Just started on The Fifth Season and I’m pretty sure @nkjemisin already owes me payment of damages for the infliction of emotional distress
So the continent is most stable along the equator? I can see how that would be the most prized environmental advantage in a world of so much geological flux. Broken Earth stands in the best tradition of sci-fi in starting with a simple yet strong “What if?” and extrapolating the ramifications on the world and its people.
Bahaha I love how the narration lays out the description of the city’s architecture and politics, and we expect that to be the main show since fantasy is typically obsessed with the intricacies of the nobility’s lives and intrigues–and then it’s all like, none of this matters it’s just backdrop lol.
I also love these pithy expressions like “chain-linked along the equator like a continental girdle” and “delicately arching bridges woven of glass and audacity.” I try not to go overboard with highlighting but damn, some passages demand it. The writing is wryly witty yet immediately there, putting you in the moment and keeping you there.
Wait, that “continental girdle” bit wasn’t just a clever description, it was foreshadowing that came right back in the form of “the girth of the land’s equator.” Girdle and girth, of course, not only sound alike but are etymologically linked. DAMN, you clever woman. How deep of a trip are you taking me on?
What’s this about “you” not existing if the woman in the opening had been in Yumenes? WHO THE HELL AM I? IS THE WOMAN MY MOM? Do I need to fistfight the author for killing my brother and giving my mother so much grief?
My mom (I think??) Essun is a full-figured biracial Black woman with dreadlocks and I love her ❤ and holy shit Uche’s dad killed him? God that bastard had better not be my dad…
Oh I’M Essun?
The name “Jija” amuses me a whole lot because the syllables reversed, “jaji,” is a vulgar term for penis in Korean. A fitting name for an utter dick.
I’m going to hazard a guess that “orogene” means something like “stoneborn,” though I keep thinking “Earthbender.” It’s a nice touch that Essun is very aware of the derogatory terms for orogene (like “rogga”) and Lerna is very polite in how he calls orogenic people, enough to amuse Essun while it also touches her. What an A+ ally.
You know this right now, Walt disney’s corspe putting this country in a cuckhold forcing a new sexless superhero movie on us every week, isnt even the worse part of the supehero era. Its gonna be 2 decades after it dies when everybody gonna have some friggin nostaglia about it. Somebody’s gonna say to me “oh man remember the avengers. That shit was lit man" and I’m gonna be like “I ought to bust ur fucking kneecaps for speaking like that to me”
are you implying a cuckhold is some kind of wrestling maneuver
Tfw you’re silently shouting at the page, “Don’t stop there!! What happens next?!” and then you realize you’re the asshole writing this thing and you have to continue.
Almost on a whim I wove into this scene a recurring image for all three books. I expected to start using this motif much later, but it felt right to begin in this scene. It’s poignant for me because not only is it tied into deeply emotional moments across the books, but it refers to a milestone in Korean cultural history as well.
I was nervous about writing from the love interest’s PoV, which would also be the first male PoV in this draft, but I really got into it once I started. If I thought the heroine had it bad for him, whew, this boy’s fallen hard–and I do mean hard lol. I was so happy to see the heroine from his point of view, her soft fat beauty all in sparkles and pastel lights while I was trying to figure out euphemisms for a raging hard-on. I guess being a young cis guy is awkward that way.
So the love interest is trapped between a rock and a hard place (no, a different hard place because of course he has an erection at the worst possible time) and the Chinese adversaries can show up at last. Finally I get to use some French-derived fucking words. Will I get the sharp tonal shift I’m hoping for? Only writing it out will tell!
Peeing in public should even be an argument anymore. Peeing is done to expel waste from the body. If you don’t like it close your eyes. No one pees in public for the attention or to seduce others, fucking weirdos. Leave us alone.
Peeing in public is different than trying to feed a child.
Also, are we going to pretend that men don’t already pee in public?
Supporters of public breastfeeding: Hey, babies should be able to eat in public~
Some absolute weapon of a cis dude: Hmm, how can I make this about my dick?
Moms: my baby’s hungry
Mr. Galax E. Brain: DOES THIS MEAN I CAN RUB OIL ON MY ERECT PENIS AT WORK. CAN I CHURN THE BUTTER DIRECTLY OVER YOUR DESK. CAN I GLUE GOOGLY EYES ON MY NAKED LIMBS AND MAKE THEM RATTLE BY DOING AN X-RATED FUNKY CHICKEN DANCE WHILE MY MOM WATCHES. CAN I TAPE DICK PICS ON EVERY DOOR OF MY APARTMENT BUILDING AND STAND IN THE COURTYARD CHANTING “I’M A NAUGHTY LITTLE HEDGEHOG” AS EIGHT CHEERLEADERS WHIP ME WITH DEEP-FROZEN BAGUETTES. CHECKMATE FEMINISTS
L.J.'s Obsessions 