite the prestige and pedestals people place artem on, he is literally just A Dude and i think that's neat
Kisses and all are cool, but small moments like these <3
yall ended up deciding on your favorite men on TOT? How? does marius's 'onee-san' not entice you? Does Luke's sunshine not call you closer? Does artem's domestic fluff and househusband core not affect you at all?
You chose a favorite and never wavered? How?
When the comfort game is comforting;
god, i was so scared about what they were gonna do with ifa's design and i. They just. Did it perfect. I adore his design, hes sooo cuuuuteee. *breaths a massive fuckin sigh of relief*
Now about what they will do with his kit... *waits with baited breath*
Thatâs enough, I think. Enough. It is 2.43 am when I glance at the ancient clock, ticking away. The room is ridden with dust, home of papers and sheets and ink. Pen and books.Â
I have been trying and trying to write since long. It is not that the words have not been coming to meâ they come, they ebb and they flow. But they miss something. And I am sure, so sure they miss something.Â
I know this because they didnât miss it when I was a kid. I remember my words having that something, that spark and that shine. They not only ebbed and flowed, but sung and danced and set up for the grandest of plays.Â
And itâs not today, I am realizing this. I have been realizing it for a long time indeed. I have been trying to find that thing for weeksâ the muse of the stories, the core they hold.
I have tried working in my collegeâs dorms, in public libraries, in the central park, countless different places at countless different times. I have tried searching for answers in the words of the greats, in the sermons of my professors and nothing worked.Â
Nothing works.Â
Maybe different, far from this modern life, I think. That is where I will find it. And so I decide to pack my bags and leave for the mountains in the North.
This may seem like I was overdoing it but I was not. I am obsessedâ I need, need the words to come. I need to write the perfect story, the immaculate tale, the haunting novella that I have dreamed about since I was a young kid.
~
In my time in the mountains I seldom meet people. I usually spend my time working away under the trees, writing on paper after paperâ disappointed, wandering from one corner to another until I reach a village.Â
I meet an old woman there, sewing a bamboo hat together for herself. She has wise eyes, unkind face. She looks at me and asks, âWhat are you looking for, young lad?â
I tell her what I am looking for and ask her if she can help.
She shakes her head. âI am afraid not. I used to paint, you see.â
I ask her, âUsed to?â
âUsed to,â she confirms. âI donât anymore. I lost it.â
Lost what? I ask.
She goes on that she used to paint, you see. That she was nearly 40 when she quit and she didnât really know why but she stopped because the colors were not coming from long now, the muse was long gone. âI suppose it was inevitable,â she says. âI forced it for many years, couldnât force it for life. I took up crafting then.â She holds up the bamboo hat.Â
I ask her if she still feels natural at it. She shrugs, she says she is not sure.
âBut I will advise you,â she says. âYou wonât find it in people you are looking at.â
I am surprised and I ask, âThen where will I?â
âAh, I..â she frowns. âI think I saw it in my young son once.â
âWhere is he now?â
âOh you know.â She waves her hand dismissively. âIn England, studying.â
~
I leave the mountains soon to head for the rainforest. It is a strange thing, one can think. Why go so far for this?Â
But if one thinks that, they wonât truly understand why.Â
I believedâ have believed from long that if you love something, you must be willing to love it till madness. You must continue to love, to create even if it drives you mad.
And in these moments, I thought, I was nearing a sort of madness. A madness of not men but gods.
In the rainforest, I spend my days by the trees, canopies and bushes. Near the streaming river as the hot sun casted glow on it, making the water sparkle. On the 3rd day, I reach a cabin in the middle of the woods. A man greets me. He is middle-aged and toys with a cigarette in his fingers. He glances at me and says he can tell I am looking for something. âWhat are you lookinâ for anyway, man?â
I tell him my troubles and he huffs.
âGet that, you wonât find it here,â he says.
âHow do you know?â I ask.
âWell, I've been here for years. And I havenât found it.â
âYou are an artist?â
âI used to make music,â says the man and tells me about his life. From the man of city and modern worries to a nomad of forests.Â
By the time heâs done and the next morning rolls around, I have left the forests. I wonder to myself what is it that the old lady and he are missing? What is it that we all are missing?Â
I continue my search for months to comeâ like a wayfarer, going from one place to another, searching for what?
I didnât even know anymore. The muse, was it? Or the inspiration. Perhaps a sort of contentment with what we create, the words that flowâ the oomph, the x-factor, or simply the joy?
I do not know anymore.
At last, I come to England and meet the son, who is now about 28. He looks at me with skepticism but that fades away when he hears me talk about his mother. He smiles and sighs, saying he misses her. I tell him about my conversations, my searchâ and his smile falters.
âI donât have it anymore,â he says. âI donât.â
I plead, request him to give me something. By this day, I am tired. Exhausted, beat and at my wits ends. I need something. I am getting madder and madder.
âI am sorry,â he goes on. âI really donât. I still write. But I just.. Itâs gone. It was something which is just gone.â
âWhen did it slip away so?â I question.
âPerhaps when I was 14,â he answers. âPerhaps older or younger.â
I stare and he laughs.Â
âWe may never know.â
He offers me a stay in his university, saying we could try working together and I accept. I am tired, hopeless but I accept anyway. Weeks pass and nothing comes togetherâ itâs all the same. The same.Â
I leave England in the most desolate mood and by the time I am back in my college, I have given up. I rush to my room and I throw my papers in frustration. The ink bottle is hit and dark blue, nearly black, spills onto the floor. It seeps.Â
One last time, I pick the old pages up and the new ones. The new ones are betterâ the better technique, grammar and they are certainly more intelligent. But it is with one look I can tell that they donât have the âitâ like the old stories do.
~
I gave up on writing years ago and I am married nowâ I have a beautiful spouse and the sweetest little daughter; my little girl, my joy.Â
By the time she is nine, she has found my old trunk from the attic. It has the papers, old and new, crumpled and well kept. Countless stories, finished and not. She reads some of them and later asks me about it. I tell her some of itâ about my writings, about how I wrote some of them.
âWhy did you stop?â she asks.Â
She is a child and I donât know how to explain. âIt was only a hobby,â I say. The words ring as false. It was never only a hobby. I had spent months being driven insane, to the brink of my sanity by it. I had spent years honing it, wearing it as my identity. And then I had let go, being as torn as a lover parting from a beloved.
I come back from the office one day to find her. She has been writing, my spouse tells me. And I find it sad how my first instinct was to discourage deep down. But I do not. Instincts and choices must be kept separate.Â
She has been writing in afternoons after school and on one such, I go to her. I ask her about it and she says it is a story about a girl who gets a device to make an infinitely huge chocolate sprinkled with candies and sour bites. I throw my head back and laugh. She keeps writing, uncaring.
I manage a glance at her work and my laughter drains.
My daughter has it.
I see it. I see it all too well. Then I look at her and her big eyes, working with no hint of doubt or hesitationâ contentment and I am assured that I am right. She hones it masterfully, all that I had been searching for.
She glances at me and her face falls. She lets go of the pen. âDaddy, are you okay?â
I am nearly pale and I am praying.
Praying, hoping, wishing and beggingâ for her to not lose it.Â
Her words are sloppy, her writing is messyâ the grammar horrible and the punctuation painful and yet it is perfect, I know. It is enough, I know. It sparkles, it shines. The words dance and sing and form the grandest of plays.Â
She nudges me, worried.
I shake my head and then manage a laugh. âYou are a genius, you know that?â
She blinks but then realizes that was a compliment.Â
She grins. âJust like you.â
~
the secret history is all fun and games and then you reach page 200+ and its like
what. what the fuck is this. sign me up for more, you bastard.
some days back, good omens 3 was released and i watched it. i felt a sinking despair cuz the vibes were off. crowley was not behaving well and fumbling nonstop, aziraphale was being openly very clingy and out of character and the entire show was about their love, and the movie forgot about the entire non-romantic plot of the show and i was reeally confused and at last, i was glad to wake up cuz it was a fucking nightmare.