#bobh

[gibbigabba]

trying to figure out how to draw sciona! little too young here, faces always give me trouble

[awesomenikie]

Sciona is selfish,egotistical,prideful, ignorant,spiteful and full of vengeance and I love her.

[harrowharrks]

my favourites despite a mediocre reading year

[imjustheretomooch]

Thomil: you know if we go through with your plan there’s like a 90% chance you die 

Sciona: don’t worry Thomil, I have a backup suicide plan so I’m more like 99% likely to die 

Thomil: I’m not fucking doing that 

Sciona: I thought you might say that so I have a backup backup suicide plan to make sure I extra die

[luckiestgirl13]

reading blood over bright haven and sciona is so white woman in 1920's america coded. so unlikeable and such a tunneled vision

[medowlarken]

Sciona, my vengeance paladin of selune

her fem4fem lesbian hatesex with shart will be legendary

[kurisus]

I find it quite funny that I finished 3 books this weekend and thought one was mid, one was excellent, and one was TERRIBLE

Blood Over Bright Haven was very good. Very FMA. Will definitely keep recommending this one, and revisiting it as well.

[wot-tidbits]

This is a spectacular list by Linda Taglieri and co from whcih I will copy the overall numbers and you can click for more detailed information and names.

Summary of Deaths

Known count: 58 Unknown count: 400+

Total Deaths: 458+

Named: 61 Unnamed: 397+

Blue Ajah: 8 (3 Black) Brown Ajah: 7 (2 Black) Green Ajah: 11 (4 Black) Red Ajah: 5 (2 Black) Yellow Ajah: 7 (4 Black) Grey Ajah: 6 (4 Black) White Ajah: 5 (1 Black) (Black Ajah: 68+)

Unidentified Ajah: 361+

Summary of Captives

49 still bonded to Asha’man.

29+ still held by Seanchan.

3 held by the Ogier.

1 still held by Shaido.

2 presumed dead.

Total: 84+ captives

Named: 17 Unnamed: 67+

Red Ajah: 4 (2 Black) Yellow Ajah: 3 Gray Ajah: 2 Green Ajah: 2 Brown Ajah: 1 Blue Ajah: 0 White Ajah: 3 (3 Black)

Unidentified Ajah: 69+

OVERALL SUMMARY

Over 465 Aes Sedai have died since The Eye of the World opened:

the 458+ dead from the “dead” list.

the 2 presumed dead from the “captured” list.

the 5 presumed dead from the “missing” list.

plus additional unquantified ones that were likely killed when Logain was taken, or during the White Tower and Black Tower coups, or that were executed when Egwene cleansed the White Tower, or anonymously killed in the Last Battle and not included in the count.

That’s over 46% of the total population of Aes Sedai (which was under 1000).

About 161 Aes Sedai have been captured or gone missing since The Eye of the World opened:

82+ from the “captured” list that are not presumed dead.

79 from the “missing” list that are not presumed dead.

That’s another 16% of the total original population of Aes Sedai.

Combine the dead/captured/missing, and the total of well over 626 represents over 60% of the Aes Sedai. Huge losses.

[wingsofhcpe]

Just finishes Blood Over Bright Haven, went to check some goodreads reviews, and people are shitting on M. L. Wang and calling her work "white saviour complex" and "coloniser romance", also saying that her work is a copy of RFK.

And this is why I think reading comprehension is dead, because if you read BOBH and THAT was your take from it, I'm pretty sure you read it with your eyes closed.

Anyway, if yall actually want an amazing dark academia and steampunk-y book with nuanced discussion about societal issues, amazing writing, a morally grey female protag and unique kickass worldbuilding, you should read BOBH by M. L. Wang.

[zoestorm]

You mentioned a few decent Fictionmania stories existing. Could you recommend some? I'm curious what work from that environment looks like when it's not horrendous.

And I also got an ask from an anon:

So I'm answering both in here, and the answer is: good stories on Fictionmania are very rare, but when you like one it's like finding a diamond while digging through a pile of coal.

So I'm going to provide a few links :)

Before we start, I have to point out that Fictionmania operates on Cave of Wonders rules: touch nothing but the lamp. Seriously, this is important -- the links I'm giving you are safe (mostly! Because there's decidedly NSFW ads on the site!), but do not wander off on to other parts of the site. Or, if you do, don't blame me at least! 😄

First of all, I have to recommend all of Tanya H's production: they're a very good author, and I super enjoyed all of her realistic stories (i.e.: those that aren't tagged "magical transformation"); do be warned, though, that they can get quite dark. I would start with lighter fare like Hare and Hounds, Awards Evening, and Giving It Everything, and move on from that.

Secondly: The Awakening by BobH. (No relation to Tanya H above, as far as I can tell.) It's a standard "guy falls asleep and wakes up X years later as a woman" story, but it's very well written and I've really enjoyed the mystery and the solution.

Then we have Imp by The Professor. Like The Awakening above, it's a standard "guy gets magically transformed into a girl" story, but it's well written and I've enjoyed the mystery and the resolution.

And... nothing else, nothing that I can personally recommend, at least. I'm sure there's something else in there, but like I said: diamonds in a pile of coal.

[satorugojjo]

My review of Blood Over Bright Haven by M L Wang - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

20 out of 10 stars. It's one of the best books I've ever read and I think should be compulsory reading for every fantasy fan out there. Saying it's a dark academia is doing it so much injustice and trivializes how tragic, philosophical, multilayered and relevant this book is. BOBH explores such heavy themes from many unique view points, especially the MC’s!

Sciona can be so egotistical and arrogant and downright unlikeable at times, but she is a good person with good intentions and you end up rooting for her, and crying for her, and believing in her ideals until the very last page. The deuteragonist to her is Thomil, who is a "second-class" citizen (refugee) in the city of Tiran, and holds up a mirror to all her prejudices and ignorance. Sciona is blisteringly intelligent, and that ends up creating this gorgeous perspective of someone who has the earned ego from intelligence warring with a heart she didn't think she wanted to have. The backdrop is lush (I'll get to the fantastical elements in a second) with layers of institutional oppression that is very obvious to Thomil who is a direct victim of it, and is only half obvious to Sciona who has only had to deal with the misogyny aspect and not the systemic theologically driven racism. We are treated to her genuine curiosity, pursuit of truth, and her ego leading her to constantly unravel the things she didn't want to know, unlearn generations of indoctrination, and act on her intuition that what she's a part of is inherently rotten. Her character development is top notch, especially considering where she started as someone who “lacked empathy”.

I've never read a perspective like this - it's like reading Letty's POV in Babel if Letty was actually a good person lol with sprinklings of Robin? (I'm on the I hate Letty squad until I die). Sciona is both a victim and a perpetrator. A damsel and a demon (I'm not being pretentious that's actually one of the chapter titles kjsfghfskjhg). It makes for such an interesting read, sometimes exasperating, sometimes poetically tragic and hopeful and most of the time full of the joy and passion of discovery. Sciona believes at her core she is egotistical and while I do agree, I think her core is curiosity as her fatal flaw. She doesn't shy away from the truth, she invites debate, she loves being challenged and having the opportunity to defend herself but is also quick to embrace when she's wrong and will change her perspective. In that way, I felt really represented by her curiosity, and felt her rage whenever she was told its unwomanly to ask questions and look under rocks and be unapologetic in ENJOYING her work. Even the insinuation that she is just as selfish as the men for wanting a legacy was fascinating because while she is egotistical, Sciona wanting to leave a legacy behind in a society where women are not allowed to have any power or legacy is inherently different than the men around her.

The Thomil POV chapters are just incredible to read. Both of them together really represent that intersectionality between racial oppression and systemic patriarchy because while neither of them are wrong, Sciona enjoys the privilege of her race and therefore it makes her blind to the horrors that Thomil and the other Kwen face in the city. Watching her unlearn all that is fascinating because just like Thomil, it’s obvious to me as a reader why she’s wrong (being a WoC myself) but trying to explain it to someone you care about and know isn’t a bad person is a very uniquely infuriating experience to both be in and to witness. And the way the romance develops between them is so organic, realistic, subtle and fluttery - it actually does a really good job in highlighting the fragility of hope in such a rotten city, and therefore it’s importance.

Because the setting IS in academia where Sciona is doing research and Thomil is her assistant, it gets given "dark academia" as the genre but in reality it's absolutely riveting because it's full of theological, philosiphical, ethical and moral debates between Sciona and Thomil that flow so naturally and don't feel gimmicky or preachy. The worldbuilding is so lush and rich, the magic system is intricate, complex, and rule-based, and the lore is very well thought out where it actually feels like I'm reading about a civilisation in OUR world. The pacing is BLISTERING but it never once feels like it's too fast - Blood over Bright Haven is only 450 pages or so but it feels like I've just read an expansive trilogy which just makes ML Wang a genius.

I can't stop gushing about this book, this is my first MLW book (haven't read Sword of Kaigen yet) but I will be a lifelong fan of her. If I had to really explain the vibes of what this book is, it has the same feelings as The Hunchback of Notre Dame x Attack on Titan x Babel. It's a lot of tragedy, a lot of institutionalised secrecy and monstrosity, and a lot of religious philosophy, but at its core it's a story about love, hope, and the desire to leave a better and more honest world behind.

[smokeybloke]

Bob

he hip 2 big

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[awesomenikie]

Reading blood over bright haven(finally) and I can’t stand any of these male mages I need them to crumble.

[bigmoneyshave]

Look at this... 👀

Look at this... 👀 https://pin.it/1jT5TCcor

Shaved brings out Beauty

[imjustheretomooch]

I’ve always disliked the sassy, mean teenager trope but I must say I loved Carra. Partly because she wasn’t especially cruel, just to Sciona and other mages who desperately deserved it. She was a good addition, especially next to Thomil, who was also a voice of morality, but much more restrained and respectful to Sciona. Especially because Sciona, I love her and bless her heart, needed a good smack.

[godswill4god]

What New Ogbobiri Asawo Leadership Should Focus On - Martins-Brown

He is a former Chairman of Asawo of the Buoye Omuso Brown Major House (BOBH) of Finima in Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State. He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) and Chartered Institute of Human Resources Management (CIHRM), among other professional bodies, as well as parades a consolidated and celebrated resume of professionalism. Tamunotonye…