Yueliang was still musing on her “sad situation” when she arrived home. Several hours in the soulless Office of Strategic Services listening to the quiet whine of the heating system gave her a powerful craving for something stronger than her usual peppermint tea. Her typical twenty minute drive turned into twice that––not that she learned the reason why when the traffic picked up again. Sitting in the car, drumming her short nails against the steering wheel, she felt her upper lip twitching with the desire to argue why she was fine without a partner.
Glenn Oake is like the personification of autumn with her bright ginger hair the colour of falling leaves and skin the colour of steamed milk covered with cinnamon speckled freckles. She’s the sight that makes others imagine cosy days in a coffee shop whiling away hours for no reason other than comfort. Her smile is charm itself. She has an adorable gap in her front teeth that she refuses to have closed because it’s the same as Madonna’s. She’s perky and vibrant. The absolute last person anyone would accuse of being an assassin. Well, it runs in the family, so she’s not really to blame. With the Brotherhood haemorrhaging members, they’ve got no choice but to rely on outsiders to fill their ranks. It’s the chance Glenn’s been living for. Yolo and no regrets, and all that. This is her moment. Nothing will mess it up.
Utamara Ndiaye. Half Senegalese, half Japanese, all precious. She speaks seven languages and has so much charm she can make the coldest person feel like they’re in the tropics. She keeps her hair natural, loves red lipstick and leaving lipstick stains on her girlfriend’s cheek just for fun. If the zombie apocalypse happens tomorrow, she’s got two lifetime’s supply of tea. She’s smart, but chaotic. Tactful and oozing respect. She loves with a whole heart and sees no reason to hide who she is. She’ll do anything to help a friend, but on this occasion she can’t help question if Yueliang is playing with a full deck.
Anna Orlov. Russian officer stationed in Japan as part of a protection detail to the Ambassador. Tall, imposing, poker faced and with neat, bobbed red hair. Her dark eyes two pools filled with nightmares from the past. To escape herself, she wanted to embody the idea foreigners had of Russians. That they didn’t have feelings. They’re robots and cold as ice. Blunt instruments that bludgeon anyone trying to get close. She didn’t reckon on meeting someone like Ndiaye, and every day that passes she wakes wondering when the other shoe will drop. When it will end. As much as she prepared for all eventualities, she never saw this coming.
Mohammed al Sadat. Literally the most charming man anyone’s ever set eyes on in their life and he knows it. Think Egyptian James Bond and you’ll understand the persona he’s channelling with all the acting skills under his belt. Mohammed doesn’t look like a killer with his soulful eyes, earnest smile and smooth moves. For the most part he isn’t. He leaves the messy stuff for others to deal with unless told otherwise. That’s just how things are. His skills lie in seducing secrets from unwilling lips without the target even realising what they’ve done. He’s very good at it, too. Men or women, he’s not picky who’s in his bed and that makes him a valuable asset to the Brotherhood. No one can resist him. Until he meets her.
I’ve identified myself as a chronic Penis masturbator for ages. After many years pumping my Penis to death, I’m restless, I can’t stop, I can’t resist my Penis. It provides so much pleasure for hours that fly like minutes. 4 hours, 5 hours, 8 hours, 12 hours… I never get tired of masturbating. I’m such a chronic masturbator.
I’m, I ever was, I will ever be a masturbator. My masturbated Penis brings me such an endless pleasure, such an endless joy, such an endless peace of mind, that I feel like proclaiming to the world: “I love my Penis! Please accept me as a masturbator”!
The pleasure my Penis is giving me daily is beyond words. I skip meals. I delay work duties, I cancel appointments… Just to stroke my Penis. All I want, all I need is masturbating my Penis and stroking my life away.
I’m a wanker. I’m a beat off. I’m a bator. I’m a stroker. I’m a Penis disciple.
This is a repost and throwback post today specifically for those comments I get about my body. For how I’m “too fat” and how I should “cover up”. Well, your personality is atrocious, and you should probably take care of that. ♀️ Also, I’m feeling good about myself because I got a 100% on my anatomy practical exam yesterday, so fight me, if you dare. : @erikjawsphoto 》 》 》 》 》 #cosplay #cosplayer #cosplaying #fma #fullmetalalchemist #fmabrotherhood #fullmetalalchemistbrotherhood #fmab #brotherhood #fullmetalalchemistcosplay #fmacosplay #fmacosplayer #fullmetalalchemistcosplayer #winryrockbell #winryrockbellcosplayer #winryrockbellcosplay #cosplaygirlsofinstagram #cosplaygirl #cosplayersofinstagram #kikithegirlcosplay #bodypositive #repost #tbt #throwbackthursday https://www.instagram.com/p/BrDslx9jqVz/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=cfslgr0wj0he
Since I’ve seen some people undecided whether they should read Brotherhood because of the mixed reviews that are either THIS BOOK IS FANTASTIC or THIS BOOK IS BULLSHIT I’ve written a semi-serious review (you can tell by the proper capitalization and punctuation) of the novel and tried to be as objective as I could. Which was practically impossible but it’s the thought that counts, right?
I grouped the review into three parts: The good (what I liked), the bad (what I disliked) and suggestions for anyone who is unsure about whether to read it (basically a TLDR! just scroll down in the read more).
THE GOOD
1. Chapter lengths. Yeah, I know, that’s a weird thing to comment on, but I was pleasantly surprised by how easy the short chapters made it to read this book. And there’s not really any unnecessary exposition or big words that threw me out of the plot because I had to go look something up every two minutes (looking at you here, Luceno).
2. The Padmé/Anakin. If you follow me you probably know I’m not an Anidala fan, but their parts were very sweet and in character. Anakin admires her (as he should!) and she’s in his thoughts a lot. They’re bad at hiding their feelings for each from other people (read: Obi-Wan) which is also very typical for them.
3. Neimoidian culture. I think this was my favorite thing in the entire book. We accompany Obi-Wan on a mission to Cato Neimoidia which is set up to fail, of course, and Chen included some really nice world-building here. I’m not sure how much of it was present in previous (Legends) books like Labyrinth of Evil but I enjoyed getting a feel for the geographical, political and social structures on this planet. Some of the characters rightfully call the Core worlds (and the reader!) out for stereotyping Neimoidians, and I was just reading like “Yeah! Yeah! We need more of this in Star Wars!”
4. Original characters. This is where I’m very torn. I very much love Ruug, a Neimoidian who Obi-Wan meets on his mission. I wish I could say more about her, but no spoilers. And I do very much love Mill, too. She’s a youngling that kind of “gets stuck” with Anakin — or rather they get stuck with each other. I’m unsure about if I like what Mill’s character is supposed to represent, though. More about that in the ‘bad’ section.
5. Asajj Ventress. She gets her own little paragraph because she’s iconic. I loved reading about her and I think that Chen really did her justice. Not the epic introduction I’d hoped for in canon (I was thinking more Clone Wars 2003-esque, but maybe that was too expectant of me) but very nice nonetheless.
6. Anakin and Obi-Wan’s POVs (in general). All in all their characterizations are quite accurate in this, so I’m putting this in the ‘good’ section. Sadly, their inner monologues are overflowing with things I didn’t enjoy very much (see the ‘bad’ section), so that kind of overshadowed the characterizations for me. But still, I think Chen did a good job.
THE BAD
1. Depiction of Jedi culture. Oof. I have so much to say about the takes on the Jedi Order in this novel that I don’t think I can articulate myself properly. There are some quotes in the book that I just knowpeople are going to run with when they need arguments for why the Jedi are… Bad? A cult? Emotionless? Lacking empathy? BIG YIKES. Going hand in hand with the perception of Jedi by the characters in the novel is Obi-Wan’s and Anakin’s thoughts on Qui-Gon Jinn. Thoughts like if adopting his attitude would have been better than the ‘usual, strict’ Jedi ways (newsflash: the ‘Jedi ways’ are like that because they need to be! But that’s a whole different post. A book, really). Basically lots of pondering about things that can’t be changed, anyway.
2. Continuation from the previous point: Special shoutout to Mace Windu, because dude, you deserve so much better than this. Much (if not all?) of the description of him is from Anakin’s POV, so it kind of makes sense that there’s not much fondness to be had here. Especially because Anakin has his proverbial hands full with juggling his promotion to knight, the shift in his dynamic with Obi-Wan, and his feelings for Padmé. However, I got the distinct impression of Mace bashing, and I’m sure that it wasn’t Chen’s intention, but… this could’ve, no, should’ve been handled differently.
3. Qui-Gon Jinn. Yes, I know he’s a focal point in Obi-Wan’s jouney, but this book takes it to a whole different level. There are multiple mentions of him in pretty much every chapter, and every time they’re accompanied by something that annoys me regarding the Jedi or Anakin and Obi-Wan. I don’t get the obsession some Star Wars writers have with (idolizing) him and I wish they would stop.
4. Mill Alibeth. She’s a fantastic character by herself, and I always love when there’s more female characters added into the mix. She’s clearly supposed to represent a kind of narrative foil to Anakin, and show that she deals with her issues in a mature and insightful way (especially considering she’s just a youngling!). And as someone who appreciates the Jedi, I can appreciate what Chen is trying to do here. For someone else who maybe doesn’t like the Jedi much, I think it could come across as yet another reason in this novel to demonize (I hate using this word but lbr it fits here) Jedi culture as a whole.
ANAKIN & OBI-WAN
If you’ve read the whole thing you probably noticed that I didn’t mention the Anakin & Obi-Wan dynamic. That’s because I’m not actually sure how I feel about it. On one hand I very much agree with Chen’s interpretation — Anakin was just knighted, they’re on unsure footing, Anakin feels like he’s going to be reprimanded for every little mistake he makes and Obi-Wan barely restrains himself from reprimanding him (most of the time). And honestly? That’s not too different from the AOTC characterization! And not too different from the first season of Clone Wars either, to be honest.
On the other hand, their interactions, especially in the second half of the novel, give the impression that Chen hasn’t mastered the friendly bickering/teasing that’s so prevalent and important in their relationship. Comments that are supposed to be teasing just get across as borderline rude (to me, at least). Anakin and Obi-Wan constantly assume they’d understand each other better or that their relationship would be completely different if Qui-Gon were there. Sigh.
I think a lot of people reading this novel that ended up being disappointed by it had a hard time taking off their ROTS novelization goggles. And I really get that, because once you get there you can’t let go of it (Attachment! Ha!). I doubt anyone can recreate what Matthew Stover did, and other authors adopting elements of it (like Chen did in Brotherhood with the sun-dragon, for instance) just doesn’t feel the same.
SUGGESTIONS FOR MIGHT-BE READERS (TLDR)
If you’re here for the plot and background on the Cato Neimoidia mission as well as the start of the Clone War: Yes! Read it! It’s super interesting.
If you’re here for Anidala (or even Obitine): Yup, go ahead and read it, I’m pretty sure you’ll love this. I quite liked Padmé’s characterization, too, and the mentions of Satine are quite charming. If you’re into that kind of thing.
If you’re here for Ventress: 1) Let’s be friends? 2) I’d read it. She isn’t there that much but I adored her in this.
If you’re here for Anakin and Obi-Wan’s relationship, especially if you’ve read the ROTS novelization, ESPECIALLY if you’re a shipper: Honestly? It’s not worth it, despite the book being literally about their relationship. Go on and read Labyrinth of Evil, if you haven’t. Or Wild Space. Or the ROTS novelization, again.
If you’re here for the Jedi: [wiggles hand vaguely] Meh, well. I’m not very impressed by Chen’s take on them. I’d avoid this novel.
If you’re here for Qui-Gon nostalgia: Read it. I don’t think there’s any other piece of Star Wars media containing THIS much Qui-Gon without him physically being there.
“You got it, boss. Cream and sugar in yours, hon?”
“Oh, no,” Obi-Wan said. “I prefer my caf straight black.”
who here thought that Obi-Wan liked tea?! well say good fricken bye to fanon because it has now been canonised that Obi-Wan is a caf, straight black, drinker.
Actually, in a Zoom interview, Mike Chen said, “Obi-Wan drinks tea most of the time, but when he drinks coffee, he takes it black.”
He also added that Anakin takes his caf with cream and sugar, and then said, “These are very important character choices!” (He’s so right!)
people really aren’t liking that Obi-Wan drinks coffee
Unlike Philippe, I had less freedom to do what I wished. I was the heir to the throne. My fate was sealed as the firstborn son. Philippe had the luxury of obstinateness and he delighted in it. He knew quite early that all eyes were on me. He took every opportunity he could to get away with anything.
As children, we spend some time around our mother’s ladies. They were an extravagant mix of the French and the Spanish. Our mother was the Infanta, daughter of Philip III of Spain. Both of us could speak Spanish as fluently as French by the time we began our studies.
“¡Hola, Louis! ¿Cómo estás?,” Philippe said to me one afternoon. He learned to speak rather quickly as if he was born to talk.
“What,” I said, surprised. I looked around to make sure no heard him. “You must speak French, Philippe.”
“No,” he said defiantly, stomping his little feet on the floor. “I hate French. I like Spanish. It is our mother’s language.”
“French is the language of our father,” I answered. “He is the king.”
“I do not care,” he said, crossing his arms.
“We are French,” I began. “We live in France, not Spain.”
“I will speak the language I want when I want,” he said. He knew I would give into his demands but I knew our mother better.
Very well, Philippe,” I began. We will speak Spanish among ourselves. Not with Mother. She will be angry. Do you understand me, Philippe?”
“But why, Louis,” he asked sadly. “She is Spanish.”
I could tell he wanted to tempt the hand of fate. He always want to see I was telling the truth.
“Philippe, no,” I said as firmly as I could.
“Very well,” he answered, pouting. It was hard for me not to indulge my brother and he knew this. All we had was each other as there were few children in the court in those days. Papa did his best to see as often as he could. When he was with us, I could see in him a longing in him I did not understand as child.
I came to believe that Philippe and I had a closeness that he never had with our uncle, Gaston. I wondered if their discord was the reason he made sure his sons were seldom apart. I came to believe this when he took us on a trip to a special place one day.
**** **** **** ****
The carriage ride seemed long. As always, Philippe kept himself occupied by wriggling endlessly as he pointed to everything along the way. Papa could not help but laugh.
“Philippe,” he said. “You are a handful.” He seemed to have something on his mind. It must have been sobering because his eyes were longer full of light as I had remembered. As if he could hear my thoughts, his attention turned to me.
“What are you thinking about, Louis,” he asked.
“Nothing, Papa,” I answered softly. “Where are we going?”
“To my favorite place,” he said smiling. “I am sure you and your brother will love it as much I do.”
“Papa, there are trees,” Philippe said, trying to lean out of the window. Our governess struggled to keep him still, but Philippe was having none of that.
“Yes, Philippe,” I said. “Those are trees.”
He turned quickly toward me with a vicious glare on his face. If he thought I was teasing him, he was correct.
“I know, Louis,” he said. “There are lots of trees.”
Suddenly, the trees began to disappear as we came upon a clearing. Looking out of the window, I could see a small château—far smaller than to what I had become accustomed. As our carriage came to a stop, I could see the relief on our governess’ face as Philippe bounced off her lap and over to Papa.
“What is that, Papa,” he asked eagerly.
“That is my home away from home,” he answered. “This is my castle at Versailles.”
Little Philippe shows off his Spanish skills. Then one day, Louis and his brother are taken on a little trip to a château at Versailles.
