ITS EUROVISION DAY
Tony: Where is my super suit?
Stephen: What?
Tony: WHERE. IS. MY. IRON. SUIT? WHERE?
Stephen: Why do you need to know?
Tony: I NEED IT!
Stephen: Uh-huh
Tony: THE PUBLIC IS IN DANGER! YOU TELL ME WHERE MY SUIT IS, WIZARD! WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE GREATER GOOD!
Stephen: “Greater good?” I’m your husband! I am the greatest good you are EVER gonna get!
If you, like me, are still going through complete Sarah J Maas withdrawal, and can’t really stand to wait for her next books, check out the list below to tide you over! Each book has many of the things I adored about both ToG and ACOMAF: strong and interesting female characters, magic, deeply beautiful writing, love stories to cry about, and an all around sense of adventure. If you have any more recommendations to add, definitely let me know!
Black Jewels: Anne Bishop
I just finished this series, and I am still amazed by how masterfully Anne Bishop weaves her stories. Welcome to the Dark Kingdom, a matriarchal realm ruled by strong queens and the males that support and serve them (Rowan and Aedion anyone?). There is a prophecy fortelling the rise of a Queen with more power than even the High Lord of Hell himself, which gives us a wonderful story full of scheming, war, adventure, and a badass court I would kill to be a part of. Prepare your heart!
Graceling by Kristian Cashore
Graceling is the best series for all you folks who couldn’t get enough of badass assassin Celaena. Katsa is an assassin Celaena would be proud of, due to her rare ability as a Graceling. She is Graced with a killing power, and has spent her life as the king’s tool in doling out his reign of terror. In waltzes Po, Graced with fighting, and here to shake everything Katsa knows about her world. Cashore definitely gives us a twist Sarah would most certainly support!
The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski
This book aligns more with the romance and court mystique that Sarah presents so wonderfully in ToG and ACOMAF. Kestrel is the daughter of a general who helped the emperor conquer territory after territory. As she is faced with a choice, marry or join the military, Kestrel finds a friend in one of the slaves from the conquered people, and so begins one of the most interesting political schemes I have read in awhile! I haven’t finished the trilogy yet, because I am out of the country and can’t get my hands on the final book, but I would highly recommend it.
Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
Cue another really cool empire written by an author who isn’t afraid to be inventive or go beyond the normal realms of fantasy. Vin is another Celaena-esque character, as the abandoned street child who turned thief who struggles to stay alive. When a mentor takes her under his wing, she discovers that her luck on the streets might be more than she could ever explain. Magic, mystery, and of course, a few court balls thrown in make for a wonderful mix. Warning: the last book made me cry. Like really cry. But in a good, I’m-still-mad-at-you-but-I-understand-and-respect-your-story-line type of way.
Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima
Raisa is everything that I have ever wanted in a princess. She is intelligent, passionate, feisty, and super compassionate. So when a war arises between the clans and the wizards, you can bet she has goals to achieve and empires to shake up. Throw Han Alister into the mix, a street wise leader, and things get tricky and fireworks explode. One of my favorite love stories in a long time, because it isn’t a story about just romantic love, but also what the love of a princess for her country can do.
Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder
Yelena is set for execution for murder, but is given the choice to be the next food taster of the Commander of Ixia. As if the threat of having poison in her system wasn’t enough, she is also given a dose of Butterfly’s Dust, which she needs every day to stay alive, and can of course only get from the chief of security. Fighting for her life soon becomes more than just guessing the right poison, but also a game of magic, love, and all out war. Best kind of combo out there!
Legend by Marie Lu
This is the only book in the list to be set in a dystopian universe as opposed to a kingdom, but with a prodigy like June, no one can make any complaints. After a war tore the country apart, the Western United States is under the martial rule of the Republic, and June is their perfectly groomed soldier golden child. Day, on the other hand, is a slums boy who has become the Republic’s most wanted criminal. What happens when their paths cross is enough to make any country tremble, and to keep me hanging on to every word!
And finally:
Literally anything by Tamora Pierce!
Tamora Pierce has been my favorite author since I was a little girl. Each of her series is set in the same universe, based around the story of an interesting and kickass female character, from the first female warrior to a wild-mage. I first found these stories when my mother decided my sister and I didn’t have enough strong women in our literature and Tamora really rose to the occasion. Start with the first series, Song of the Lioness, and work your way from there! I have reread her books at least once every year since I was a little girl and they get better every time. I cannot recommend these books enough!
If you read or have read any of these books, feel free to shoot me a message; I am always ready to geek out over them.
everybody always makes the marauders out to be super cool and suave but dude
they had codenames
they named their own friendship group
as far as i can tell only aBSOLUTE DORKLORDS DO THAT
how much do you wanna bet the entirety of hogwarts refused to call them ‘the marauders’ and they got all grumpy abt it
“It really shines a light on the effect depression has on LGBT+ youth, and I think it’s also really important that it addresses being gay in a Latino community, where being gay is unheard of. It’s a really important book and I recommend it to everyone.”
“It’s a classic about a man in Edwardian England who falls mutually in love with a peer at Cambridge and their subsequent years together. It deals heavily with class difference and societal expectations for a man in the upper middle class during this era but it ends happily, so that’s a plus.”
“It’s such an amazing and well-written book that not only explores queerness but also being a POC (specifically being Mexican) and figuring out who you are and learning to accept and love yourself. It’s such a great book and I love it so much.”
“It’s a beautiful book about love (in all its forms), loss, and starting anew. The book is amazing and I always find something new in it each time I re-read it. It’s a must read for all LGBT+ rights advocates.”
“It was great because it showed a POC who didn’t know how to come out to her Muslim parents.”
“It’s about the hardships endured during the 1950s in Virginia, especially with integration and accepting your sexuality at that time. The two main characters Sarah and Linda are complete opposites, both on different sides of the battle for civil rights, but soon realise they are falling for each other.”
“This was a great lesbian coming-of-age novel that highlighted all the issues people in the LGBT community faced back then [in the ’60s]. It’s important for me to not ignore the advances that people fought for, for me to be comfortable coming out today.”
“It’s about an intersex person and their family’s history as Greek-American immigrants.”
“It’s a graphic memoir that parallels many experiences young queer folk have when coming out and claiming their own identity. It’s a MUST read.”
“It’s the type of book that’ll leave you bawling your eyes out in the middle of the night after you throw your book at the wall.”
Space Shuttle Endeavour leaving our Atmosphere. Pic taken by NASA’S Shuttle training aircraft.
via reddit
Jarvis: I’m sorry sir, for being late
Tony: Hehe….House Party….Protocol…?
Jarvis: Yes sir
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.
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Ahhhhhhhhhh! I’m sending Jarvis to save him!!!!
Hey, here’s that life-saving height difference photo you needed.
“Good luck Pete!” Ned waved goodbye to his friend as students filed out of school.
“Thanks Ned, I’ll need it.” Peter chuckled nervously, waving back at his friend. He put on his headphones and began descending the stairs that led to the parking lot. He scanned the area, looking for the usual black car to pick him up. When he found it, he spotted Rhodey leaning on the hood, lazily scrolling through his phone. Peter picked up his face as he crossed the parking lot to get to the car. “Hey Rhodes, Tony couldn’t make it today?”
“Oh hey kid. And I told you, you can call me Uncle Rhodey. But yeah, Tony had some business to take care of. He wanted me to tell you he’s sorry, and that he’s looking forward to seeing you at dinner.” He slipped his phone into his pocket and opened the passenger door.
“Oh okay, Uncle Rhodey, can we go to the park and get some frozen yogurt today? There’s actually something I wanted to talk to you about..” Peter said quietly, eyes fixed on the ground.
“Yeah sure kid, sounds good to me.” Rhodey frowned, concerned by the look on Peters face. He shut the door as Peter go into the car, as he walked around to the drivers side he couldn’t help but think of all the worst possible thing Peter could want to talk about.
Peter gazed out the window as they drove, trying to remain calm. He pulled out his Rubik’s cube and mindlessly fidgeted, sweat beads forming on his forehead.
Rhodey glanced over at him, his worry only deepening. He could tell how distressed Peter was, he just didn’t know what it was and it was starting to really scare him. He decided it was best to wait till Peter was ready to talk about, he didn’t want to press and make the situation worse.
The two walked over to their usual park bench, fro-yo in hand. As they sat down, Peter cleared his throat. “So um…there’s something I wanted to tell you..” Peter picked at his frozen yogurt with his spoon, his appetite gone, which was unusual, especially for him.
“Alright kid, whats up?” Rhodey asked, turning to face him. “Is..Is everything okay?” he raised an eyebrow.
“Oh yeah! I’m fine, I didn’t mean to worry you I’m sorry.” Peter chuckled nervously, avoiding his gaze.
“It’s fine dude, just tell me what’s going on.” Rhodes set his yogurt next to him on the bench, giving Peter his full attention.
“S-So um…I d-don’t really feel like a girl…and I’m pretty sure I’m a b-boy..like I’m transgender? And I’d like it if you called me P-Peter instead of my birth name and called me male pronouns if that’s o-okay.” Peter wrung his hands as he spoke.
Rhodey’s face softened as he let out a sigh of relief. “Holy shit kid, you really had me worried there. That’s all? It doesn’t matter to me what you identify as Peter, as long you’re happy and safe. Does Tony know? I’m guessing no.”
Peter shook his head, his breath becoming steady. “N-no he doesn’t, I was hoping to tell him today though. Could you help me? I’m planning on telling him at dinner but I’m really nervous about it.” He finally looked at Rhodey, his nerves calming down.
“Of course kid, Tony is super chill, don’t worry. It’ll be okay, I promise.” he smiled softly and put his hand on Peter’s shoulder. “So how was school today Pete?”
Peter grinned, happy to hear his chosen name. “It was pretty good, I got an A on my math test!” he said, digging in to his yogurt.
“Nice! I’m so proud of you, son.” Rhodey said, messing up Peter’s hair. “And Tony will be even prouder I bet.”
Happy birthday, Robert Downey Jr! We know how much you like Pepper, so we had this made in your honor. But be careful in high winds, so you don’t end up like certain Avengers we know… (Too soon? Maybe. But you don’t have to be salty about it!)