kaelebalez

[kaelebalez]

FAVORITE FANFICS OF 2019

HAPPY NEW YEAR’S EVE & HAPPY 2020 TO YOU ALL.

So this was a fun post I did last year, inspired by the dozens of Favorite Books of 2018 by the booktubers I followed and I thought to myself: why not do a little something something for the fanfics that stood out to me, stuck me with throughout the year. 

Last year I read insanely amazing reads, and if you’re interested to see what were my favorite fanfics of 2018, here’s the link: past favs

For this year, I read sooooooo many incredible fanfics that it was hard to narrow it down to just 10. And the funny thing is, a good portion were from the same author, so it was insanely hard picking the top one. 

I implore all of you reading and following me to try the tag-and please tag me. Always on the hunt for fanfic recs. I also am curious to hear the favorites from the following people: @kila09, @sebbies, @bookstakeyoutootherworlds, @scarlet47, @fleetofshippyships, @eyelashesandentropy, @tired-luxis, @dreamydrarry, @mothermalfoy, @profoundfelicity & @goldentruth813

Without any further ado, here are my top 10 favorite fanfics for 2019:

1). Soup-pocalypse and The Great Curry Cataclysm by SqaudOfCats/ @norelationtoatticus (drarry)

Summary: Eleven years after the war, Draco Malfoy leads a quiet, boring, and perfectly respectable life, thanks very much. Or, at least he does, until a sudden and very unexpected veela awakening causes him to throw soup all over Harry Potter in the middle of the Ministry cafeteria.

If the summary alone doesn’t get you to immediately click on the link and read, I don’t know what to say. But I can say this. SqaudofCats has become my new drarry favorite author period. I read all of her drarry stories, loved them all, and am hoping she does more. 

This story, in one word, was a GEM. A FUCKING GEM. It was so so so good.There were so many good elements: Veela Draco, Dad Harry raising Teddy, Draco learning how to cook, a strang but HILARIOUS courtship involving food that I didn’t realize how much I needed until this story. It was also a perfect blend of fluff with so many cute moments and angst, which thankfully didn’t involve the couple but had to do with Harry’s mental health and PTSD post-war. 

I read this story back in May and I still think about it. Have to stop myself from reading because I have so many fanfic tabs. But it is so good. It’s so addicting. Highly recommend. 

Honorable mentions from this writer:

*Gift for Draco

*Nearly Lost Things, Carefully Tended

2). Cinderfella by @goldentruth813 (sheith)

Summary: Takashi Shirogane is exactly the kind of man Keith likes; built like a brick house with a smile sweet enough to rot teeth and a heart of gold. Of course he’s also YouTube famous and worlds out of Keith’s league. The closest he can get to his pseudo-celebrity crush is when he watches Shiro’s videos from the safety of his bed. Or so he thinks.

This incredible bean of a human being, this incredible writer is the reason I was pulled into the sheith ship long before I finally got into the show-and then had me drag @kila09 into the incredible maddness that is Shiro and Keith and the crew….and the disappointing season 8 that I am still pissed about. But yes @goldentruth813 is the reason why I got pulled into this ship, and this fanfic is the story that sealed my love for sheith and made them my 3rd favorite ship of all time. 

This story is a fun, hilarious modern twist of Cinderella that obviously involves two guys, one is who a popular Youtuber and the other who is a hardcore super fan who meet in the most surprising circumstances and come back together in the most hilarious of ways. With our classic glass slipper being a beloved leather jacket. 

It’s so stinking cute. It’s so hilarious. And it’s so weird since, while I do appreciate the fairytale, Cinderella isn’t one of my favorites but I’m a sucker for a good retelling of it. And this was so good.

Honorable mention by this writer: 

*Safe Haven 

3). Burn the Witch by @lettersbyelise (drarry)

Summary:  When Harry Potter is sent in to investigate Draco Malfoy’s successful potions company, posing as Draco’s bodyguard, he doesn’t know the case will launch a series of events that will change his life — and Draco’s. A story about choices, scars, Chopin piano pieces, and finding all kinds of love in the most unexpected places.

Let’s be honest here. At this point, are we really surprise to see this story here , featured in a favorites/rec list? Are we honestly surprise? At this point, I feel every drarry-shipping reader has read it. Devoured it. And praised it. 

This story pretty much took over the drarry community the way Red, White & Royal Blue took over the book world. There wasn’t a day when I didn’t see Burn the Witch featured in a drarry fanfic recs post, saw posts praising it. Fanart of it, edits for it, and several mood-boards. It was THAT STORY. And I am proud to say it was worth THE HYPE. 

Because it’s so well-known, I’m not going into too much detail but I can say it involves Daddy Draco and Scorpius who is precious, Harry in an undercover mission, and has one of the BEST post-war, slow-burn to the point of excruciating drarry relationship I’ve read all year. READ IT. 

Honorable mention by this writer:

*Draco Malfoy’s Stupendous Seduction Seminar

*Love Me (Four Times)

4). Evitative by Vichan (drarry)

Summary: In the summer before his fifth year at Hogwarts, Harry is drawn to a room in Grimmauld Place. Like the Gryffindor he is, he enters the room without fear. The room is a library, and Harry is surprised to find that he’s eager to learn.Then he gets the bad news: he’s been accidentally expelled from Hogwarts, and he needs to be sorted again. Everyone is confident that he’ll go straight back to Gryffindor, but with what he’s been learning, Harry’s not so sure.

Out of all the stories I have in my list, this is the only one that is currently a WIP. I know some are hesitant with WIPs but this one is so worth it. Another hidden jewel found by chance. This story has to be one of the best slytherin-Harry ever and that shows the Slytherin House and the Slytherins in a positive light while still remaining true to their cunning ways. 

5). Up We Go by Oh_Hey_Tae (BTS: Taehyung x Jimin x Yoongi)

Summary: “If you’re a witch that works with plants, then why are all of yours dead? That can’t be good for business.”

The room dims again, and Jimin lifts a hand to flip off the ceiling. Taehyung knows he’s sad and that’s why the shop darkens and he shouldn’t find it funny—but he can’t help it. Because this is ridiculous. The good kind of ridiculous. The amazing kind.

(Or: Taehyung has a green thumb, Jimin runs a magical store, and Yoongi can kind of see dead people.)

Oh my goodness, where on earth do I even begin with this one? I am loss for words. It’s been months since I read it and I am still lost for words on how incredible it is. This story reads like a fairytale. Who am I kidding? This is a fairytale. A beautiful fairytale that is of loss, grief, friendship, family, love, and magic. And a beautiful fairytale that features a poly relationship

I was broken at the last word of the last chapter. Broken. Broken and put back together again.This story was so heartbreaking and heartwarming and I couldn’t think of anything else the whole damn week after I finished it. It was that good. 

Honorable mention by this writer:

* Tell Me Again

6). Silence by the Night by @parkkate (drarry)

Summary: After a spell goes horribly wrong, Harry has to deal with the loss of his eyesight. It’s such terrible timing, too, because how is he supposed to find out what Malfoy has been up to in the Room of Requirement? It’s not like he can ask the git, not only because it’s Malfoy, but also because the Slytherin has suddenly lost his voice. While they’re both trapped in the hospital wing, however, Harry discovers there’s so much he didn’t know about Malfoy, and it’s highly intriguing, but also a bit alarming. Where did all these confusing feelings come from all of a sudden? And what is Harry going to do about them?

See no evil. Hear no evil. Speak no evil. That is the best way to sum up this story. The themes of it certainly tie with the story. This story….there is a certain chapter and @parkkate knows what I mean if she remembers my reviews that shattered me. That made me sit down with a gasp because the angst just cut through me in a way that no other drarry fanfic had do to me. @parkkate I hope you know what I mean. 

Funny thing is about this fanfic is that it took my lazy butt forever to read it, like months after it was done. And mind you, I’ve seen so much praise and incredible fanart for this fanfic as well. So yeah, I was cursing myself for not getting to it sooner. And it was so so so so damn good that I literally said to @parkkate THIS IS CANON. This is canon. This happened 6th year after the bathroom scene and no one can tell otherwise. 

7). You only Live Once by @dreaming-fireflies (viktuuri/victuuri)

Summary: It’s when the man is soaring in mid-air under the full moon that Victor gets a good look at him: he’s Japanese, with black hair slicked back in a styled look, and a lithe body covered in tight, tight, leather under a navy blue coat.

And when the man lands on the ground again, Victor sees the final piece that captures his heart absolutely and thoroughly – a pair of brilliant, golden eyes.

Victuuri supernatural AU in which Victor is a Western demon hunter and Yuuri is a Japanese half-youkai exterminator.A cross-cultural romantic comedy/drama, with Japanese mythology, shounen action, and slice of life elements.

Literally the summary itself said everything you needed to know, everything that should AND MUST intrigue you enough into reading, that I don’t know if I really have anything to add. But I’ll try to add some of my own input. 

Like the summary said, this is a Supernatural-au YOI story, infused with Japanese mythology. Two different shows that shouldn’t work together but somehow did, creating such a fantastic read. I loved it. From beginning to end. I even knew first chapter it was going to be an ultimate favorite of mine. This fanfic just reminded me of my great love for Vikor and Yuuri-and my need for a fucking season two. As well as reminded of the glorious prime days of Supernatural, which in my opinion were seasons 4 & 5. There was action, there was angst, there was mutual and insane pining from both sides, and so many incredible moments to put into words. Seriously, what more could you want?

@dreaming-fireflies, you seriously did the damn thing with this story. 

Honorable mentions by this writer: 

*Entwining Fates 

*Zanka

8). your sharp and glorious thorn by @arahir (sheith) 

Summary: To end the war they inherited, Keith marries the King he lead an army against.

“You know, we met once,” the king continues, voice closer, and Keith almost turns. They met many times on the field—but then the king clarifies with a single word. “Before.”

Before he was a king. Maybe before he was a general. Keith has traced his rise like the growth of a seed he planted in clay and never expected to see again for how poorly he sowed it. None of this would have been possible without Keith—not the war, not a line soldier’s battlefield promotion, not the end of it all, tied up so neatly by all Keith’s best mistakes. Not the killing, either. The king is right about that much, at least.

This is an arranged-marriage AU story, a trope I don’t love too much unless it’s really well done, and had very strong Game of Thrones vibes. And please note when I said Game of Thrones, I mean Game of Thrones back in its incredible prime, not the shitty season 8 we all agree was a nightmare never to be thought of again. But yes, this story was so good. Arranged marriage, enemies-to-lovers, slowburn. Please read. 

9). Your Constellation Prize by rosegardenlake aka @whoalookingcooljoker (sheith)

Summary: Akira is Hollywood’s biggest celebrity. He sings, he acts, he models, he does it all and he does it perfectly. That’s what Shiro thinks at least, but what would he know? He’s just a tired office worker whose dreams fell through years ago. …But when he sees Akira, oh god, when he sees him - Shiro’s world fills with light again.

When Shiro lands an interview to be an assistant at Akira’s company, he has a hard time believing it’s reality. Though Akira’s rarely around, meeting everyone is like a dream. Especially meeting Keith, Akira’s shy sweet dorky cousin (OR IS HE?!)

I didn’t realize how much I would liked-love in fact-or needed a celebrity-AU until I read this story.  And that’s about all I will say since I feel anything else will probably make things spoilery. But I will this say: these two can be such idiots, but they’re our lovable idiots and they’re so sweet, so soft. Also that this story definitely well-portrayed the dark side of fame.

10). That Old Black Magic by @bixgirl1 (drarry)

Summary: Centuries ago, marriage contracts were the norm — ready-made alliances between families, expected and complied with, without complaint. But norms have a way of changing, and when a long-dormant contract flares to life, Harry has to navigate an unexpected splintering of the path he’d thought would be easy after the war… with Draco Malfoy.

Least but certainly not least: an incredible, incredible drarry story done by the impeccable @bixgirl1. 

I know I said that I’m not the biggest fan of the arranged marriage trope since I’ve been let down by so stories that started out promising but disappointed in the end. However, there are a few authors who I can always count on to make this trope into a great story. Such as @beatitudinembty, and also @bixgirl1. 

This being is pretty much….I wanna say Sarah J Maas, one of my fav authors, in the drarry community. Everyone knows her. Everyone loves her. Everything she writes always turns into gold, and this latest story by hers was no except. Arranged marriage brings Harry and Draco together in the most infuriating, excruciating, incredibly-done slowburn. 

Honorable mentions that I seriously wanted to add to the list but this post is already lengthy. All amazing, all greats reads by various writers y’all should check out:

*Moon-Eyed by @l0vegl0wsinthedark (Veela Draco, werewolf Harry, done by another star in the drarry community 

*Expectant by @l0vegl0wsinthedark (drarry mpreg with Veela-Draco & werewolf-Harry)

*Where There is Tea by @bafflinghaze (drarry + bookstore+ tea=goodness)

*The Rules of Matchbreaking @nerdherderette ( drarry: match-maker Draco, oblivious Harry, what more could you want?)

* Come For Me by Frayach (drarry; SEAMY STEAMY smut and disabled rep)

*I Want Your Touch (And I Want Your Love) by @awjiminie (yoonmin with bad boy Jimin, good boy yoongi. What more could you want?)

*Seasons of Love by mucha (BTS; Jimin x Tae x Yoongi; incredibly well-done poly relationship)

Lovely people, that concludes my favorites of 2019. So many fantastic fanfics that I could spend hours gushing over them. To the writers who created these incredible stories. I applaud you. I thank you for creating and sharing these wonderful stories. Anyone interested in doing the tag, please do. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR, GUYS. 

[kaelebalez]

I just had a really intense orgasm after reading three really fucking intense Drarry fics. Sorry but I had to tell SOMEONE!!!

…haven’t we all…

………

OH COME ON DONT TRY AND ACT COY, PEOPLE. I know this is you right now as you read this sitting alone in your room probably :

(⌒-⌒; ) “err haha nope not me”

[kaelebalez]

If you're looking for a daily dose of art in 2020, follow my new account @moonkidstudios ! I'm challenging myself this year to get some creativity in every day. If you'd like to follow my journey, check it out! . . . . . #art #dailyart #creative #graphics (at Biloxi, Mississippi) https://www.instagram.com/p/B6vm66GgYnB/?igshid=8tjkttu1gty5

[kaelebalez]

Going into 2020 like: . . . . . #newyear #2020 #yourule #pleasebekindtome (at Biloxi, Mississippi) https://www.instagram.com/p/B6r6W1khbAX/?igshid=jf0t92pjei27

[kaelebalez]

What if Harry and Draco both became Unspeakables. And what if there are firm rules against fraternising with colleagues due to the secrecy risks. Rules so firm that they employ illegal Obliviation against people who are in relationships, making them forget everything that had brought them to the place where they had fallen in love.

What if the wizard who performs the spell is killed in an experiment gone wrong and every one of his spells unravels. People everywhere start to remember things that have been hidden inside their minds.

Harry's in the field when he's hit with an avalanche of memories. Eight years worth of tentative friendships, first drinks, stolen glances of appreciation, admiration, pride.

Eight years worth of first kisses with Draco, declarations of love, bodies moving together. Plans to keep it quiet. So, so quiet.

The memories wash through him, conflicting with his reality. He hates Draco. He always has. Ever since school. Just last week they'd had a massive fight over being partnered on a case ...

Just last week he'd found a ring hidden in his sock drawer and absolutely no recollection of why it was there.

Harry looks out over the warehouse filled with illegal, untested magic, seeing a number of their team standing still, seemingly rocked by the assault of stolen memories. But he's only looking for one person.

Draco meets his eyes from a dozen paces away and in his face is written the story of every single time they've found each other. Every time they've fought for each other. Every time they've fallen in love and had it stolen.

In Draco's eyes, Harry sees a singular rage.

Then the spell they've laid around the warehouse activate, revealing their presence and the room is suddenly boiling with curses and hexes, flashes of green light and red.

Harry sees Draco grip his wand as he begins a dance with death, spells raining from his fingers like fire.

Harry watches him and knows that this time, he'll level the whole bloody Ministry before he lets them take Draco away again.

[kaelebalez]

a good take

[kaelebalez]

it's never too late to start your day

insomnia got you sleeping in until 2 pm?

that's okay. get yourself some coffee and go thrift shopping, no one will know

anxiety got you staring at walls until 8 pm?

it's going to get better. start a load of laundry and take a hot shower, so you go to sleep clean

depression keep you locked in your room until 11 pm?

it'll be alright. drive to walmart and buy some nice candles for your night, you'll wake up with something new

you don't have to start your day in the morning. i start at 5 pm sometimes and let me tell you, doing something almost always feels better than doing nothing. it doesn't have to be big or important. it doesn't have to be too much to handle. it's enough to wash your face, or comb out your hair. if you feel tired, it's enough to make a list of things you want to do tomorrow. don't let the clock hold you back. it's a piece of glass and plastic. you get to decide what a day is.

[kaelebalez]

[kaelebalez]

Most popular fics of 2018

✔ subjectively sorted by Hits || alphabetically listed || as of 2019.10 (4059 works) ✔ lists of longest fics in 2018   +   masterpost of all the fests in 2018 ✔ most popular fics of other years

A ▶ I

(Un)Repress by @acciotomriddle [E, 3k]

All I Want For Christmas (Is For You To Stop Talking) by @femmequixotic & @noeeon [E, 162k]

All Missing Things (Can Be Found) by @gracie137blogs​ [E, 100k]

Antlers and Ivy by @violetclarity [E, 19k]

As Time Passes by @xx-thedarklord-xx [M, 33k]

Away Childish Things by @letteredlettered [T, 153k]

Bedroom Hymns by @writcraft [E, 11k]

Blue Roses and Other Impossible Things by @cassiaratheslytherpuff [E, 40k]

Boiling Point by @goldentruth813 [M, 42k]

Cabin in the Forest by @justdrarryme [E, 23k]

The Chamber of Secrets and Half the Adults are Idiots by Des98 [M, 42k]

Changing Tides by @carpemermaid​ [E, 109k]

Chocolate and Pastry by agentmoppet & @anemonensblog​ [E, 50k]

Coeur de Veela by So_I_Write [M, 22k]

Come Inside by brightowl [E, 4k]

Dare To Think by @femmequixotic [E, 388k]

Dear Cousin, Love Regulus by @xx-thedarklord-xx & @llap115 [M, 86k]

Defence, Pretence, Offence by @berenwrites​ [E, 197k]

Doggy Style by JET_Playin [E, 3k]

Draco Malfoy and the Letter from the Future by DracoWillHearAboutThis [G, 33k]

Draco’s Scent by gothgryffindor [E, 7k]

Dress Me Up In My Finest Silk by @hatsonhamburgers​ [E, 17k]

Easy Prey by @bixgirl1​ [E, 18k]

Electricity and Candy Apples by AlessaGreenwood [M, 6k]

Every Me and Every You by @bixgirl1​ [E, 69k]

Execrable Colours (third year) by Sean_Jacobs [T, 175k]

Expectant by @l0vegl0wsinthedark​ [E, 62k]

Flower War by @xx-thedarklord-xx [T, 8k]

For The Price of a Cup of Tea by @goldentruth813​ [E, 20k]

From Ashes by @caedes12​ [E, 150k]

The Grey-Eyed Dragon by @asexual-lovegood​ [M, 103k]

A Hag, a Hex, a Tale of Redemption by @aibidil​ [E, 43k]

Harry Potter and The Bisexual Awakening by @writcraft [E, 23k]

Have yourself a kinky little Christmas by @keyflight790​ & @tsundanire​ [E, 21k]

He Kneels by @selly06​ [E, 8k]

Highly (in)Compatible by @gracie137blogs [E, 37k]

How ‘Potter’ became ‘Harry’ because of a Seeker’s game by @mfingenius​ [G, 1k]

How to Court your Husband by @magpiefngrl​ [E, 5k]

Hung Like a Hippogriff by Magnolia822 [E, 16k]

Hush, darling by @magpiefngrl​ [E, 23k]

I could be wrong, I could be ready by @harryromper​ [M, 57k]

I See You by @l0vegl0wsinthedark​ [E, 6k]

I Will Never Leave You by @justdrarryme [E, 40k]

If the Fates Allow by Saras_Girl [M, 80k]

If We Were Honest by @gracie137blogs [E, 26k]

In Deep by @lqtraintracks [E, 8k]

In Our Blood by @secretsalex​ [E, 37k]

It actually hurts by @parkkate​ [E, 51k]

It’s Not a Passing Fascination by @firethesound​ [E, 9k]

It’s Up That I Fell by zuzallove [E, 34k]

K ▶ Z

Keep reading

[kaelebalez]

Damn You.

For @bixgirl1 💖

It happened (surprise surprise) during a fight.

They'd been bickering about who forgot to buy more milk, who'd forgotten to clean out Minerva's litter tray and who'd looked at whose arse at the Ministry fund-raiser the previous weekend.

And for once, Harry was in control of the argument. For once, Harry came up with a rebuttal for everything Malfoy drawled at him in that irritatingly posh, tinny voice of his.

For once Harry had been winning, dammit.

And then it happened and Harry couldn't for the life of him understand how he hadn't noticed it in thirteen years of knowing the prat, two years of being his roommate and seven months of being his boyfriend.

His boyfriend.

Draco Malfoy was Harry's boyfriend and Harry nearly fell over backwards as the realisation, that one particular realisation, dawned on him.

He was in love with him. He, Harry Potter, was in love with Malfoy. Draco Malfoy.

It was something about that sneer. The one Harry had seen Malfoy use since they were eleven. That sneer. Rude and smug and just downright nasty, there was something about that fucking sneer that just brought Harry's world crashing down.

How often did Malfoy use that particular expression? He probably had that fucking smirk in place even in his sleep (he didn't really, though, 'cause Harry knew now).

But something about that sneer, the way Malfoy tilted his head just so, the way his stupid, glossy hair, fell into his eyes, the rigid, stubborn set of his jaw, the shit-eating curl of his goddamn pink mouth.

It lit Harry up, that sneer.

He could be in a serious sulk, halfway through some mind-numbingly boring paperwork and the mere thought of that sneer made Harry snort to himself and smile.

He could be nose-deep in the middle of a case, out of breath and bleeding down one flank and shaking so hard that he could barely hang on to his wand, and the memory of that smirk gave Harry that one final blast of adrenaline and magic that then resulted in a Stunner that blew half the room apart.

Hell, he could be at his parents' graves, trying his darnedest best not to give in to that lump in his throat, and out of nowhere he'd see that sneer, coupled with a condescending insult or two about wasting Saviour tears, and Harry's heart would flutter in his chest and he'd smile and carefully dust off the matching tombstones and promise them that he's doing fine.

It was that sneer that reminded Harry that everything was going to be fine; that he was safe and loved and secure. It was the sneer that reminded him that he had everything he could ever dream of asking for. It reminded him of how far he'd come, of the things he'd seen and experienced and still had nightmares about.

That sneer told him that everything would be fine. That everything was the way it should be.

Harry doesn't understand how the fuck he'd grown to love that sneer, but above and beyond that, he doesn't understand how he had grown to love the person wearing it; the person currently vigorously digging through their cat's litter box to prove some idiotic point, the person who, under normal circumstances, would have fired off a hex or two at him by now.

The person Harry was completely and utterly in love with.

Startled into silence, Harry blankly lets Malfoy's loud, obnoxious voice wash over him ("Cat shit, Potter, it's right fucking here. Do you see it? Do you need new glasses?") before abruptly turning away and hurrying into the kitchen to put the kettle on, Ron's wisdom about how tea helped in any and every situation floating haphazardly through his mind.

"I'm not fucking done with you, Potter! Where the fuck are you going? Potter? HARRY!"

Harry hunched over the kettle, hands gripping the edge of the counter so hard that his knuckles bulged, and thought to himself, exasperated and suddenly weary, "Damn you, you mouthy bastard. Damn you for fucking sneaking the fuck away with my heart."

[kaelebalez]

You can follow me over at  FB ❤️ TWITTER ❤️ INSTAGRAM ❤️ Or Etsy ❤️ for merch

[kaelebalez]

This is hilarious 😂You can see the little girl that wrote this script sitting on the chair, watching. She is so talented. Stephanie Beatriz is fucking so funny 🤣

[kaelebalez]

this fuckn sorting hat quiz is a little too real sometimes what the fuck

[kaelebalez]

[kaelebalez]

my youth is yours by GoldenTruth813 

Harry Potter, James/Teddy, 40k, E, complete, post-canon, next generation, auror partners, friends to lovers, pining, de-aging but keeping memories

At twenty-eight years old James is a respected Auror with a comfortable life. And alright, perhaps his love life is a bit lackluster and something has always seemed like it was missing. But he’s got a job he loves and Teddy as his Auror partner and best mate. That’s more than enough for James. At least until an Auror raid gone wrong leaves James in his eighteen-year-old body grappling with feelings he thought he’d left in the past.

[kaelebalez]

flirting in the 21st century

[kaelebalez]

ive been reading a book that basically explains how so-called “brain differences” between the genders is the result of gendered socialization and not the cause of it. i honestly expected the book to be very cis-centric but its actually the opposite, the author stresses that testimony from trans ppl is actually indispensable because we’ve, in a sense, “lived both experiences”

more cis feminists should have this mindset