#wen x hilo

[4amethyst]

Me I'm the horn's kitten 🙏🏽

[heronpoxed]

JADE LEGACY SPOILERS!

I’m like 5 chapters in Jade Legacy but like fuck Hilo! He doesn’t deserve Wen. Are you honestly telling me that he systematically cheats on his DISABLED WIFE WHO LOVES HIM MORE THAN ANYTHING AND DOESN’T EVEN HIDE IT FROM HER? DISREGARDS AND IGNORES HER WHEN SHE NEEDS HIM THE MOST JUST BECAUSE SHE “DISOBEYED” HIM BY WANTING TO HELP HER FAMILY AND THE CLAN?? Yeah, fuck Hilo!

[booksaremyadventures]

“In my experience, as long as your friends have a high opinion of you, it doesn’t hurt when your enemies have a low opinion, the lower the better.” - Jade Legacy By Fonda Lee

[wishesofeternity]

rambling thoughts on Jade Legacy by Fonda Lee

(SPOILERS)

idk how Bero has managed to survive till now but I admire his luck

I never thought I’d actually *like* reading about the economical issues of running a clan, but here we are

Wen’s showed up for half a page and she’s already made me cry

“they’d lost the ability to find solace in each other” I’m too ace for all that sex-angst, sorry

I appreciate that Hilo is a complex, flawed, deeply human character. That doesn’t change the fact that he’s an asshole.

also, the way he treated Wen was extremely fucked-up, and the book doesn't acknowledge it as well as it should have

I love that Anden’s studying medicine. Healing suits him.

celebrations! alliances! personal and professional relationships! the political situations of outside countries affecting the inner workings of the city! this is what I signed up for!

you tell him, Shae

I’m still holding out my hope for Shae x Ayt Mada

the Clanless Future Movement!!!! It adds a very distinct and inevitable feel to the story and I can’t wait to see how it goes from here

WEN!!!!!!!

Ayt Mada is hardcore

“You made us have to lie” she’s absolutely right

“you can fuck off and die” she's absolutely right (also, DAMN)

“I get upset even thinking about the problems my sister’s poor dating record has caused me over the years” lmao

god, Niko is a wonderful child.

a fridged woman for Tar (and Hilo’s) manpain. although ig it’s better that her character was developed beyond just being Tar’s “fiery” girlfriend.

yes

yes

yes

YES

It’s what Wen deserves.

Anden and Niko’s uncle-nephew dynamic is so sweet.

Anden’s whole arc in this story is also amazing.

*how* does anyone expect me to give a damn about Shae and Woon when Ayt Mada is right there?????

I love Kaul Hilo, with his “unlucky wife” and “unlucky cousin”

though it’s interesting that the Maiks have risen to the top, but have a reputation for being tragic - a disgraced former leader, a dead brother, an exiled girlfriend-murdering brother, and a sister whose marriage to a powerful clan leader is happy and loving, but who endured horrific injuries as a result of family revenge.

“My name isn’t Kaul, and yours isn’t Ayt, so personally, I don’t see why we shouldn’t work together on this, even if nothing else changes between our clans.” LMAO

“She must be letting them fuck her” go fuck yourself, Bero

the way time is just flowing is done so well, especially with the POV changes.

we’ve seen Niko, and we’ve seen Ru. WHERE IS JAYA?

also, Ru is a sweetheart

see, this is why Wen is probably my favourite character in the story (tied with Hilo). She embodies some classic, enjoyable tropes, but she’s also savvy and perceptive and sees the world differently from other characters, not despite the fact that she’s a stone-eye but because of it.

“our new weapon against the clanless will be garden parties” I think that would make life easier for everyone

I love that although Wen x Hilo aren’t back to how they were before, they’re slowly healing their wounds, and are stronger because of it, but I’m still too ace for them.

no fucking way, Shae

my girl Wen has personal bodyguards!!!

Wen’s speech was 10x better, for the record.

WHERE IS JAYA?

Ayt Atosho is kinda sexy

can Ema slap Bero, please?

HOLY SHIT

wait, is he actually dead? he can’t actually be dead. I refuse to believe he’s dead

“There’s too much suffering here”

Ayt Mada, though. She raged and fought and clawed her way to the top, became the strongest and most dangerous of them all. And her story has been the most tied to Shae, and I’m so curious to see how it develops from here.

HE’S ALIVE

Anden made the right choice. Not the most beneficial choice, but the right one.

Wen is the matchmaker of this series, and she has very good taste. Jirhuya is gorgeous.

oh god, someone tried to make a movie on Wen and Hilo’s love story

fucking hell, the kids are twenty

“Ayt Mada had purportedly forbidden her twenty-seven-year-old nephew from dating until he completed his university degree” LMAO

it’s interesting to see the shifting political and personal dynamics over time, especially the push-and-pull one between the city and the forces outside.

Ru is a treasure, Niko is the moody annoying eldest brother who breaks my heart, and Jaya is the fiery troublemaking warm-hearted badass I knew she’d be

YOU TELL HIM, ANDEN

“a ruling clan family where nearly everyone was a jade warrior or a businessman” yikes

“By the way, I’m opposed to everything your clan stands for” LMAO

but actually, it’s really nice how all these societal issues that have engulfed the world, across cities and continents, are just being ... discussed earnestly and in good faith in a college support group. It feels ... hopeless, but also hopeful, if that makes sense.

Tia’s softness should be celebrated. 

“Only children and gods are arrogant enough to judge what they can’t understand.”

all this discussion on clan-running is making me remember how much I fucking hated business

JAYA. This reckless, foul-tongued, wild-hearted girl who’s too damn talented for her own good. who wears leather jackets and defends her friends and stabs asshole guys in the groin. who cares deeply about others and thinks deeply about the world and her place in it. who wants to be the first woman Horn. who is very much her father’s daughter.

Jaya: *passionate ranting* 

Hilo: idk what’s going on but I support you!

also, she’s a skateboarder. 

in conclusion - Jaya is a spectacular person and I adore her with all my heart.

Maik Tar, you’re stressing me out

I get Niko, tbh. Especially that feeling of growing up in a place where a deadly feud between two clans dominates your life, and then leaving that place and realizing there’s a whole wide world out there.

Niko, you fucking idiot

maybe it’s just me, but aren’t these people ... tired? they spend almost all their time going back and forth trying to run the clan, stay at the top, make sure they stay alive. don’t they ever wonder how exhausting it can all be?

Wen really has overcome all the obstacles in her life in such a quiet but resolute way, and it’s powerful.

“I’m Nonreactive to Bullshit” FUCK YEAH

what the fuck???

yeah, this feels very real and terrifying and bewildering.

it also feels like a very typical “threaten a powerful man by kidnapping the women in his life” situation and it’s not a problem, obviously, but it’s still irritating. 

yeah, this is much better. Wen is released, as a misleading sign of cooperation, and Shae is with them because 1) she’s a Kaul by birth, I think they’d be far more inclined to hate her, and 2) as the Weather Man (and the one who decided to expand to Shotar), she’s the one who’s likely to have more information, which is more valuable to them. And Wen’s brilliant to have figured that out.

god, this is terrifying

Does avenging the dead matter more than loving the living? Hilo clearly doesn’t think so

H O L Y    S H I T

WHAT JUST HAPPENED?

Can I just say, I adore that what made these two assholes ally was Shae. The one who’s affected both their lives, in such different ways.

“drowning in blood and jade”

god, this ... is haunting. The clans used to being at the very top - invincible and indomitable. Now they’ve taken a huge hit, both in terms of their clans, but also in terms of their psyches. The Weather Man of No Peak was kidnapped and tortured like it was nothing. Ayt Mada, who flaunted her strength, now requires bodyguards to ensure it for her. For the first time, Shae is noticing Hilo’s silver hair. The years are going by, times are changing, it’s all different, and yet their love remains.

“What will I do? My job. As Weather Man of No Peak.” FUCK YES

although it is quite irritating that Shae and Wen have pretty much gotten the same arcs. This book isn't too great when it comes to its female characters - it kills and sidelines too many of them.

Ru is still a sweetheart, and should definitely pursue public policy like he wants to.

god, Bero’s forty. that’s unnerving

“I’m not going to stand here and listen to those kids fucking“ you have my complete sympathy 

oh no

oh no

oh, Ru. he was a sweet lovely cinnamon roll and he didn’t deserve anything that happened to him

how does Bero keep getting involved in drama and keep getting out unscathed?

and that’s twice now a girl has been killed by her boyfriend :/

“Even if we win, we suffer”

“Maybe we can forgive each other”

this HURTS

oh, Lula. she’s someone who just appeared out of nowhere, and then after realizing who she was, what she had to do, the horror of this whole situation just sinks into you

 Ayt Mada, you’re freaking me out.

Bero dissolving into a self-righteous, self-pitying, and self-inflating rant talking about how he killed Niko’s father and tried to ruin their lives, hoping to go off in glory, only for Niko to say “Move on”

Bero is obliterated

more talk of clan running and different political interests!!!! Niko finding his place and making his mark! Hilo honoring his son’s memory by taking interest in social causes he hadn’t before, finding strength in compassion, healing the world one step at a time, because he wanted his son to know that he was loved, and mourned, and remembered.

Jirhu has my complete respect. He’s his own person with a life that’s completely seperate from the clan drama, so it’s very refreshing and relaxing to see.

Did I mention that I adore Tia? She’s warm and artistic and full of life, the radiant young child of the family. 

... oh no

This plan is ingenious and Ayt Mada is terrifying

“We don’t handle this world. We make it handle us.” this is actually really inspiring lmao

IT’S JAYA

“don’t be cocky” Hilo, I really don’t know what else you expected from your daughter

Jaya has a wild friend group with their own kickass name, and she’s infinitely cooler for it.

“How did I look on TV?” Jaya has her priorities straight.

although I do think that she’s more of a caricature than a character, especially when you look at how her brothers both got complex arcs with internal conflicts, while Jaya, while definitely having emotional depth, is still the generic “cool action girl” trope rather than a fully realized person in her own right. Like I said, this series isn't too great with its female characters.

still, she’s also a mini-Hilo, and I adore her for it

“We’re old now. We’ve tried to kill each other for so long and instead by some cruel luck we owe each other our lives. Maybe it’s time we stepped away and let the next generation try to do better than we did.”

“Sparing Ayt Mada’s life has become a bad habit of yours, Shae“ I’m not complaining

 I’m curious about Koben Ato and what his view is in all this.

Koben Ato??? doesn’t seem bad???  he’s a chill dude, perceptive and progressive, and clearly hot as fuck. I tentatively like him.

Ayt Mada is an enemy who will be feared and revered for generations to come, and it's one hell of a legacy

... fuck

fuck

FUCK

I knew this would happen, I knew it

and it still fucking hurts

but it’s a relief to know that Hilo will see his son and brother again

“Kaul Hiloshudon, a man as dramatic in death as he had been in life”

but honestly ... he had a good long life. They all did.

“Can you see this, from wherever you are? We did it at last. We kept our clan. We made it stronger and passed it on.

I miss you”

[kamakadias8]

Alohaaaaaaaaa \m/

Guess what?

Hawai’i, I’m coming home!

Not for good, but just for a visit.

After being in Madagascar for over two years in the Peace Corps, I will finally be heading home to see my family, friends, and beloved Islands.  Buraaahhhh I cannot wait!

Since I will be going home soon, I should brush up on my local kine talk ah? I not talking full on pidgin, but small manini kine Hawaiian style lingo here and there yeah.

So if you are reading this and aren’t from Hawai’i then I apologize in advance for some of the references and words that I may use.

They say you should never write how you talk, but dis mah blog and I can do whateva I like!

You might understand what I’m saying, but it will probably just be a little weird to read.  But seriously, people in Hawai’i actually speak like this.  So if you are really curious and have no idea what I am talking about then just ask—I’d be happy to educate you.

So kala mai my haole braddahs and sistahs. Cheeeehuuuu!

Fo those who no know, I was born and raised on the Big Island of Hawai’i.  I basically lived there my whole life.  Da longest I been away from da islands was when I studied abroad in Spain fo three months; I tink living in Madagascar fo two years without leaving small kine beats dat.  Eva since den, it was hard fo me to stay in one place foa too long after catchin’ some mean cracks by one incurable case of da travel bug. Dat buggah!

I tried lots a tingz to get rid of it, like being busy with school and work, not looking at plane tickets, and even being broke—nothin’ wen work! I just kept getting on that plane and flying away somehow.  To Argentina fo one nahda study abroad, Washington to visit one friend, Colorado twice, one fo snowboard and once fo da X Games, den finally Utah to camp in Moab before leaving to Madagascar with da Peace Corps.  I swear it wen feel like my feet was off the ground every ahda month after my diagnosis.

So staying in one place and not even boarding one plane fo over two years is small kine weird fo me ah.  Honestly, I small kine nervous fo board one plane overseas again aftah so long.  But nerves and excitement stay one in the same so I get choken excitement more than anything.  How can I not be yeah?

How many Peace Corps Volunteers get to take their home leave in Hawai’i? Saying I am lucky would be one undastatement.

No matter where I go in this world, Hawai’i is just always the most beautiful place in my eyes.

I have been to a few places around da world and it is hard fo compare to Hawai’i.  There’s just something special about coming home, like feeling dat cherreh warm ocean breeze as soon as you ha’alele the sliding doors of da airport. Nothin’ is sweetah than home, I’m pretty sure there might be one popular saying about sweet homes but who actually knows.

It’s gonna be nuts to see all these people I never seen in person for over two years, but what will be even mo nuts is them seeing me with long hair and facial hair for da first time! I neva had long hair or facial hair in my life, and even tho dey seen picthas of me online and thru Facetime calling, it’s still gonna be pretty trippy fo dem to see me like dis.  I don’t think people will recognize me at first.  Ho dis gon’ be fun.

Clean cut, short-haired Kamaka in 2016

Hairy, long-haired Kamaka in 2018

Still throwing up the Shaka cheeheee!

I’m so curious to see what wen change. What’s new in Hilo? Kids still go to Tilt at Prince Kuhio Plaza or wat? Hawai’i get Chipotle yet? Guy Hagi memes still a ting? I like watch the Hawaiian language version of Moana, where dat stay? Get one hurricane or volcano erupting again dat I should know about? SO many things I like know yeah…

I guess I will find out soon enough tho.

Yah so I not one those sentimentol losahs dat like to count down the days to a big event in their life, so I not gon’ do dat.

48 days *cough cough*

Brah I’d neva do dat, shut up!

So anyway if you survived thru dis blog post tanks ah! Also, if you stay in Hawai’i in December, let’s cruise, catch up, talk stories, grind some poke bowls/acai bowls then kanak attack on the beach!

I neva taught I’d be away fo dis long, but I knew I would be back eventually cuz no matter where I go and what I do, I am always coming back home to you, Hawai’i.

I no can help it.  See u soon den!

\m/

    Always Coming Back Home To You Alohaaaaaaaaa \m/ Guess what? Hawai'i, I'm coming home! Not for good, but just for a visit.

[heronpoxed]

JADE LEGACY SPOILERS

I’m fine but then I remember that Hilo repeatedly used to cheat on Wen in the beginning of JL and my stomach actually churns.

Wen sacrificed a lot for him and for the clan. She literally died and came back to life for what she thought was right and Hilo acted like he was the victim! I honestly don’t get that!