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poppyseedheartHappy weekend! I made it to the end of my semester and the end of my work period, so I'm off for two weeks. Two weeks! That stretch of time feels luxurious, indulgent, absurd—I know it'll go fast and I've got plenty of ambitions for it, and also I'm going to do my best to fully enjoy it. Here's hoping.
I love seeing people's media updates and never feel like I have time to do my own. This will never be consistent from me, but here are some thoughts on things I've read/watched/otherwise consumed lately as I procrastinate on finishing the Chanlix I'm posting by midnight :)
Books
She Gets the Girl (finished): If the New Adult genre ever gained traction this would be its poster child. Sapphic college gals in a not-quite Cyrano de Bergerac scenario fall for each other while trying to help each other get their respective girls. This one surprised me! I wasn't expecting to love it. I gave it a very affectionate 3.5 stars on storygraph, though, and mostly just because I found the writing simplistic and pacing wonky at the end. Both main characters were genuinely lovable, and I felt charmed by their chemistry. I'll always be sympathetic to romantic collateral, so the ending did wrench at me in that way, but I thought this was a touching coming of age into adulthood love story. Would rec.
Nightbitch (50% through): Banger of an absurdist literary fiction novel about womanhood, motherhood, ferocity, hunger, bodily autonomy, the horror and violence of patriarchy... oh baby. The titular nightbitch is a mother (unnamed in the narration) who turns into a dog shapeshifter?? This book is damn good. Would be a page turner if I didn't move right after starting it, but I'll finish it tonight or tomorrow. Currently no meaningful race commentary which always feels particularly blatant in books that explore sexism & motherhood, but there's book to go, so we'll see where I land on the commentary in general. I am loving it though. Whew. Searing!
A Song of Silver and Gold (releases 6/15, 75% through): I'm reading this as an ARC and finding it incredibly disappointing. It's a YA little mermaid retelling where both of the love interests are women and enemies, and if you've read To Kill a Kingdom it's basically that but gayer and significantly less effective. Clunky writing, flirting with transphobic tropes, unsuccessful lore choices... I'm finding very little to like. I'm sad because I'm mutuals with the author on TikTok and she's lovely, but this is not doing it for me at all. Dreading writing up this review and sharing with the publisher, because I know she also works as their marketing person, but I'm sticking by my guns! Unless the last 90 pages win me over. But I just don't think they can.
Fic
there we grew a nation by disstrack: skz binsung, 25k, bleak boyband bingo post-disbandment future fic. Not funny, I cried! Ugh this was just stellar and got me so into my feelings about messy personhood and how we hurt and forgive each other. No easy answers. No tidy endings. We keep going.
(we're not a team. this is a competition.) by doongi: skz seungsung, 4k, pd101 style survival show au. Incisive and biting! Jelli is so sweet and then comes for your throat with her fic. I'm most obsessed with the tricky interplay of relationship when cameras and competition are involved. Do you like me? Would you still if we weren't here? Can we afford to care for each other like we might if things were different? Or would I bore you too much in a different world? Ugh!!!!
take me down, down by Iris_Duncan_72: skz chanlix, 47k, mer!felix and sad but good guy chan. Wow all three fics I picked to represent recent faves are SO damn sad. Classic. This premise seems cute (Felix gets stranded ashore, Chan rehabs him in his saltwater pool) and then sideswipes the hell out of you. Placing a content warning here for past parent death, grief, descriptions of suicidal ideation, and kind of but not really a suicide allegory. I cried so hard!!! I don't know if I ever want to read this again but I'm really glad I did it once.
Watching
Critical Role Campaign 3: I'm clawing my way back in! Currently halfway through episode 16, my fourth episode in a week. It's been getting me through the move! I'm really liking these characters (Marisha as Laudna and Ashley as Fearne are absolute standouts) and excited to wiggle past this first arc get into some meatier backstory stuff. I've heard a lot about the last couple of episodes and am looking forward to getting to them and starting to watch live this summer!
SKZ 2 kids room: made Monday mornings bearable for me this semester. I started work at 12 and finished class at 9 on Mondays since January, and spending my mornings peacefully watching lads and yelling with friends upon waking was a lifesaver. Like I cannot express how perfect it was for me. The best thing JYPE as a company has ever done.
And that's all! See you again someday for more of this, or maybe not. It was fun!
I love seeing people's media updates and never feel like I have time to do my own. This will never be consistent from me, but here are some thoughts on things I've read/watched/otherwise consumed lately as I procrastinate on finishing the Chanlix I'm posting by midnight :)
Books
She Gets the Girl (finished): If the New Adult genre ever gained traction this would be its poster child. Sapphic college gals in a not-quite Cyrano de Bergerac scenario fall for each other while trying to help each other get their respective girls. This one surprised me! I wasn't expecting to love it. I gave it a very affectionate 3.5 stars on storygraph, though, and mostly just because I found the writing simplistic and pacing wonky at the end. Both main characters were genuinely lovable, and I felt charmed by their chemistry. I'll always be sympathetic to romantic collateral, so the ending did wrench at me in that way, but I thought this was a touching coming of age into adulthood love story. Would rec.
Nightbitch (50% through): Banger of an absurdist literary fiction novel about womanhood, motherhood, ferocity, hunger, bodily autonomy, the horror and violence of patriarchy... oh baby. The titular nightbitch is a mother (unnamed in the narration) who turns into a dog shapeshifter?? This book is damn good. Would be a page turner if I didn't move right after starting it, but I'll finish it tonight or tomorrow. Currently no meaningful race commentary which always feels particularly blatant in books that explore sexism & motherhood, but there's book to go, so we'll see where I land on the commentary in general. I am loving it though. Whew. Searing!
A Song of Silver and Gold (releases 6/15, 75% through): I'm reading this as an ARC and finding it incredibly disappointing. It's a YA little mermaid retelling where both of the love interests are women and enemies, and if you've read To Kill a Kingdom it's basically that but gayer and significantly less effective. Clunky writing, flirting with transphobic tropes, unsuccessful lore choices... I'm finding very little to like. I'm sad because I'm mutuals with the author on TikTok and she's lovely, but this is not doing it for me at all. Dreading writing up this review and sharing with the publisher, because I know she also works as their marketing person, but I'm sticking by my guns! Unless the last 90 pages win me over. But I just don't think they can.
Fic
there we grew a nation by disstrack: skz binsung, 25k, bleak boyband bingo post-disbandment future fic. Not funny, I cried! Ugh this was just stellar and got me so into my feelings about messy personhood and how we hurt and forgive each other. No easy answers. No tidy endings. We keep going.
(we're not a team. this is a competition.) by doongi: skz seungsung, 4k, pd101 style survival show au. Incisive and biting! Jelli is so sweet and then comes for your throat with her fic. I'm most obsessed with the tricky interplay of relationship when cameras and competition are involved. Do you like me? Would you still if we weren't here? Can we afford to care for each other like we might if things were different? Or would I bore you too much in a different world? Ugh!!!!
take me down, down by Iris_Duncan_72: skz chanlix, 47k, mer!felix and sad but good guy chan. Wow all three fics I picked to represent recent faves are SO damn sad. Classic. This premise seems cute (Felix gets stranded ashore, Chan rehabs him in his saltwater pool) and then sideswipes the hell out of you. Placing a content warning here for past parent death, grief, descriptions of suicidal ideation, and kind of but not really a suicide allegory. I cried so hard!!! I don't know if I ever want to read this again but I'm really glad I did it once.
Watching
Critical Role Campaign 3: I'm clawing my way back in! Currently halfway through episode 16, my fourth episode in a week. It's been getting me through the move! I'm really liking these characters (Marisha as Laudna and Ashley as Fearne are absolute standouts) and excited to wiggle past this first arc get into some meatier backstory stuff. I've heard a lot about the last couple of episodes and am looking forward to getting to them and starting to watch live this summer!
SKZ 2 kids room: made Monday mornings bearable for me this semester. I started work at 12 and finished class at 9 on Mondays since January, and spending my mornings peacefully watching lads and yelling with friends upon waking was a lifesaver. Like I cannot express how perfect it was for me. The best thing JYPE as a company has ever done.
And that's all! See you again someday for more of this, or maybe not. It was fun!
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29/5/22 22:14 (UTC)(no subject)
29/5/22 22:23 (UTC)