#gillianthecat reads books

[gillianthecat]

Reading a very frustrating celebrity x regular person romance novel, and I'm impressed all over again how deftly both To My Stars handled the same subject.

#frustrating because it feels like it could be good if only it was better #like there are many things about it that I like but the actual romance is pretty flat #and the celebrity is... not exactly two dimensional but... out of focus #and the regular person has a similar crisis to Ji Woo but Ji Woo's worked SO much better #to my star #gillianthecat reads books #it's 'the comeback' by lily chu for anyone curious #anyway for some reason i'm legitimately pissed that the book isn't better than it is. which is a silly reaction. #the book doesn't owe me anything. i didn't even pay for it.

[littleragondin]

9 Fandom Peeps to Get to Know Better:

I have been tagged by @my-rose-tinted-glasses and @troubled-mind, thank you both! (っ˘ω˘ς )

3 Ships You Like: Currently, I am still basking in the warmth and kindness of Kasuga and Nomoto from She Loves to Cook and She Loves to Eat (probably going to be stuck there for a while ngl).

I am also still quietly invested in Zorro x Luffy from the One Piece Live Action, in a way I haven’t been since I read the first two dozens volumes of One Piece about… twenty years ago …

And I have restarted Khun Chai so the itch is back for Tian and Jiu.

First Ship Ever:

Not sure about first ship ever, but I saw something about Peach Girl the other day, and I was reminded of how hard it was for me to decide if I wanted her to end with Toji or Okayasu lol (this and Evangelion were my first manga ever)

Otherwise in the first ones, there is GaaLee from Naruto I guess. I think that’s the first story where I really started shipping/writing and reading fics/and swapping the characters around.

Last Song You Heard:

It's a Fry and Laurie kinda evening. Gosh, I still know the lyrics by heart...

Favorite Childhood Book:

I used to read so much (where has all that reading time gone etc…) so it changed often. But I was a huuuuge fan of Artemis Fowl (he was a genius! And a villain! And he loved his mom!! and Holy was so badass!).

There was also a french SF series for kids, Kerri et Megane, that I loved SO much (they were ‘orphans’ who in the first volume hide in a spaceship to try to find Kerri’s parents), and it had gorgeous illustrations and I was obsessed.

Currently Reading:

I am in a terrible reading slump I’m afraid. I need to finish Love in the Big City (part 3 kinda broke my heart so I’m having trouble getting back on the saddle), as well as Flux by Jinwoo Chong, and I have started Textual Poachers by Henry Jenkins. So instead of reading any of that, I restarted Escalier C by Elvire Murail – that I have read a dozen times already but what can you do.

Currently watching:

Same thing, I guess. Things are going slow here too. Week to week I am keeping up with Sukiyanen kedo do yaro ka and 23.5 degrees (yes yes there is only one episode out but it still counts). I am also slooooowly catching back up on Ossan’s Love Returns, Kamen Rider Revice, and Pale Moon, as well as working my way through Leverage (I’m halfway through season 4). And I am binging Khun Chai again right now, for comfort.

Currently consuming:

I just finished a cassoulet (sponsored by my brother who seems to always worry that I will forget the taste of French food and sent me home with cans of food this year) and am eating a yogurt to top it off.

Currently craving:

Some sushis (unattainable) and some mango ice cream (more attainable once I go grocery shopping I guess).

If you feel so inclined (but of course no pressure) I will tag @benkaaoi @sparklyeyedhimbo @petrichoraline @gillianthecat @bengiyo @isaksbestpillow and also @scienceoftheidiot and @coquelicoq .｡.:*☆

#tag games #start of the year has been so busy with work #(which sucks) #and on top of that I keep getting sick #(also sucks) #so my media enjoyment has been put on the backburner I'm afraid #(it mega sucks) #but that's where we stand as of today lol #Youtube

[negrowhat]

Get To Know Me Tag

RULES: bold the ones that are true and tag 15 people to do it.

Tagged by @plaidcladjuno (THANKS!)

APPEARANCE

Blonde hair // I prefer loose clothing to tight clothing // I have one or more piercings // I have at least one tattoo // I have dyed or highlighted my hair // I have gotten plastic surgery // I have or had braces // I sunburn easily // I have freckles // I paint my nails // I typically wear makeup // I don’t often smile // I am pleased with how I look // I prefer Nike to Adidas// I wear baseball hats backwards

HOBBIES AND TALENTS

I play a sport // I can play an instrument // I am artistic // I know more than one language // I have won a trophy in some sort of competition // I can cook or bake without a recipe // I know how to swim // I enjoy writing // I can do origami // I prefer movies to tv shows // I can execute a perfect somersault // I enjoy singing // I could survive in the wild on my own // I have read a new book series this year // I enjoy spending time with friends // I travel during work or school breaks // I can do a handstand

RELATIONSHIP

I am in a relationship // I have been single for over a year // I have a crush // I have a best friend who I’ve known for ten years // my parents are together // I have dated my best friend // I am adopted // My crush has confessed to me // I have a long distance relationship // I am an only child // I give advice to my friends // I have made an online friend // I met up with someone I have met online

AESTHETICS

I have heard the ocean in a conch shell // I have watched the sun rise // I enjoy rainy days // I have slept under the stars // I meditate outside // the sound of chirping calms me // I enjoy the smell of the beach // I know what snow tastes like // I listen to music to fall asleep // I enjoy thunderstorms // I enjoy cloud watching // I have attended a bonfire // I pay close attention to colors // I find mystery in the ocean // I enjoy hiking on nature paths // autumn is my favorite season

MISCELLANEOUS

I can fall asleep in a moving vehicle // I am the mom friend // I live by a certain quote // I like the smell of sharpies // I am involved in extracurricular activities // I enjoy Mexican food // I can drive a stick shift // I believe in true love // I make up scenarios to fall asleep // I sing in the shower // I wish I lived in a video game // I have a canopy above my bed // I am multiracial // I am a redhead // I own at least 3 dogs

I'll tag: @solaarflaree @ommited-miscellaneously @gillianthecat @mystic-merc @gloster and @itsanidiom

#im not tagging 15 folks lmao

[manogirl]

HERE WE GO: Thai QL Favorites Tag Game! Thanks to @waitmyturtles for the tag.

Favorite Thai QL: I'm going to have to echo @waitmyturtles answer, and that's Bad Buddy. My runner-up is My School President, which is quite possibly one of the best QLs I've seen but also at least partly an homage to BBS. In terms of BBS, I've watched it so many times it's kind of silly. (I tried to do an estimate and came up with 50 watches in a year; that counts both my own watches and when I watch it through a reactor channel.) But also, it broke my world open, and I will never, ever let it go for that reason. It was the second QL I watched, and it changed my life and anyway, that's a story for another time.

Favorite Pairing: How does anyone answer this? Phew, I don't know. Right now I'm super inclined to say KanThua because I'm at the end of an Eclipse rewatch, and watching Neo play Kan's longing and fear and love and anger is just....phew. Thua is a little bit of a shit at the end of the show, but...they compel me. Runners-up? PatPran, SoundWin and KhaiThird. (I write fic about the first and last so...yeah, I find them compelling.)

Most underrated actor: I feel like if I notice acting it's because the actor is really good and everyone realizes it. Like, everyone knows Fourth Nattawat is already one of the best actors in the GMMTV stable, right? RIGHT?

Favorite Character:  Li Ming (MLC). Kao (DBK). Win (UWMA, Between Us).

Favorite Side Character: I've already mentioned so many as a part of couples, but....Tankhun from KP. The wardrobe. The lines. The love of two fish.

Favorite scene in a QL: Why are you doing this to me? Rooftop kisses always hit. Ep 5 in BBS, Ep 5 in NLMG.

Favorite line in a QL: I don't think I can answer this. First of all, I'm not sure I'm always understanding the nuance in any given scene because well, I'm watching in translation. But secondly, I simply cannot remember. Too many shows crammed into a year of watching.

Most Anticipated QL (& why): Only Friends. We're all going to lose our minds, and I for one welcome those halcyon days. I am also hyped for Cherry Magic and Cooking Crush because I love TayNew and OffGun.

Healthiest relationship in a QL: Uh. HeartLiMing? They have tons of time to become toxic.

Most toxic relationship in a QL: AlanWen. Uea's entire family in Bed Friend.

Guilty pleasure series: I don't believe in guilty pleasures. It's pretty central to the way I live my life that I own the things that I love and that I don't hide them. (FWIW, I've been reading romance novels my whole adult reading life and this is where the 'no guilty pleasures' came from; that and being a public librarian. Every day, people apologized for their book taste, and folks, it's not great to see and hear. We none of us should feel guilt for the things that entertain us.)

Most underrated series: Boy, I don't know if I know how to figure out if something is properly rated. I've been reading all the My Ride and La Pluie meta popping up on tumblr, which makes it feel like people properly treasure and rate these shows, but maybe that's only because I follow all the people who properly rate them. So uh, My Ride and La Pluie?

I feel like everyone I read on tumblr has done this, so I'm gonna throw out some random names and if you've done it, humble apologies. @jyuubin @batmanaintapeasant @callipigio @gillianthecat @fiercynn

#thai ql favorites #thai bl #thai ql

[amos-reviews]

Annual Tag Game for 2022.

tagged by @sunn-yim ♡

• three ships •

Takara / Amagi - Takara-Kun to Amagi-Kun. I loved the simplicity of the story of two boys in a first relationship, trying to learn to understand each other.

Cake / See-ew - My Only 12%. The ultimate friends to lovers story, where you got to watch their love evolve over the years.

Kinn/Porsche - Kinn Porsche. My first Thai BL that got me into the genre. I loved their dynamic as they fought their way to being together.

• first ships •

Probably dating myself with this, but my first ships came from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The queer ones I would have read back in the day were:

Buffy / Willow

Buffy / Faith

Spike / Angel

• last song •

Mr Brightside by The Killers. We were discussing a recent concert, and mum wasn't sure who they were.

• last movie •

Cherry Magic the Movie

• currently reading •

I'm currently re-reading MDXS (on book 1) while I wait for Book 4 to be delivered

• currently watching •

Sharing only those I am actively trying to watch as they are released:

Color Candy Paradox

I will knock you

The Director who buys me dinner

Between Us

The New Employee

My School President

Never Let Me Go

609 Bedtime Stories

• currently eating •

Pepperoni Pizza (I reached my limit on Holdiay leftovers :)

• craving •

Boysenberry icecream (it's bloody hot today)

I'm Supposed to repost and share with 9 others. I don't have many follpwers, so here are a few whom I have interacted with (don't feel obligated):

@discluded @thequeenofsastiel @gillianthecat @thewaywardgryffindor @bengiyo @ohmnific

#2022 Ask game #Get to know me

[blamingbl]

TAG NINE PEOPLE YOU WANT TO GET TO KNOW BETTER

This weekend kpopland and dramaland kidnapped me, so I just saw I had been tagged! Thanks for the tag @gillianthecat

Favorite Color: Blue. I like most blues, but I love lapislazuli blue and teal blue. Make them both iridiscent and combine them in a single animal and you get a peacock 😉 stunning animal!

Currently Reading: Been some time since I read fiction books, been reading non fiction because of work/studies. However, I continue to read fanfic both in past fandoms and in newer fandoms. I have been revisiting Merlin recently.

Last Song: "Still life" by BIGBANG. I am a VIP, BIGBANG’s fandom, and we all must have a masochistic side to us to endure years and years of hiatus. This is the latest song they released, almost a year ago after they came back from their military service.

They released the song and disappeared again with no promos, no performances, nothing. They have been active for almost 17 years, been succesfull as a group and as solo artists, inspired many in the following generations and don't need to prove anything by now, but damn, they could have given us a performance at least!!!

Last Series: In dramaworld, I just finished She and her perfect husband. Really enjoyed the atypical leads. In the land of BL, my most recent episode is My School President. I didn’t expect to enjoy this series so much!

Last series I completed was Oh My Assistant! More because I needed that satisfaction of finishing it than because I was hooked as it fizzled out for me pretty quickly.

Last Movie: Puss in boots! I think we were the only adults sans children in the cinema. I was surprised by the more anime style of the action scenes! I would like to watch it in the original English version to see what the original jokes were though.

Currently Working On: more like I am permanently working on controling my life, my job, my studies... I have been battling with depression for over a decade now, and it is sth that you learn to deal with more than overcome completely.

In a less general sense, I am in the middle of taking the reins in my own finances and learning a bit about saving up and investing (boring adult stuff, I know, but look into it if you can!) and I would love to start writing again. I feel like it would be benefitial to me both as a way of sorting out my thoughts and improving skills necessary for my rl. I am not a naturally introspective and articulate person, but I am betting that it is sth you get better at the more you practice it.

Nine people I want to get to know better: I am tagging a few people that I think have not done it yet and I’d like to hear from (sorry if you did it and I missed it): @stillqueerstillhere , @bl-bam-beyond , @honey-and-diamonds​ , @piningintrovert​

#tagged #by blamingbl #i am incapable of writing less than a whole essay #Youtube

[nattawinlove-andmygaytea]

Tag 9 people you want to get to know better

tagged by @sunflower-lychee 💜 Thank you

Three Ships:

-Kinn x Porsche have my soul...and my body if they can drag it 💀

-Gao Shi De x Zhou Shu Yi have my whole heart forever and after ❤

and I''ll put

-Robron cause they got a fucking hold on me...even if it end like that 😭 like they are my Never Forgotten.

First Ever Ship: M/M first shiping was in bandom....Like Frerard, Gabilliam and Ryden.... good old times 💛 it was a mess but damn if it wasn't fun 😜 slash baby slash

Last Song: it was Jet Pack Blues by Fall Out Boy.... was having a nostalgia moment about Pacific Rim yesterday.

Last Movie: Wachted Lost City with my mom last night

Currently Reading: A lot of kinnporsche fanfics... Can't read a book for months now 😬 the last was Hostile Takeover by Lucy Lennox and it was great !🌟

Currently Watching:

-My School President

-Never Let Me Go

Currently Consuming: gluten free pasta ❤

Currently Craving: always craving vegan ice cream... hard to find where I live, have to make some myself.🍨

Sooo tagging some of you in case you’re up for it:

@non-binarypal7 @spookshowenilorac @hautegirl07 @allhailbrokeloose @vegasandhishedgehog @jayuuu @ladypeonies @sunn-yim @gillianthecat @thisautistic @ieroween1031

#ask game #tag game

[moonchildridden]

Ohhhhh, a tag game, nice. Thanks for the tag @gillianthecat

NAME: I don’t like disclosing my name online but you guys can call me Amy or moonchild

SIGN: I don’t really believe in astrology but as far as I’m aware, my sign is Libra.

HEIGHT: between 5′5 and 5′6. Sometimes I feel like I am 5′5 but other times, specially when I’m next to my mother, I feel like I’m 5′6

TIME: 11:22 pm

BIRTHDAY: it’s the only day I let myself feel special, contrary to what happens during the other 354 days of the year. I’m an introvert so I don’t like big celebrations, a small cake and a few drinks are fine for me, if not that, you can catch me just listening to music, writing or reading a book.

FAVOURITE ARTIST/BAND: out of the bat, BTS. After them, Dave Matthews Band, Jill Scott and Maroon 5.

LAST MOVIE: Last movie I watched was, if I’m not mistaken, Doctor Strange. I usually don’t watch movies, because I spent my time watching series so it’s very difficult to actually do that. 

LAST SHOW: Last show I completed was My Secret Love (it ended a day ago). Before that, Triage. Both shows are good, I highly recommend them. 

WHEN I CREATED THIS BLOG: Mid 2021? I don’t remember the exact date but it was when Y-Destiny was past half of it, so between May and July I guess.   

WHAT I POST: Mostly analysis/theories of the shows I watch, mainly queer shows.

OTHER BLOGS: I’m thinking about creating a blog where I would post short stories, whether they are about characters of series or my own original characters but I barely can’t keep this one up, imagine another one hahaha

DO I GET ASKS: It’s been a while since I got asks, and I think I only got two so far. Please, send me asks, I would love to get them

AVERAGE HOURS OF SLEEP: 6 but for me to be a functional adult, I need at least 8 and a half

WHAT I'M WEARING: black leggings, a red top and a hat

DREAM JOB:  Being a professional writer. If I got this question 6/7 years ago, I would say “to be a lawyer” but after 4 years in law school, I don’t think I was made for that

DREAM TRIP: Go to London to see the Big Ben, Seoul to see the Han River and Thailand to go to Siam Square.

FAVOURITE SONGS (and quotes from them, just for some spice): They change weekly so...

I don't know who to tag so for those who see this post in their dahsboards, feel free to answer the questions if you want to!

#ask game #tag game #about moonchildridden

[gillianthecat]

Every time I try to read straight romance novels I remember why I stopped reading straight romance novels.

#sigh #they don't HAVE to be this bad. and yet. #gillianthecat reads books #romance novels

[gillianthecat]

I just read Naomi Novik’s final book in her Scholomance trilogy, The Golden Enclaves. This was the first book I’ve read in I don’t know how many months, possibly since last winter. Historically I’ve been a huge reader, usually a binge reader. I’m in an odd lull from it now, and pretty much only watching things. A flip from the previous two years when I lived on fanfic and romance novels and could barely watch a thing.

Overall I liked it, and the whole series! My appreciation of this book was more intellectual than emotion, but I’m not sure if that’s the book or just my current state of mind. I have many thoughts about it, which I may eventually write something about. Particularly about the way she writes romance, and the role it plays in her stories, across her original fic and fanfic. And also about how she mapped the magical world onto the mundane.*

Mostly I’m posting this as a time stamp of when I read it, since I found going back through my blog useful when trying to reconstruct my watching life. And also as a note to self about what I was thinking of.

(This reading was triggered by the post someone reblogged about how there is a recurring character in Supernatural fanfic named Naomi Novak.)

*on the enclave politics of the magical world: I kind of wish she’d made it either less of a match for the cities and international politics of the real world, or more so, and leaned into the political allegory. As it was, it felt too much like relying on stereotypes as a shortcut.

on romance: I found Orion completely uninteresting as a love interest, although fascinating as a concept and a narrative foil. His boring personality was partly the point of the character—what happens when someone really is the hero, and only lives to slaughter monsters?—but it also made it hard to understand why El loved him, or to feel emotionally invested in her grief for him and her performing impossible feats just to save him. Intellectually I understood them, and they make for great storytelling, but I personally didn’t care much about his fate. And then at the end I realized that he performed the same role as the flat generic female love interests in so many stories about male heroes. Where they exist to be saved but aren’t fully fleshed out on their own. (thequeenofsastiel, I won’t tag you in case you haven’t read these books, but it’s making me think of our conversations about women in media.) Someone to motivate the protagonist, to be rescued. (I do also have many vague thoughts about all the interesting things she was doing with Orion and El (and both their mothers) that wasn’t romance, but I have a headache and don’t want to write anymore.)

Which made me look back to the other two novels of hers that I read, Spinning Silver and Uprooted, and in those the male love interests of the young female protagonist are similarly sidelined and… not necessarily one-dimensional exactly, but underexplored. They’re both significantly older than the protagonist, and the story of the romance is really a sideline or an afterthought. I know many people were bothered by the age gap in Uprooted, but as I recall it didn’t bother me because it felt like the story was about the protagonist growing up and coming into her power, becoming someone who was an equal of the old man wizard at the end. Like in so many stories where the hero gets the girl, the "romance" isn’t about him, it’s symbolic of the journey she went on… not a reward exactly, but also more about her than him. In Spinning Silver the romance is even less fleshed out—she goes into the woods with the fairy king (or whatever he was, I read it long ago) and they come out married. My reaction to that was mostly huh? It more or less made sense for the story, but she gives so little explanation of why and how they fell in love that it felt jarring.

If these three books were all I’d read of hers I’d assume she simply wasn’t interested in romance. The fact that 2/3 of the love interests are so much older and given so little page time reminds of that story (not sure if it’s true or apocryphal) about Louisa May Alcott being told she had to put a romance in Little Women and, in irritable defiance, making Jo fall in love with a boring old man. But much of her fanfic is romance, and when she puts it in I can usually feel the love and attraction between the characters, understand why they want each other. Which makes me curious about why it’s so different in the three published novels I’ve read. Is she less interested in het relationships? (I’ve read very little of her mf fan fiction so far.) Does it get in the way of the stories she wants to tell about young women? Is it something about the way she’s using YA genre conventions?

It does feel a little weird talking about her work on Tumblr where I know she has an account (which I even follow) but presumably she isn’t doing name searches out here.

#gillianthecat reads books #the golden enclaves #the scholomance #naomi novik #spoilers under cut #also spoilery thoughts on spinning silver and uprooted #this was literally going to be a two sentance note for myself then look what happened #i might as well just tag #spinning silver #uprooted

[gillianthecat]

I'm in a bad mood for no reason* and every third post I see or article I read is pissing me off. But instead of angrily reblogging them with why they are dumb, I'm going to instead use this is an excuse to get a secret off my chest:

I loathed Mistborn. I thought it was one of the most amateurish-ly written books I've ever read. I do not at all understand the massive love for it.

*ok there probably are reasons and I do have guesses about why but they're annoying reasons and I don't want them

#gillianthecat reads books #not tagging the title obviously #vent #I don't remember what my tag was for that and tumblr mobile only provides a random group of suggested tags #some of which are mine and some of which aren't and I have no idea which #oh look something else to complain about! #living with adhd #i'm going to be late for class now cause i decided to write this instead of getting dressed 🥴

[gillianthecat]

Among their many other fine qualities, I really appreciate the Arrows of the Queen books (all of Mercedes Lackey's books, really) for not falling into the not-like-other-girls trap.

#i'm trying to read another fantasy novel with a Girl Hero written around the same time #and perhaps it's just that i have no attention span right now #but it's getting on my nerves #another character literally describes her as ''less silly than any of the other court women'' #I'd kind of forgotten how much of a thing that used to be #and still is really. i just haven't been reading in this genre much #gillianthecat reads books #arrows of the queen #mercedes lackey

[gillianthecat]

Head hurts. Opening eyes is unpleasant. Listening to Kazuo Ishiguro's Klara and the Sun. V. good. Many thoughts on the book, his work in general, and audiobooks as a medium. May share later.

#gillianthecat reads books #klara and the sun #kazuo ishiguro

[gillianthecat]

omg i hate the mother in Klara and the Sun so much. like, she makes sense as a character. but she is so incredibly self-centered and i want to slap her.

#klara and the sun #kazuo ishiguro #gillianthecat reads books

[gillianthecat]

Essay idea. Kazuo Ishiguro and Octavia Butler. Would need to reread her though. It's been decades.

#gillianthecat reads books #kazuo ishiguro #octavia butler #wish my head didn't hurt so i could write more

[gillianthecat]

10 Characters, 10 Fandoms, 10 Tags

thanks @technitango for the tag!

Fighter: Why R U?

Nozue: Old Fashion Cupcake

Talia: Arrows of the Queen

Pete: KinnPorsche the Series

Egwene Al'Vere: Wheel of Time

Sig: Love In the Air

Jeong SeonAh: The Devil Judge

Anyanwu: Wild Seed (Octavia Butler's Patternist series)

Kent Parson: Check, Please!

Hyeong Da-woon: Blueming

10 tags: @bellarkeandclintashaandsuch @carol-holloway @halfmoon-trueself @heretherebedork @lelephantsnail @moonchildridden @negrowhat @placetneplacet @seekingidlewild @veemark

no pressure, of course! only if it's fun for you!

#tag game #about gillianthecat #some of these i haven't read in decades #but i didn't only want to put men #and for various reasons i've mainly being consuming media featuring men #i'm not really sure what fandom means in this context #so i just choose pieces of media that i loved or were memorable or impactful in some way #or some that i just read a lot of fanfic for #i'm not part of any broader arrows of the queen or wild seed fandoms #i don't even know if broad fandoms exist for those books #but they were both formative books for me in many ways #i do appreciate that its just 'a character' #so i don't have to choose a favorite