#(it DOES explore past abusive relationships as a theme but very much just the effects of healing from that rather than showing

[aroaessidhe]

2023 reads

What Stalks Among Us

YA thriller

two best friends skip a field trip to explore some old forgotten backroads - and get trapped in a looping corn maze full of weird shit, including their own dead bodies

they have to figure out how to get out, what’s killing them, what’s causing the maze, and face their traumas

fat girl MC with anxiety, both are bi and have ADHD, no romance

[ask18thcenturyrussia]

Why are you so into toxic relationships and abuse? (RusPru)

|| Oh BOY this is one of my favorite things to discuss

Might be long, so I’m putting it under the cut.

I used to roleplay as both characters for a good SEVEN years, and over the time I researched and learned so much about psychology and how trauma affects people, and put that into my writing. We love villains, we find danger sexy when it’s fictional. And we love to read horrible things happening the characters in books, or watch horror movies, because for a lot of people it’s interesting to see the reactions. And for some, it’s cathartic. In specific with RusPru it’s very simple. To me, a man like Ivan would be terrifying irl, because of my own trauma with men like that, but in fiction he’s my favorite type of character. I love to explore the trauma HE has and the reasons he behaves the way he does, and put him through the wringer, because in a way that helps me make sense of my own trauma too. And same applies to Gilbert, I love to torment him a lot because he has such an interesting past to pull so much dramatic effect from. It’s really all just about them being interesting characters with their broken souls and their inability to interact like normal people, after so long of being at each other’s throats. Their shared trauma and issues make them interesting and gives them so much deeper flavor than any normal, well-adjusted character might have. It’s why a good plotline needs there to be adversity and something to overcome, or it’s boring. Two characters who get along well and never argue or have a single thing off, gets tired very quickly, because there is no flavor to that. It’s just cotton candy. I know there’s a lot of people who love fluffy ships like that, and I totally get it, but I’ve never seen the appeal. I love drama. The betrayals, the battles and the blood, they’re so attractive in a ship dynamic. And then abuse as a theme in itself? It’s just cathartic to me. I love absolutely horrible things happening in fiction, not just abuse by itself. I’ve written over the years so much filth and explored dark themes from every possible angle. It’s exciting to get to go past the Pure and Sweet and take a dive into the human psyche and the dark waters of horror and what we as humans fear or hate. And then put that into my writing. Sure, sometimes I project my own trauma on it, but I do try to keep myself out of it, to not mix real life into pure fiction. Which is what it is. Fiction. Make-believe. Daydreams. L'appel du vide. None of it hurts real life people, simply thrills them. But it IS also okay to be put-off by it, it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. But what is NOT okay is to judge others for finding interest in the dark. To each their own, y’know? ||

[jackfrostsdaughter]

Ultimately DBDA is a show about healing. Niko needs to heal her relationship with her mother, Crystal needs to heal her relationship with her family, Jenny needs to heal her relationship with herself. Charles needs to heal from his past and Edwin needed to heal from years of repression and trauma. Litterally everyone is just so broken when they meet each other.

Not only have we seen through Monty that Charles can very much be jealous of Edwin’s relationships with others without realizing his feelings, but I also don’t think that jealousy would work particularly well with the show’s main theme.

Edwin needs to be able to form bonds with others. As far as I can tell, even before he died Edwin was lonely. We know that at the very least, Simon and his group bullied him while he was at school, and he seemed to have a distant relationship with his parents at best. It very well could be that Charles was Edwin’s first, and for a long time, only friend. He’s come a long, long way since the first episode, but I doubt that his journey is completely over.

Now that he’s no longer repressing his feelings for Charles, I think Edwin needs to explore relationships with others. Maybe it’s another ghost boy. Maybe he and the Cat King have a fling. Who knows? Maybe Charle’s is jealous of that fact, but by no means would it be a turning point for him.

Charles on the other hand, has a lot of healing left to do before he can even really think about what he wants his relationship to be. Edwin may be nearing the narrative end of journey, but Charles is just beginning his.

He sees his father in himself still. He thinks of himself as this inherently violent being, I think that there is a good part of him is afraid that if he were to get into a relationship with Edwin, he’d end up doing the exact same thing his dad did to him and his dad. In his mind, love like that is still inherently intertwined with violence.

Putting aside heteronormativity and whatever homophobia he’s internalized via being a queer kid in the 80s, Charles has to deal with that trauma. He has to reach a point where he realizes that while both he, and his father are capable of great acts of violence (as all people are) his father chose to hurt the people he loved, and just as he chose to hurt, Charles can choose not too. He needs some form of reassurance that abuse victims are not doomed to become abusers. Until he does this, I don’t think he can really even think of starting any kind of new relationship with Edwin. He’s too afraid he’ll fuck it up; that he’ll hurt Edwin, the very same person he’s spent decades trying to protect.

I don’t know how they’ll do that, but I don’t think jealousy is an effective conduit to do so. It could make an intreating minor conflict for an episode, but it’s certainly not a turning point..

I keep seeing people say that they want to see Edwin be with someone else and that jealousy is what makes Charles finally realize he loves him back, but I really don't want to see that.. I just don't like the idea of Edwin starting to build something new with someone else and then Charles just coming in to tear it down because he finally realizes his feelings, like that seems so selfish and uncharacteristic of Charles.. also like how sad for whoever Edwin was seeing if that happened.. like Monty all over again. I also don't think Edwin would be ready to try to genuinely date someone else that soon after his confession. Like he's been in love with Charles for 30 years and Charles just said "we have literally forever to figure out what the rest means" and you don't think Edwin would at least give him a few years to see what they figure out before trying to date someone else?

That being said, what I WOULD like to see is them build on the confidence that Edwin gained from his interactions with the Cat King. I'd like to see Edwin experimenting with being more flirty. I want to see him flirt with random guys and I want to see him flirt with Charles. I think Charles idolizes Edwin in a way and I think it can be hard to see someone you so look up to as a romantic prospect for yourself and I think Charles seeing Edwin be flirty is what could realistically make Charles realize that he wants Edwin in that way.

Obviously I think Charles is already in love with Edwin, but I think he's too focused on "respect and protect" to realize it (and of course heteronormativity obviously isn't helping).

[itsthenovelteafactor]

Fall of the House of Hargreeves

So I mentioned a while back in my Superhero Gothic meta that there were a number of parallels between the season one finale of The Umbrella Academy and the Edgar Allen Poe short story The Fall of the House of Usher and that I could probably write a whole meta on that if anyone was interested. Shout out and love to the anon who requested that I do that! 

It’s been a minute since I’ve done one of these long form metas, but I am very excited to get back to writing about two of my favorite things: gothic literature and chaotic superheroes. 

Part I: The Fall of the House of Usher

The Fall of the House of Usher (which I’ll call House of Usher for convenience for the rest of this meta) is a short story by Edgar Allen Poe first published in 1939. It is considered a classic gothic short story, and deals with themes of family, madness, inheritance, and isolation. 

Since it’s in the public domain, I’ll go ahead and link a pdf to the story here. If you aren’t interested in reading, though, or just want a refresher, the story follows an unnamed narrator going to visit his ill friend, a man named Roderick Usher in his isolated (and very spooky) family estate. Upon arrival, he discovers that Roderick’s sister, Madeline Usher, is also ill, and has a tendency to fall into dreamlike trances.

Over the course of the visit, Roderick confesses to the narrator that not only does he believe the house is alive, but that it is connected to the fate of the family which, at this point, only includes Roderick and Madeline. He later comes and tells the narrator that Madeline has died, and enlists his help in order to bury her in the family tomb beneath the house. They do so, but for the next couple of days Roderick is suspiciously...on edge. 

Then, one dark and stormy night, Roderick shows up in the narrator’s room incredibly worked up, and throws open the window, and starts low-key (read: high-key) having a breakdown. The narrator is unsure as to why until he hears ripping and tearing sounds coming from somewhere in the house. These ripping and tearing sounds are revealed to be Madeline whom Roderick and the narrator buried alive whose appearance scares Roderick to death, right before she collapses, also dead from the strain of tearing through the foundations of the house.

The narrator decides this would probably be a good time to leave and is very much right about that because as soon as he leaves, the house (which was already in pretty bad shape) splits in two and collapses into the lake surrounding it. The end.

Part II: Umbrella Academy as Gothic

So, there are probably a couple similarities between House of Usher and The Umbrella Academy season one that stand out right off the bat, but I’d like to start by taking a step back to talk about thematic parallels between the two works. If you’d like to read a very long winded explanation of why I consider The Umbrella Academy to be a modern gothic tale, I have a really long meta about it. 

If not, here’s a quick overview:

Gothic does not have a clearly defined set of requirements as a genre, but its purpose is to explore the contradictions and the failing edifices of convention in a way that is dramatic and often fantastic. 

Gothic fiction plays with reality, but usually in a way that is representative of the characters and story. 

It often situates itself during times of great change, as there is something haunting about the irreversible passage of time, particularly for those that struggle to acknowledge it and hide behind conventions that have grown increasingly irrelevant. 

Poe is considered one of the classic authors of gothic fiction (though the genre significantly predates him), and is decidedly one of the best well-known examples of it. 

The Umbrella Academy is a family drama about former child superheroes dealing with their trauma while trying to prevent an apocalypse that their every move seems to set further in motion. It explores the messy and complicated relationships between siblings who have been abused and pit against each other for years. And yeah, it’s fun with great music and talking gorillas and dance sequences, but the premise is kind of hard for me to read as anything other than gothic.

Part III: Parallels

Like House of Usher, the first season of Umbrella Academy takes place in a massive, largely empty mansion where siblings gather with disastrous consequences. Both works explore a family that is past their prime and disconnected from the present. They also both explore the psychological toll of isolation, the consequences of tyrannical family rules, and why it is a really bad idea to lock your unstable sister in a basement and just leave her there. 

Let’s start with some thematics parallels. Everyone in House of Usher is extremely isolated, and the absence of anything resembling the modern world amongst the house full of relics is part of the horror. All of the siblings in Umbrella Academy are defined by their isolation as well, physically (Luther, Five, and Ben), socially (Vanya, Diego, Klaus, and Allison), and emotionally (legit all of them). It is this isolation that drives the conflict of the story, feeding into every characters’ choices. 

In both House of Usher and Umbrella Academy, the main characters are trapped in this isolated state as a direct result of their familial legacy. In House of Usher, the titular house is a character itself, a manifestations of the obligations Madeline and Roderick hold as members of an aristocratic family that is so far divorced from wealth and status that it keeps them from ever fully moving on and rejoining the real world. In Umbrella Academy, the characters are similarly trapped by their familial legacy, this time in the form of the specter of their abusive father, and the roles he created for them. Like the Usher siblings, the Hargreeves have no way of maintaining the roles their family left out for them – they were never given the tools to function in the real world and it cripples them – but are trapped in them regardless. 

Part IV: The Woman* in White 

*As of the time I am writing this, nothing has been said regarding Vanya’s gender identity being written to match Elliot Page’s. I am using she/her pronouns for Vanya, as that is what has been used for the character thus far. 

Aside from thematic parallels, however, the most direct connection between the short story and series, and in fact the reason I was inspired to write this meta in the first place is the way both of the stories end: with a sister trapped beneath the house clawing her way out to face her brother(s and sister) and creating a disruption of the family legacy so great that the entire estate crumbles.

Madeline Usher is described at this point as wearing a white dress, strained with the injuries she sustained from physically breaking herself out of the basement tomb her brother buried her alive in. Vanya, of course, becomes at this moment the White Violin, and though she has not yet had the epic violin-music-so-powerful-it-changes-the-color-of-her-clothes scene, the principal still stands.

As characters, there are also a couple of noteworthy parallels between Vanya and Madeline. The narrator at one point describes “the illness of the lady Madeline had lone been beyond the help of her doctors. She seemed to care about nothing” (Poe, 27). The reader never knows what illness precisely is the cause of Madeline’s apparent madness, but we see the effects. It dulls her emotional responses to situations and leaves her withdrawn and powerless. Similarly, we learn over the course of the first season of The Umbrella Academy that the medication Reginald Hargreeves prescribed Vanya for her anxiety is actually a power suppressor for her abilities that has much the same effect – because they are strengthened by extreme emotion, the drugs numb Vanya’s emotional responses and deprive her of the ability to access her powers.

Additionally, the final scene of the story story shows Madeline escaping her tomb during a great storm and going to face her brother who put her there, the storm itself being a metaphor for her anguish that tears the house apart. Vanya’s connection to the destruction of the house is a bit more literal, but it is similarly a manifestation of her anguish and trauma. She sees flashbacks of her siblings being distant and rude to her in their childhoods and the anger she feels rips the foundation apart. 

It is not entirely clear in the short story why Roderick buries Madeline alive – there are a lot of theories: he genuinely believed she was dead, he wanted her out of the picture, he himself was succumbing to the madness of the house, etc – but the guilt he feels for doing so manifests as him hearing her scraping her way out for several days preceding her escape. The justification for Vanya’s imprisonment is more clear in text, but the series of flashbacks make it clear that it is not just the imprisonment that has driven her over the edge. It it guilt for her sister, anger at her abusive upbringing that is much more easily directed at her siblings than her father, the newfound emotions experienced by being off her medication for the first time since childhood, Leonard’s manipulations, etc. 

In both cases, amidst a spiral of emotions and experiences folding in on themselves, Vanya and Madeline experience a single, cold moment of clarity that drives them to escape, and it is that moment of clarity that breaks the shadow of the family legacy. They observe the situation as it stands and realize that it is completely unacceptable, and it is the realization that leads everything to crumble. Because gothic literature is focused on the complexities of maintaining that which is out of date, the realization that things must change can break the spell.

Part V: Conclusions 

As per usual, I have no great theories on why this is or what it means. One of the reasons I love gothic literature is that it is rife with meaning that can be more easily felt than deciphered. I welcome any and all interpretations, theories, (politely worded) disagreements, and comments. 

Thanks for taking the time to read; I have a lot of fun doing these. Enjoy spooky season, y’all. 💛

[tarklesbehindthescenes]

🔥

Transformers Prime was so disappointing. As I said in tags, I'll try to be nice, but I just. I'm going to put this under keep reading. It will be lengthy. I do have some good things to say about it and I will, but I have so many complaints. Can't say I didn't warn you.

I'm going to start off with: I saw Cliffjumper in the first episode, paused immediately and told my friend that if he got red-shirted in the first five minutes to prove the situation was serious, I was going to be ANGRY. Lo and behold, Cliffjumper died to prove the situation was serious. And what was the time? Oh, around 4 minutes 30 seconds give or take. I screamed. My friend said something to the effect of, "I think they killed him off because his voice actor was The Rock and he was pricey". My response to that is, "Then maybe they shouldn't have hired him and gotten someone else."

My boyfriend came to the conclusion at one point that Optimus Prime sets the tone for the Transformer shows he's in. And I'm inclined to agree. Optimus is an absolute edgelord in this and I can't make myself like him. And the rest of the show follows. All I'm seeing is a show that tries too hard to be dark and gritty. It's like the writers were focused so much on the dark themes that the characters, their personalities and their backstories, they were all just an after thought. To me. Just my opinion.

Bulkhead... Why the heck didn't they keep Animated Bulkhead's personality? Why did they make him a generic brute? Don't get me wrong, I'm fine with the generic brute types, but Bulkhead is different. It just feels like a slight on what Bulkhead's character was in Animated. I understand that each continuity has every right to their differences. But it still bugs me.

I don't like Arcee. I don't care about her, I don't like the show's half-hearted attempts to make me care about her, she's so darn bland, and it really feels like she is looking to bring down the moods of anyone around her. "Smokescreen's too cheerful and immature. Time to berate him." Glitch, let him have some fun! Dumping hamburgers on someone's car is not something to be mean to him for. Just roll your optics and leave the mood be.

Ratchet does not hit it for me like G1 and Animated do. Maybe because he's racist? He treats the humans like vermin. And then the show just suddenly shows him with a slight change of heart when Raf gets sick. No warning or build up. Just "You humans are so annoying. Oh crap, this child I suddenly care about is dying!" I may be exaggerating, but that's how it felt to me. I guess an argument could be made that Animated Ratchet is racist, too? So if that's the case, then maybe that's not what rubs me the wrong way. But either way, I really don't care for Prime's Ratchet.

I don't care about Raf or Jack. They're just... there. Jack's blander than Arcee. Raf is just some kid with computer knowledge. How in the world does he understand Bee? This isn't G1, they can't just pass it off with "He just can". And I think you said you like Miko, so I'm sorry about this, but I loathe her. She just grates on every fiber of my being. Why is she allowed to put everyone in danger with no repercussions? If they do acknowledge it, it's usually just a slap on the wrist and she goes and does it again. I consider myself a pack animal, so if anyone was pulling stunts that endangered my family, I wouldn't hesitate to deck 'em and give 'em an earful. I'm sorry.

Starscream feels like a joke... He's so hung up on killing Cliffjumper. Like dude. Surely you killed more than just that one tired and beaten Autobot throughout the entire time the war has been going on. And if you haven't, how the heck did you get your position? People say his design is sexy and I just... don't see it. He's very expressive, and the way he moves his wings is great, but aside from that. His voice actor did a great job. But Starscream having a deep vampire-ish voice is not my cup of tea.

Soundwave really should have gotten more screen time. When I saw him slam down Airachnid, I knew I really wanted to see more Soundwave action. Megatron looks like Shredder's armor grew a face (TMNT). I can't take Megatron seriously whatsoever. From his bulging optics that can't look straight ahead, to his alt mode that shows his head and eyes peaking out at the top.

Can the Decepticons in general just have some more color, please? Knock Out and Breakdown are okay. Skyquake and his bro can get a pass. But most everyone else are just colored black, grey, super deep purple, etc. Airachnid should have died in the explosion caused to the Autobot base.

The Autobots are really not much better than the Decepticons. The amount of vehicon violence. They make it a game. But vehicons are filler, they're there to be cannon fodder, etc. Vehicons are so used to being killed off that the second they get punched, they lay down and pretend to be dead so they don't actually die. And the Autobots just laugh amongst themselves and treat it like some game. G1 treated Decepticon battles like a game sometimes too, I know, but they weren't actually killing their enemies. They were just thrashing their butts. The Prime bots kill off the cannon fodder, but don't kill off the main Decepticon characters when they get the chance? Oh! But Bulkhead smashing Starscream's clone to a bloody pulp and killing him! So unnecessary when the clone was clearly not a threat.

The abuse that Megatron throws at Starscream isn't really addressed in a satisfying way. Nobody tries to comfort him or help him get out of the abuse. It just happens. I haven't gone through all of season 3, so I'm only going off of what I've seen so far.

How. Dare they tease the idea of Breakdown having a change of heart and then kill him in such a stupid fashion. Just as I was getting past the fact that they turned him from a paranoid combiner in G1 to another brute like they did with Bulkhead, and beginning to like him. And he was friends with the vehicons! He was the only one that treated them with respect and gave them the time of day! And the writers killed him off! I will never not be salty about that.

...Okay, I think that does it for the negative stuff. Mostly. Now I can move on to the positive stuff.

Smokescreen is precious and I adore what they did to him. It was not worth waiting two seasons for him, but now that he's showed up, I can tolerate the show a little more. He just wants to be the best he can be and prove himself to Prime. The team does not deserve this ray of sunshine.

Knock Out and Breakdown's dynamic was adorable. It took a bit for them as individuals to grow on me, but in the end, I like them and I like their relationship.

I appreciate that the show gave the Decepticons some wins as well as the Autobots. Really made it feel like an actual war and that the "good guys" weren't overpowered.

Scraplets were a nice touch. I like the concept of some tiny terror being a predator to mechs. Makes the bots feel less indestructible. The bringing in of the Insecticons was kinda nice. Wish the design was different, but I appreciate they were even brought in. They really feel like a threat.

I liked the arc where Earth started being cyberformed. I don't think I will never not like the concept of cyberforming.

June Darby with her crush on Optimus. Oh, how I wish they explored that.

Miko and Bulkhead's dynamic is nice. They have a good friendship. I like the idea of a troublemaker dragging around their dim, but sturdy friend around and getting into trouble.

Ratchet on the synthetic energon was great. Give me more kickass doctor, please. Minus the vehicon torture and slaughter.

Predaking is precious as well. I think his fate has been spoiled for me, but we'll see. Hope I'm wrong.

I appreciate that around season 2 the humans started doing more work. They were no longer freeloading.

The vehicon that knocked Optimus' ass out with a tree trunk. He must have had direct beef with Prime and was training for that moment, because oh my goodness.

There was more that I liked about the show. Hence why I don't hate it. I'm just super bummed that I can't move past all those negative points. It had potential. And I want to enjoy it. Whoever loves Prime, like my sister, that's great. I'm glad you do. Somebody has to enjoy it. But it's not for me.

[terramythos]

TerraMythos 2021 Reading Challenge - Book 15 of 26

Title: Tehanu (Earthsea Cycle #4) (1990)

Author: Ursula K. Le Guin

Genre/Tags: Fantasy, Fiction, Third-Person, Female Protagonist 

Rating: 8/10

Date Began: 6/24/2021

Date Finished: 6/30/2021

Decades after The Tombs of Atuan, Tenar decided to settle down and live an ordinary life on the shepherding Isle of Gont. Now a farmer’s widow, she adopts a disfigured and horrifically abused child, who she names Therru. When a giant dragon deposits a grief-stricken Ged at her doorstep, Tenar finds herself in a strange situation as she cares for her old friend and her adopted daughter. But threats from Therru’s past and a malevolent force on the island soon threaten Tenar’s small family. 

Despair speaks evenly, in a quiet voice.

Content warnings and spoilers below the cut.

Content warnings for the book: Violence and death. Mentioned murder. Severe child abuse. Descriptions of traumatic injury and disfigurement. Mentions of r*pe, including of children. Trauma, sexism, and ableism are explored in depth. 

Tehanu is a much different book than the trilogy that precedes it. Perhaps this is unsurprising, considering the 17-year gap between this book and The Farthest Shore. I’d describe the Earthsea series as “grounded fantasy”. While all of them take place in a magical world, the thesis of each book is universal; the fantasy always comes second. Tehanu takes this idea to an extreme. The story is about everyday life as a common woman in the Earthsea world, with fantasy barely factoring in. The pacing is intentionally slow and introspective, which is something I normally don’t like, but Le Guin is a consistent exception. 

Key characters from the previous books make an appearance. Obviously Tenar is the biggest return, absent since The Tombs of Atuan. The Tenar in this book is older and much more mature, having decided to live a simple life in spite of her adventures and accomplishments. Ged returns, but he’s a shell of his former self, as he mourns the loss of his magic and the man he used to be. Even King Lebannen (formerly Arren, the main character of The Farthest Shore) makes a brief appearance, and is quite a palate cleanser after the horrible men throughout the rest of the book.  

Probably my favorite aspect of the novel is the fact that these characters stand well on their own without magic to prop them up. Tenar explored the terrifying freedom she won in The Tombs of Atuan; got married, settled down, had kids — but still finds herself at a loss on what to do with her life after her husband dies. Ged is in a similar boat; he’s gone from an almost mythic character to an ordinary man, and like Tenar finds himself at a crossroads in life. Other characters embody this idea of transformation and uncertainty; Therru’s escaped her abusers and now has a loving mother, but what does the future hold for someone with her appearance? Stuff like that. 

The idea of metamorphosis and new beginnings is well-trodden. But what makes Tehanu interesting is Le Guin primarily examines this with the middle-aged characters. Tenar and Ged are legendary figures in the world of Earthsea, but life has taken them to an uncertain future. The thrust of the novel lies in finding a purpose and becoming someone new. I also like that Tenar/Ged is endgame; I got Vibes from The Tombs of Atuan, but neither character was in a position where it would work. Seeing them form a romantic relationship much later in life is touching and cute. But it’s not the reason that either of them grow as people; finding one’s purpose is something one has to do on their own. Their relationship only develops once both parties have done so.   

My main complaint about A Wizard of Earthsea, the first book, is the sexism inherent in the setting, which is never examined below the surface level. Perhaps Le Guin’s outlook changed, or perhaps the publishing environment did, because often Tehanu reads like a response to this criticism. The central theme of the book is misogyny, the patriarchy, and its debilitating effects on women. Le Guin examines everything from micro-aggressions (“common wisdom” that happens to paint women as inferior) to domestic issues (“women’s work” and how much that actually is) to outright sexual assault (both in threats and actual acts; it is heavily implied this is part of the abuse Therru endured). She even goes into how powerful women are only considered as such because a man gave them that power. 

While I appreciate the fact she addresses these issues in such a frank, blatant way, at times reading Tehanu felt like reading a basic feminism primer. These subjects are all things I’m familiar with, and I feel like anyone who’s studied key feminist ideas would be aware of them also. Maybe 1990 was different? Le Guin doesn’t add any insights to the bleak reality of patriarchy and sexism, which is a little disappointing compared to previous books. That being said, this book is aimed at young adults despite its dark subject matter. Tehanu could be the first exposure to these ideas that many children receive; looking at it that way, it makes sense that the analysis comes off as basic. 

I also found the book’s examination of gender to be very cishet-normative. That’s definitely not surprising, considering the book was published in 1990, but to a 2021 reader this hasn’t aged super well. There’s a lot of discussion about the relationships and differences between men and women--whether there are any or not, how magic differs between them, the ability to bear children, and so on. There’s a weird sexual component to this, like how wizards (who are exclusively men) have to remain celibate in order to… keep being wizards? But women who are witches don’t have to do that, and that’s an advantage women have? (There’s mentions of male witches too, iirc, but it’s not expanded upon— do they have to remain celibate? Who knows.). I found this whole bit pretty odd and unnecessary, although I realize a lot of my perspective on the matter comes from a modern view of sex and gender (and, y’know, being trans). Not all the gender takes in the book are bad, but they are limited. 

I found Le Guin’s exploration of trauma and ableism through Therru to be more interesting. There’s a lot of examination about how society treats Therru, a survivor of unspeakable abuse. Her trauma is visible due to severe burns along part of her body, leaving her with a missing eye and disfigured hand. Tenar spends much of the novel wondering what future Therru has; no matter how capable she is and how much she acts like any other little girl, strangers gawk at her, or assume she “deserved” what happened to her. Therru becomes happier and more independent over the course of the novel, but relapses into a traumatized state when she encounters one of her abusers. As a survivor, it’s heartbreaking and distressingly realistic. As much as I like Tenar, I almost wish the novel was from Therru’s perspective (other than the brief jump at the end), but I realize it would spoil the ending.  

I’m torn on the ending because, while I thought it was cool and had some interesting revelations, it’s a jarring tonal shift. As I mentioned, Tehanu is a slow novel with a heavy focus on everyday life, and the trials and tribulations both Tenar and Therru experience. There’s even a climactic event a few chapters before the end; the only thing left is a persistent loose thread from earlier in the novel. That subplot explodes to the forefront a bare chapter and a half before the end of the book, and a lot of action-y fantasy stuff happens. It doesn’t come out of nowhere; it’s set up throughout the novel, but it is sudden. 

That being said, I do like that the subplot with dragons vs humans is hinted at as early as The Tombs of Atuan. When Tenar tells the legend about the origin of dragons early in the story, my mind immediately went to that one room from the Labyrinth with the sad winged humanoids painted on its walls. I’m curious if there are hints elsewhere in the series. I also figured out Therru’s true name and how she relates to that subplot based on context clues. While it’s not a shocking twist, it is a satisfying one. Though parts of it gave me a “magical destiny” vibe which is counter to much of the series so far; I do wonder how the last two books will address this. (Also… did Le Guin imply Kalessin is Segoy? AKA God? What did she mean by this. So Ged literally like… hitched a ride from God, who promptly yeeted out of the story until the end? That’s kind of funny. Maybe I misinterpreted something.) 

I probably sound critical of this book, but I did genuinely enjoy it. It just didn’t speak to me the way the previous two did. The next book is a short story collection before the conclusion to the series, so we’ll see where it goes! Tehanu set some stuff up that I expect will be expanded upon in these volumes.

[daresplaining]

A Few Thoughts About the Current Run

    I feel like I ought to say a few things about my feelings on Zdarsky’s run, as of right now (August 2020, pre-Annual-- that may be important). I haven’t said much about this run, and I should admit that I actually stopped reading it for a while. At a certain point, I realized I was dreading the release of each preview, and took that as a sign that maybe I should take a break and just re-read some back issues instead. This is, above all, supposed to be fun; I never, ever want reading DD to feel like a chore.  

    That said, I am now caught up and feel ready to begin untangling exactly why this run is so distasteful to me. I’ve been fortunate to have other DD fans to chat with about this, which has helped me to pinpoint what my problems are... because on paper, this run seems like something I’d enjoy. Matt accidentally kills a guy; that’s always fun. Marco Checchetto is great. The story explores Daredevil’s relationship with the citizens of Hell’s Kitchen, which I love. Foggy helps Matt with an action-y Daredevil thing; that’s awesome. There are some very cool fights. Elektra is in it. Stilt-Man is (briefly) in it. It has all the trappings of an interesting narrative. But there is a giant hole in the middle of this run, and that hole is Matt Murdock-shaped and impossible to ignore.     

    I read Daredevil comics for a lot of things (anyone who’s been following me for the past few years might think I read Daredevil comics for Mike Murdock, and you may have a point there) but first and foremost, I read them for Matt. There is a lot that makes a good DD story great-- historically, the comic has featured great supporting casts, and that’s another problem with this run that I’ll get back to in a minute-- but Matt is always the anchor. One of the greatest strengths in Daredevil comes from the fact that the protagonist is such a compelling character. You are interested in what he’s doing. You want to follow his story. You enjoy being inside his head. I’m not saying that you can’t write a good Matt-free Daredevil story-- you definitely can. But if Matt is present and written poorly, the whole story will collapse around him, and that’s been my experience with Zdarsky’s run. Part of the reason I’ve taken so long to write this post is because I’ve been trying to figure out if my complaint comes from my own personal taste-- which is not a basis on which I can critique this comic-- or whether the problem is inherent in the work itself. Having discussed it with other people, I feel comfortable saying that I think the problem is in the writing. 

    Zdarsky’s Matt feels profoundly unfamiliar to me, and that in itself isn’t necessarily a problem, but I don’t find this new version of my favorite superhero interesting. I actually find him a little repellant. If this run had been my introduction to Daredevil, I would’ve said “Nope” and read something else. Matt is a character with depth. He is intensely multifaceted. His relationship to superheroing is complicated, his views on justice and morality are rich and often contradictory. Zdarsky somehow missed all of that and has crafted a one-dimensional character with a blatantly black-and-white sense of morality. Matt’s reaction to accidentally killing someone seems to be to decide that all superheroes are bad-- something I complained about at the beginning of the run and which, unfortunately, only grew more annoying as the story progressed. Zdarsky’s Matt is painfully self-righteous, to a degree that makes him extremely unlikeable (at least to me). And yes, Matt has been written as unlikeable before. I actually love when Matt behaves badly; I find that fascinating from a narrative perspective. But I’ve realized that the key reason that has been effective in the past is because the story has never condoned that behavior. When Matt was emotionally abusive toward Heather Glenn, Frank Miller went out of his way to show us-- via the side characters, via blatant expressions of Heather’s pain-- that Matt was in the wrong. When Matt was a jerk in Bendis’ and Brubaker’s runs, when he drove his friends away, when he acted irrationally and harmfully, the narrative commented on that jerkiness and irrationality. 

    But Zdarsky does not do that in his run. He presents Matt’s irrational and jerkish behavior without comment or nuance, as if it’s a perfectly normal, reasonable way for Matt to act under the circumstances, and I have been surprised to realize how distasteful I find that, and how bad it makes Matt look. There’s a difference between having a character who is comfortably flawed-- whose behavior you’re supposed to occasionally question-- and a character who is just unpleasant and unlikeable, seemingly by accident. In the most recent issue (#21), Matt has an extremely upsetting interaction with Spider-Man, one of his oldest friends, and Matt is positioned as heroic for behaving this way, and it made me feel a little ill, because there’s no textual examination or questioning of this behavior. It’s just Matt, pushing people away, being Angsty(TM) and Gritty(TM) and lone wolf-y just because, in a way that is grating and unpleasant and completely lacks nuance. 

    The other major element of Zdarsky’s characterization of Matt is religion. I’ve mentioned before (as have other DD fans before me) that Matt is not generally written as religious, and it’s a strange phenomenon that this characterization has appeared in multiple adaptations (the movie and the Netflix show) while having very little actual presence in the source material. But it was a key theme in the Netflix show, and while hopefully that influence will disappear from the comics as more time passes, we are still in a honeymoon phase wherein MCU elements are still popping up in the 616 universe. It’s clear that Zdarsky really liked the show, and Soule as well; I’m certainly not letting Soule off the hook here, because the idea of Matt being devoutly Christian showed up his run first. But there, you could get away from it if it wasn’t your thing (which, for me, it’s not). Soule had whole story arcs that didn’t mention it. But Zdarsky has made it 75% of Matt’s personality. When he isn’t fighting or sleeping with someone in this run, Matt is angsting about God. 

    I hesitate to complain about this because it’s Zdarsky’s right as a DD writer to change the protagonist however he likes. It’s frustrating, yes, but not actually a sign of bad writing per se. Plus, not everyone is me. Many people-- probably including many people who were fans of the Netflix show and are entering the comics via that connection (which seems to be the target audience for this run)-- may be religious and may connect to MCU/Zdarsky Matt in that way. And that’s wonderful. I want to be very clear: it’s not the religiousness itself that I’m complaining about. My complaint is this: if you’re going to drastically alter a character, you need to back it up. You need to dig into it, make that new personality element feel powerful and real, and integrate it into the character’s pre-existing personality. And if you’re going to base the entirety of that character’s emotional journey on that new trait, you need to work to make sure it’s accessible to your readership. I, as a non-religious person, have no sense of why Matt is so upset about God. I have no frame of reference for his pain, either from my own experiences or from previous Daredevil continuity, and Zdarsky does nothing to develop or explore the basis of Matt’s faith, and so it all just falls flat. I feel alienated by this run. I see an angsty, self-righteous, prickly jerk ranting about needing to do God’s will, and then I put the issue down and read some She-Hulk instead. If Zdarsky (or Soule-- again, he could have done this too) had made an effort to actually explore and explain Matt’s feelings about his religion, rather than lazily shoving that characterization in there and assuming readers will just accept it, it wouldn’t bother me nearly as much as it has. 

    Also, I feel I have to mention; this is a fantasy universe. Matt went to Hell and yelled at Mephisto in Nocenti’s run, and it was awesome. Maybe this is just me, but if you’re going to bring in religion, at least have some fun with it! Bookend Nocenti’s run: Matt goes to Heaven, runs into God, and she gives him some free therapy and a souvenir t-shirt (or, I don’t know, something). To give Zdarsky credit, he did at least hint at that sort of thing in Matt’s conversation with Reed Richards in #9. 

    I'm going to cut this post short, because I really don’t enjoy writing negative reviews. I’d much rather post about things I love, and over the next few weeks I do plan to highlight aspects of this run that I’ve enjoyed. But I’ll end by saying that the weaknesses in Matt’s characterization could have been mitigated by a great supporting cast. Having prominent secondary protagonists would have provided outside perspectives on Matt’s behavior and given the reader other characters to root for when he got too out-of-hand. They would have drawn out the human elements in Matt’s character and helped give him that nuance he so desperately needs. But this run, just like Soule’s before it, is woefully underpopulated. Foggy’s presence is extremely weak and his appearances far too infrequent. Apart from brief cameos in MacKay’s Man Without Fear mini, Kirsten McDuffie and Sam Chung have both vanished, and I’m worried that Kirsten might have joined Milla Donovan in the limbo of still-living-but-permanently-benched ex-love interests. The women in this run are all either villains or people for Matt to sleep with (I was pumped about Elektra’s return and the idea of her training Matt, but her characterization was disappointing (I may write a separate post about this), and Mindy Libris could have been really compelling as a moral person trying to survive life in a crime family, but instead she was just a one-note, underdeveloped victim for Matt to lust after). To Zdarsky’s credit, he has clearly been trying to give the Kingpin a humanizing story arc, but even that I haven’t found compelling enough to want to keep reading (though that could just be me). Cole North was intriguing at first, but he ended up feeling more like a concept than an actual person. And none of these characters engage with Matt on a human, emotional level, which is what a good supporting cast needs to do. I commented early-on that this run felt like all flash and no bang (Is that a term? It is now.) and I think I still stand by that-- it’s all bombastic plot concepts and big ideas without any of the actual development or nuance necessary to make them work. There is nothing in this run that has pulled me in and held my interest; in the absence of a Matt I can connect to, I need something, and so far I haven’t found it. 

    I could go on, but I think I’ve made my point. This run was nominated for an Eisner for best ongoing series, so apparently someone likes it, but it has become clear that-- so far, anyway-- it’s just not right for me.  

[strangertheory]

A “perfect” ending?

Thank you for Asking, @strangerbylerss ! I was a Tumblr amateur once again, and I accidentally tried to save your Ask as a Draft and it disappeared. Thankfully, I’ve started taking screenshots of all Asks so I don’t lose track of them so I’m replying in a post like this.

What do I envision as a “perfect ending” that the public would say is not forced that involves Mike and Will falling in love and becoming a couple? Well. As you probably have noticed, I already see Mike and Will’s strong bond as canon and as an essential part of the very structure of the entire series. I personally believe that any other ending would feel forced and as though the writers had diverged from their original plans that they foreshadowed in seasons 1, 2, and 3. But! I respect that my opinion on that topic is controversial in the context of the popular fandom understanding of the series thus far, and I am happy to describe my thoughts on the direction that the series might take next, how that might involve Mike and Will’s relationship, and what I would personally like to see addressed in the story by the end of season 5.

It is, of course, important for the writers to explore Mike and Will’s relationship from this point forward in a way that continues to be consistent with the established Stranger Things universe and any canon details that we have been given so far in the first three seasons. I think Mike and Will have quite a lot of hurdles to get through, but that those hurdles are an intrinsic part of the story and that they will be addressed in the final seasons. Whether they face their challenges together earlier on, or whether those challenges need to be dealt with before they feel comfortable admitting their feelings for each other, remains to be seen. I have a hunch, however, that the mysterious events and odd happenings with the Mindflayer are directly connected to what Will is struggling with in the story, and as such it only makes sense that in the process of confronting the Mindflayer and conquering the personal issues that Will is dealing with that he will also inevitably confront his feelings for Mike.

I trust the Duffer Brothers and the writing team behind Stranger Things to continue telling a great story just as they have been thus far. Season 4 and 5 will undoubtedly feature more monsters and strange happenings around Hawkins, the Upside Down, and now wherever Hopper is (presumably Russia) and wherever the Byers Family has moved to. I am wary of hypothesizing too far into plot-related specifics since I think that's entirely dependent on the writers' creative decisions and something that could take many different paths, but I'm happy to share a very general idea of one route that I could envision the story taking that I think could be very satisfying.

Hints and clues in the series so far suggest that Will is dealing with a lot of trauma, and I believe that there is evidence that Will is also dealing with a significant amount of internalized homophobia. Canonically, the Mindflayer is implied to be connected to Will's emotional state in some way or at the very least heavily influences it. Will is pulled into the Upside Down in season 2 when he is afraid: first while trick-or-treating when startled by the bullies in masks, and again when at school and frightened by Dart in the bathroom. Will senses the Mindflayer in season 3 while watching Mike and El holding hands on the hill as they walk home, and he senses the Mindflayer while at the movies alone with Mike. I hypothesize that these season 3 moments in which Will senses the Mindflayer are specifically triggered by Will’s intense fear and anxiety over his repressed feelings for Mike. I believe that by the end of the series Will has to confront many of his fears in order to effectively deal with the Mindflayer, and his internalized homophobia is a significant source of fear and anxiety for him. I theorize that he will have to face his feelings for Mike eventually, and that it is actually a critical part of the logical resolution of the story.

Mike, meanwhile, has his own challenges. We are led to understand that Mike has a lot of deep insecurities and wants to be loved and accepted by other people, and also very much cares about doing the “right” thing. As rebellious as Mike can sometimes act, you can tell that he values the respect of his friends and he also might feel like he needs to live up to his strict and orderly parents’ expectations in order to be loved. I might be projecting a bit here, but while growing up in a household that was very strict and had lots of rules, I often felt like if I broke a rule or if I didn’t live up to my parents’ expectations that their love might actually be revealed to be entirely conditional someday.

For Mike and Will to end up together in a way that I would consider narratively consistent with the themes in Stranger Things so far, I believe that season 4 and season 5 need to address:

Will’s trauma

Will’s severe internalized homophobia

Mike’s insecurities and his desire for love and approval

their separation now that the Byers Family moved out of Hawkins

The perfect ending, for me, would involve Will finally starting to confront his trauma and any parts of his past that are haunting him in the present, and working through his internalized homophobia and the ghost of his father’s abuse. I would hope to see Mike recognizing that even if people don’t approve of what he wants to do with his life that he will ultimately be much happier when he is honest with himself and with others about his feelings and who he is regardless of what society expects. I think that Karen Wheeler will be particularly happy that her son is able to understand this in a way that she struggled to when she was younger.

If I were to predict the chronology of certain plot-points: I might guess that in season 4 we will follow Mike figuring out his feelings for Will while in Hawkins, and that Will would be working through his trauma and dealing with the Mindflayer with El and Joyce and Jonathan wherever they’ve relocated to. Will, in all likelihood, is probably still under the heartbreaking impression that Mike does not return his feelings, that being queer means that he will never have the chance to be happy like his friends, and that he is alone and unworthy of romantic love. We might see a rather angsty contrast between Mike realizing his feelings for Will while in Hawkins and becoming more passionately confident about it, while Will is off on his own facing horrible things and convinced that Mike will never return his feelings. (The drama!) At some point, the adventures in Hawkins will probably collide with the adventures with the Mindflayer once again, and the cast will be reunited through various twists of fate. When reunited, Mike might be prepared to confess his feelings for Will but plans could be thrown awry as sinister plots unfold and antagonists gain the upper hand in the season’s latest conflict. Since it is the penultimate season, I wouldn't be shocked if they leave us with a grittier cliffhanger than even season 3 and Hopper's (incorrectly) presumed death.

I think there’s any number of ways that the writers could address the main conflict in the series while also addressing the emotional conflicts of the story and offer us a very satisfying conclusion to both over the course of season 4 and season 5. I’ve given you a peek into one of many different hypothetical scenarios that I’ve imagined might take place and that could work, but I trust that whatever route the Duffer Brothers decide to take with the story that it will be excellent.

In conclusion: the perfect ending for Stranger Things, for me, would involve Hopper, Will, El, and Mike (and everyone else!) being safe and healthy and happy and confronting their fears, their traumas, and their feelings while being honest with their loved ones and themselves about what matters most to them. And I do think this will involve Mike falling in love with his friend that went missing in November 1983, and them living a very happy life together for the rest of their days.

Thank you for your Ask!

*Edit: I realize that I should briefly address Mike and El’s former dating relationship since oftentimes fans see their rom-com drama in season 3 as the largest hurdle between Mike and Will becoming a couple by the end of the series. I see Mike and El’s dynamic, and El and Will’s eerie connections to one another, as being an intrinsic part of the emotional journey of self-discovery and self-love that Mike and Will are going through. I believe that El and Will's stories are intertwined and that they are not entirely independent from each other. I won’t elaborate in this post, but you can read some of my thoughts on Will and El’s connection to each other here and you can read my opinion of Mike and El’s current dynamic here. In short: I don’t see Mike and El’s relationship as being in direct conflict with Mike and Will becoming a couple, I actually see Mike and El’s dynamics as frequently directly supporting the theory that Mike has feelings for Will. @kaypeace21​ also has an excellent write-up on the way that El and Mike’s break-up in season 3 directly parallels Will and Mike’s fight, and the way that the tone of those scenes reveal Mike’s feelings. You can read that here.

[mrs-nate-humphrey]

So I was reading your WIP list (they sound great!!!) and that part about Rufus's shitty parenting you mentioned in the Blair/Jenny fic section really resonated with me. Rufus, I feel, gets cut a lot of slack in the parenting department by virtue of like, not being Lily or Bart, but honestly his parenting decisions really had a negative effect on especially Jenny, but Dan too. While season 6 was mostly a dumpster fire for Dan's characterization, something that stuck out to me in 6x02 was that

it ultimately wasn't losing Blair or being betrayed by Serena that solidified Dan's decision to publish Inside Out, but his father's relationship with Ivy following everything that happened with Lily. Dan's talking to Georgina about it, and she says something to the effect of having once considered Brooklyn a moral high ground, and Dan's response of his father "having fallen off his pedestal" in his eyes really stuck with me. As much as I hated the way they wrote Dan as the  ~villain~, I think there's a lot to be said about how heavily Rufus influenced Dan and Jenny's perceptions of themselves and what they consider right and wrong. To me, it seems like a lot of the inner turmoil vis-a-vis their relationships and their careers that Dan and Jenny both go through throughout the show ultimately traces back to Rufus's "standards", even if Rufus himself isn't directly involved.

OH you’ve said this better than I could ever have! this makes a lot of sense.

so, i do not want to disappoint, but while rufus’s shitty parenting comes up and comes up explicitly, it’s not the focus of the fic! it’s something dan and jenny talk about in the context of jenny, where dan goes ‘i never realised how difficult things were for you when we were kids, i’m sorry about that’ and jenny’s like ‘well, at least you weren’t dad.’ i was describing this fic to a friend as “it contains a lot of heavy themes, but it’s very much like everything is happening around jenny” - jenny is the focus of the fic! her past, the other characters’ stuff, that’s all there but not as focused on. if that makes sense. 

rufus was a lot harsher on jenny than he was on dan, in ways that make no sense - like you should not pick fights with your 15 year old daughter. what are you trying to prove!! he handled jenny’s stuff so badly! and he was always so much more patient/understanding of dan, i think because he and dan had a lot more in common than he and jenny did, which made it easier for him to understand dan. he never extended the same courtesy to jenny - he was very “oh i guess you’re a Bad Child Inside” or whatever, which. a lot of jenny’s drama and trauma - esp everything in s3 - could’ve been avoided if she had a good parental figure to talk to. she shouldn’t have needed to keep calling nate to protect her!! anyway this isn’t really a New Take, i think a lot of people HAVE spoken about this.

with dan and rufus i think it’s different because, like, rufus has never been as explicitly awful to dan as he has to jenny. i think that’s sometimes an abusive parent thing where they treat one sibling far worse than the other (tho tbh i don’t know if abusive is the right word for rufus, i think he’s far more neglectful. ah, whatever.) anyway, dan was able to grow up idolising rufus, like you said, and yeah, the thing with rufus and ivy really hit him badly. which i think makes sense - remember how when ivy first shows up as “charlie”, rufus cautions dan against being with her romantically because she’s too young for him or something?? rufus and ivy being together felt like bad writing, but that aside, i think a huge part of dan wanted to grow up to be just like his dad. and i think a huge part of growing up IS realising that the adults around you are not perfect. though of course, it’s a bit more complicated than this in dan’s case - he adores his dad AND he adores his little sister. so, while everything hits dan a bit differently, it still does make an impact.

anyway!! what you said makes a lot of sense, and i think dan and jenny have vastly different experiences with rufus’s shitty parenting. it’s a bit ironic i guess but rufus and lily technically did have the same sort of way of regarding their children - they set impossibly high standards, judged their kids too quickly, etc. 

i think for jenny, rufus deciding that she was Inherently a Bad Person would’ve added and contributed significantly to all the shady stuff she was doing around that time. if your own father (who, you know, used to love you Before Everything Went Wrong) decides you’re not capable of being a good person, what incentive do you have to be better? and for dan i think it’s safe to say that the conflict comes from like. how much of him is really what he believes and how much of his self-image, ideology and ways of reacting to things are things he consciously or subconsciously modelled off rufus. & of course, growing up and being like ‘how can i live for myself knowing that the foundation that is my values are shaky’ / ‘i’ve seen my dad hurt people and now i know that i’ve probably hurt people too in the same ways’ etc etc -> there’s definitely stuff to explore from dan pov there! just different stuff from the jenny pov.

sorry this is a bit rambly - i’m a self declared humphrey sibling apologist! was considering making a url with some variant of humphreyapologist in it, but i stopped myself because i did not want people to think i support rufus. i do not! 

[fairydust-stuff]

Yut Lung Lee fic rec list

Yut Lung Lee fic recs: Fanfiction focused and centered on Yut Lung lee. (No yuesing because that deserves its own list) Also none of my own stories are on here because that would be Cheesy. 

Its My fault I know I'm selfish by Livesinbooks

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27619817

A time loop fic about Yut Lung being forced to relive that night in Golzine's manor until he gets it right. It's a simple premise but a solid character study that really grasps the complexities of Yut Lung's character and team Ash even grows with him. A must for Yut Lung and also Eiji fans this is a great redemptive fix-it fic.

A Cabin in the Woods https://archiveofourown.org/works/27435316

Eiji and Yut Lung get captured by a serial killer and have to save each other's butts. It does a good job with its cold take on Yut Lung's phycology and actually utilizes both of their skills while keeping both their personalities intact. Its listed Ash x Eiji but its actually an Enemies to friends fic that's very Yut Lung centered.

Silence is Enough by Mackerel _ pizza

https://archiveofourown.org/works/20616266

Yut Lung and Eiji meeting at Ash’s grave

Why you should check it out if you think Eiji got screwed over by the end of the series and are interested in stories exploring both Eiji and Yut Lung’s grief and reactions in the after math of Ash’s death. This is the oneshot for you.

Reversal by twoheartsx

https://archiveofourown.org/works/16734120/chapters/39636393#workskin

A reverse universe where Ash is evil and Yut Lung ran away from his brothers years ago and is the gang leader who found out about Banana Fish.

Why you should check it out- Ash makes a delightful villain and seeing Yut Lung and Eiji who aren’t superpowered beings struggle against him is an interesting role reversal.

Easier this way by Aella - Antiope

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15902712

Just Yut Lungs pov on the bedroom scene with Dino

Why you should check it out

Its makes a dark situation humorous due to Yut Lung’s snark and exasperation with Eiji and also has a bit of a complex dynamic between them.

Wingless Child by trillingwire https://archiveofourown.org/works/16235846

An alternate take on what happened before Dino showed up in the bedroom scene.

Why you should check it out well its hardcore Yut Lung X Eiji and it really does feel like it nails Yut Lung’s character and the roller coaster of emotions he feels towards Eiji during this fic is just captured incredibly! I’m also a sucker for Yut lung instructing Eiji on anything. This is one of the more believable Yueiji fics and it is one of the better takes and this is what made me at least dabble in Yut lung x Eiji

Wanting Crescent by Drunk Yeet

https://archiveofourown.org/works/16213781

Blanca x Yut Lung fic

Why you should check it out

I’m not a Blanca x Yut Lung or even a Blanca fan but this really captures Yut Lung’s insecurities about Blanca & Ash and his dysfunction about caring for Blanca and just these two dumpster fires in general. Its a beautiful fic and well crafted and if Blanca x Yut Lung is your jam might as well purchase the brand name jam.

Numbness (with a side of denial and tears) by beyondmyreach

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15928760

A Yut Lung character study about his thoughts on Shorter Wong

Why you should check it out

It really puts into words Yut Lung’s implied feelings toward Shorter Wong and its a overall good character study about his death affected him.

Soft.. by catpoop

https://archiveofourown.org/works/16232690/chapters/37946075

Yut Lung through the years

Why you should check it out

A character study that explorers Yut Lungs abuse and his toxic family relationships its sad but does a good job of filling in the blanks of canon focusing mostly on Yut Lung’s childhood.

Catpoop also has another fic called past forged boundaries as well, only five chapters.

But the premise is Yut Lung running away and ending up in Chinatown and meeting the Wongs and its still really good. So i’ll leave that link down below as well. https://archiveofourown.org/works/16413449/chapters/38425235

Complex Crystalline by Groombella123

https://archiveofourown.org/works/16590188 Drunk Yut Lung menacing Eiji set during Eiji’s time as Yut Lung’s prisoner.

Why you should check it out

If you like Yut Lung and his messy complicated feelings for Eiji and with a dash of one sided unrequited love on his part this is the fic for you.

Though shapes and shadows by twoheartsx https://archiveofourown.org/works/16413599

An examination of Yut Lung & blanca dynamic

Why you should check it out

If you like blanca & Yut Lung angst this is a good one to check out honestly.

The End of something by Angela https://archiveofourown.org/works/16718452

An aftermath of Ash’s death story

Why you should check it out Yut Lung dealing with his grief and guilt over Ash’s death and the author's spin on it is great. Also great use of oc character that ties into the story well.

Half a Letter by Hamliet

https://archiveofourown.org/works/17110589/chapters/40240322

It maybe labeled ash x Eiji but the core of this fic is Ash & Yut Lung’s relationship

Why you should check it out

An Au ending to the story that makes sense wraps up three character arches/dynamics in a satisfying way and Hamliet is just a really great writer who crafts action packed suspenseful stories that capture the characters very well.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/16267535/chapters/38039114

A link to another Hamliet fic called Stray Phoenix

an Au where Yut Lung realizes Shorter is about to be killed and saves him in time.

Why you should check it out

You should check out all of Hamliet’s fics, but this particular one is one of the best Yut Lung redemption stories i’ve seen and once again it wraps up everything more satisfyingly then canon. Also one of the best Yut Lung x Shorter fics i’ve read.

Lost in you tonight

https://archiveofourown.org/works/16650073

Yut Lung mourning Ash’s death

Why you should check it out

If your like me and starved for Ash x Yut Lung content this is a good one to check out also the Sing & Yut Lung dynamic is really sweet and lovely.

Fever by Miles Libertatis

https://archiveofourown.org/works/16866739

Yut Lung brings a sick Shorter rice porridge

Why you should check it out

You think a premis like this would be cute but its angsty as frick it does a good job of nailing both characters and how tragically doomed it is anything could develop between them.

the robbing the nest by zechariahfour (sodas)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/17006610

Yut Lung in the aftermath of the slaughter of his family

Why you should check it out

If your like me and think that Yut Lung’s murder of his brothers kids was poorly handled in terms of it supposedly being his full dark side moment but never showing the frigging after math to the point where it might as well not of happened. This is a good dark one shot that adds some much needed exploration to that situation.

Dancing on the Blade by Inked Page

https://archiveofourown.org/works/17002401

Yut Lung and Shorter playing with knives

Why you should check it out Flirting attraction between two people who could kill each other. This is one of the more morbid Yut Lung x Shorter fics which kind of makes it great.

I Can still Hear Her by orphan account https://archiveofourown.org/works/17151815

Yut Lung telling Blanca all the ugly truths about what he went through

Why you should check it out

orphan account is an author that is very good at handling dark content and this one is no exception this author takes the subtext of Yut Lung’s childhood during Banana fish and makes it overt text.

Endless nightmares is another good Yut Lung by the same author focusing on Yut Lung’s alcoholism and recovery.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/17321861

Somewhere along the lines i forgot what love is by petitlionhomme https://archiveofourown.org/works/17120294

Yut Lung holding Eiji captive like in cannon but they fall in love

Why you should check it out

This is one of the better Yut lung x Eiji fics and one of the few where Eiji returns the feelings its a nice slow burn that takes its time and goes back to a time in cannon where Eiji wasn’t quite so peeved at yut lung and it could have worked.

Also this author wrote a dark series where one of the one shots has a Yut Lung focus

Its called Prince on a broken throne

https://archiveofourown.org/works/17365550

Blighted by Judar chan

https://archiveofourown.org/works/17321573

Yut lung x his brothers

I kind of hate myself for suggesting this one but the power plays between the three of them are well written even though the explicitness of the whole fic is uncomfortable as hell. Also Yut Lung devious scheming side is in full effect and seeing him brought to his lowest still trying to grab whatever power there is, its just great characterization. If your easily triggered i’d avoid this one but if you do enjoy fictional power plays and messed up sex stuff maybe check this one out. They also have another fic called Spoiled which has similar themes.

Splitting image by epan

I don’t want to give this one away, because reading it and finding out is the point. I'll just say its tragically beautiful and leave it at that.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/17299862

Better then you by Val Creative

https://archiveofourown.org/works/17365550

Yut Lung x Shorter Au take on the scene where Shorter pins him down

Why you should check it out

If you like your soy sauce confused and angry this is the fic for you.

Cricket by artemis date

https://archiveofourown.org/works/17921990

Yut Lung and Eiji strike up a relationship while in Paris

Why you should check it out if you like angst ridden doomed romance stories this would be right up your alley.

Dangerous Weapon handling by Fallon Kristerson

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18585589

Shorter Yut Lung and a conversation about guns

Why you should check this out

You like your soysauce with a dangerous Yut Lung and adrenaline junkie Shorter this is for you.

Calm time by Carmel rose

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18584803

Yut Lung x Arthur

Why you should check it out

Scheming villains and power plays if you like villain pairings this is one you need to check out.

East of eden by flakes https://archiveofourown.org/works/18608308/chapters/44117839

And its sequel Wild Rose https://archiveofourown.org/works/21545941/chapters/51362707

I know both are Yut Lung x Shorter they are in spanish and i know google translate isn’t the best but darn it these fics deserve more attention and its worth it to try and decipher the meaning even if your not a Spanish speaker due to the lovely slow burn and character development.

The same language by frozenyogurt

https://archiveofourown.org/works/19272427

Once again not in English but as a well written three part one shot series known as guns and Lavender centering around an AU where Ash met Yut Lung first its more than worth the trouble. Especially since it is one of the best Ash x Yut Lung fics and honestly inspired my own fic writing.

Burning Cities and Napalm Skies by dia dove

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21639952/chapters/51601735

An Au where arthur survives and him and Yut Lung both try and cope with the past and look to the future

If villains healing together is your jam and you sympathized with wanting better for Arthur this the fic for you. Mirror Image by Kaen Okami

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22188835

Another drabbel about Yut Lung and his mom

Why you should check it out

Its just another very good character study focusing of Yut lungs grief for his mom.

CD’s and Mottorbikes by Asmicarus

Yut Lung gets lost Shorter finds and takes him home

Why you should check it out

I don’t want to give too much away but Shorter and Yut Lung dancing to billy joel is just one of the highlights of this fic. If your into fluffy soysauce this is one you’d enjoy.

Ice cold meltdown by knoxoursavior https://archiveofourown.org/works/23652046?show_comments=true#comments

Yut Lung sinking into despair

Why you should check it out

The language is beautiful and the picture it paints just gives me chills every time i read it. Honestly this author has several good Banana fish fics both angsty and sweet that are Yut Lung centered but you may want a box of tissues on hand just in case.

Nemeseia Lunaris by Amigara https://archiveofourown.org/works/19351834/chapters/46040242

Eiji is killed by Shorter and the rest of Ash’s group is finished off by golzine craving vengeance Ash accepts Yut Lung’s offer of an alliance.

Why you should check it out

Its an Ash x Yut Lung slow burn with solid characterization and really explorers the dynamic between these two as well as giving more presence to some of the more minor villains. i’m not sure where the fic is going but i’m loving it so far and i really think you guys will not be disappointed if you give this one a chance.

Deep in Love by ladycrazy13

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25635673/chapters/62230915 Yut lung x Ash fighting zombies which is also why you should check out this dark fic

The Killers by Aeriel https://archiveofourown.org/works/22392976

Another Blanca x Yut Lung fic (considering i suggested a few non con incest fics on this list i might as well rec a few of these too)

Why you should check it out

The characterization is great and the Blanca and Yut Lung dynamic is one i could see happening on screen. Once again don't want to give to much away but if your looking for Blanca x Yut Lung that feels like it could be cannon this is one of the better ones. (Also its not about Blanca's frigging dick! for once)

serpant twining by Aoftheis https://archiveofourown.org/works/17644940

Blanca tries to be a good person and mostly succeeds but still is a bit creepy honestly

[machikuragii]

Rank the Sohmas and explain your ranking?

Anon, this got really long, so I’ve put everything under the cut. Also I don’t have solid rankings beyond my top 2 so I went into ‘tiers’ that aren’t necessarily ordered by how much I like a character. TLDR; I love all the zodiacs for different reasons, see readmore for more in-depth thoughts.

1. Yuki Sohma

Yuki as a character is really, really important to me. I think about him so much, and how he goes from a neglected, unwanted child with no support network to a confident young adult who is so comfortable with himself and free to be happy and at ease and surrounded by those who love him. I think about how important it is that Takaya displays this journey as incremental, and not necessarily linear. I think about how Yuki’s strength comes not only from himself and his desire to improve step by step, but from the support he gradually starts to receive from the people around him. I think about just how important it is when Takaya says that it’s ok to be weak, to reach out for help, and that for some people, it is only when they DO receive the needed support from others that they are able to get better. I think about just how much it means for a boy with so little self-worth to gradually find himself in the company of people who enjoy his presence and like him for who he is, and I think about how he is able to reach out and help others after receiving the warm and foundation he himself needs, when he is emotionally ready. I think about then, how SIGNIFICANT it is to show a character who had absolutely NOTHING in his childhood go on to make sure that his own child has everything he longed for in a home in his childhood. 

There’s a little bit of Yuki in everyone. Every bit of his internal monologue hits like a truck for anyone who struggles with insecurity and low self-esteem, and his drive and aspiration to find his own purpose and happiness, can be a source of inspiration to so many. Yuki Sohma is one of the best, if not THE definitely best written Fruits Basket characters, and I really wish more people recognised this. As sensei once said herself, I know that Yuki will always have his fans, but I wished that more people realised and appreciated his importance in the story and carrying the themes of Fruits Basket.

2. Hatori Sohma

This is more a remnant of a past phase, but Hatori is here because he was my first anime crush ksksksasoksks . Jokes aside though, I love Hatori because of his kindness and selfless nature that is masked by a cold exterior. As an adult I realise that Hatori’s actions are not always perfect or enough, but I still really think that he is someone who truly cares. There are so many instances that improve his character in my eyes. Can you imagine going through what he goes through with Kana, and learning of her marriage, and not feeling bitterness, but relief that she is happy? And yet he values his own happiness so little that it really breaks my heart. Or the way that he doesn’t avoid Momiji after the ordeal with his mother, but checks up on him and in a way helps raise him? Dude is more of a father figure to Momiji than his own dad. Narratively, Hatori’s backstory is such an effective introduction to the darker, more mature themes of Fruits Basket, and yeah you can bet it worked on kid me. 

TIER: “These are great characters, I love their complexity but I’m also just fond of them as well” (no particular order)

Isuzu Sohma

Someone who definitely grew on me this time round. When I was a child I found it hard to understand what she was going through and didn’t really relate to her either. But oh my god, this girl goes through so much. She’s such a kindhearted character at heart, but struggles with connecting with others and receiving their kindness because of what she went through as a child. It’s so hard to watch her struggle, because we know she deserves the world. 

Akito Sohma

Controversial to say I love Akito just after I said I love Rin, lol. I’ve never had an overly negative impression of Akito throughout Fruits Basket (this is partially because my friends used to call me Akito when we were little.....because I was an Asian girl... and Akito is also an Asian girl????? idk now that I’m thinking back over it...gee thanks guys), so it was relatively easier for me to accept her redemption when it came. Akito’s actions are not defensible, but I find it much more interesting to explore where she is coming from, rather than just mindlessly spew hate and wish violent things for her like some people prefer to do. Akito’s character is a tragedy, and I feel like people are way less willing to emphasise when the victim is not “perfect”, per se. Akito went through the same “broken home” parental abuse that a lot of the characters in Fruits Basket went through, but somehow people are unwilling even to extend the tiniest amount of baseline empathy towards her just because he trauma manifested in a way that hurts others. Guys, she’s a tragic character!!! A tragic character isn’t always “a perfect person who has bad things happen to them”, it can also mean “a character who becomes antagonistic because of circumstances.” Her actions are inexcusable, but there is a lot to learn when we explore WHY she became this way.

Shigure Sohma

Gonna try make this short. Shigure is a controversial character but I like him because I like characters that demonstrate moral ambiguity. The point of Shigure is NOT to be a good person, and he doesn’t have to be one to justify liking him. Once again, you can like Shigure and still know that he’s a piece of shit. The whole idea of “he genuinely cares for Tohru but will hurt her if it means achieving his own goals” is a fascinating one to me, because it shows that the idea of “good people” and “bad people” is vast oversimplification of how actual people think and behave. Still though, I’m really not fond of how Akigure was executed in canon. I think the two could have potentially had a fascinating relationship but it ended up being more disturbing and swept under the rug&uncomfortable than interesting.

Momiji Sohma

On the opposite end of the spectrum we have Momiji who is just genuinely such a good person. I like the dichotomy between his outwardly ‘childish’ and ‘immature’ appearance and behaviors, versus what we gradually learn about him: that he has had to be mature and selfless at a very young age, and that he is also very emotionally intelligent and empathetic. Watching him gradually grow up before our eyes (we were ROBBED of it in the anime) but at the same time feeling more and more lost broke my freaking heart. When his curse breaks and he realises that even though he is now ‘free’, that nothing has changed and the damage was already done -  absolutely heartwrenching. He’s someone I would have loved explore more of what happened post-canon, because I just want good things for him and Momo, screw whatever the hell their asshole dad thinks. 

TIER: “I love these characters but don’t focus on them as much as I think the fandom does”

Kyo Sohma

I’m a self-professed “probably don’t think about Kyo that much” person haha. I know I know, sue me. I think its because out of the main 3, I love Yuki and Tohru so much that I don’t tend to focus on Kyo. I still like him a whole lot though!! I’m a big fan of the way he matures and changes throughout the series, and much like how Yuki does too, becomes a much happier person. When I compare early-series Kyo with later-series Kyo, one thing that always sticks out to me is how much more he smiles. The way he smiles at Tohru is so full of genuine warmth and happiness that it makes my heart melt, especially when I think about how this is a boy who has so much baggage, and has to gradually accept the fact that he deserves happiness before he allows himself finally to accept it. 

Hatsuharu Sohma

Most of my love for Haru comes from the relationship he has with Yuki. It takes so much maturity to accept that your prejudices may be unfair, and Haru did so at such a young age. Sometimes I just think about how much Haru did and continues to do for Yuki without the need for reciprocation or even recognition and it just hits me how much of a good person Haru is. He was Yuki’s ONLY friend at a time he had NO ONE, and is the reason Yuki was able to move out of the estate and become the person we know and love. Haha sorry for making this about Yuki again, but I think their relationship also says a lot about Haru as a person.

TIER: “I like Kureno and am tired of making a thousand disclaimers every time I want to say I like him, Takaya-sensei whyyyy”

Kureno Sohma

I really like Kureno. This is again pretty controversial, but let me try to explain. I like Kureno because he’s an example of someone who wants to do the right thing that causes the least amount of harm to everyone, but inevitably ends up making the decision that causes much more damage. It’s a classic “good intentions, bad outcome” scenario and I freaking love it. I love that it’s absolutely not what he wants, but Kureno ends up doing a lot of wrong things and destroying not only Akito, but also his own life in the process. I just find the idea of an adult of his age who is so isolated from all of society that even a shopping trip is something foreign and out-of-the-ordinary, really, really sad. 

On the romance side though,  I hate that Takaya-sensei decided that Arisa would be his romantic interest, but I do like the idea of romance being a part of his arc. (I actually think their interactions are somewhat cute but that the overarching age gap ruins everything - i keep thinking about if Arisa was older or Kureno was younger, but touching their ages at all would affect the plot so I would rather it wasn’t Arisa at all). Just the idea of Kureno by Akito’s side, playing the part of what he thinks is her “lover” (god sensei why are u liek dis), when he meets someone on one of his rare trips outside the Sohma estate that causes him to realise that what he and Akito have is not at all what a healthy relationship should feel like - and it causes him to reevaluate the harm he is doing to them both, and take steps to leave her. That is...not exactly what Sensei did, but I always remember how much I felt for Kureno when he said in the upcoming anime chapter how it was the first time he had felt like he loved someone out of his own choice...I just felt like that one “choice” could have lead him to the realisation that he can start to make more of his own, healthier choices in life. But yeah. Wish it wasn’t Arisa because it didn’t do anything good to her character arc, and it’s creepy. 

TIER: “I really like these characters but don’t go out of my way to think about them”

Kagura Sohma

Ok I lied, I do go out of my way to think about Kagura. I love her too, despite common opinion. I think her reflection of her relationship with Kyo was so wonderful. Her confession that she started to like him out of pity, but that over time they became genuine feelings. But that Kyo can’t reciprocate her feelings so she’s accepting of that, and thankful that he gave her time to express herself, although she will still go on loving Kyo. Kagura is one of those characters where Takaya-sensei once again demonstrates her ability to take a “trope” of a character and actually delve into their psyche and explains why they feel this way. 

Ayame Sohma

I love Ayame because he’s genuinely so much fun! I appreciate the arc of him rejecting Yuki, but how he is now reaching out to help him, and I feel like we don’t get a good insight into just how significant this rejection was until we see it from Yuki’s perspective. I also admire how he is able to recognise his own shortcomings, and respects Hatori because of his sensitivity to other people’s feelings. He’s a character who could definitely have been explored more if desired, but isn’t underexplored or incomplete as is.

Ritsu Sohma

My poor Ritsu. In contrast to Ayame, Ritsu was definitely underexplored. Such a great potential to explore confidence, identity, and assertiveness. Ritsu as it stands though, is largely a minor character who wasn’t given the time they needed to be fully fleshed out. I would have loved to see them gradually gain more confidence over the series!!

Kisa Sohma

Love love love Kisa, she’s such a cutie pie. But I feel like there wasn’t much more to say about her that wasn’t said in her arc. Kisa is more a character who is used to show the messed-up state of the Sohma house/Akito more than she herself is a complex character, I think. I love her arc and her parallels to Yuki though, it gave us such a great quote about needing to be loved by others before learning to love yourself. 

Hiro Sohma

Hiro is known to be an unlikeable brat but I love him as well!!! I think it’s really important to have characters who aren’t just lovely and receptive to Tohru’s kindness, and his character served to show an important flaw in Tohru’s character, and the way that her kindness could be taken advantage of. For Hiro himself though, I think his brattiness is alright because he’s very young, and I really appreciate his efforts to become a more mature person when he recognises his own flaws! 

[bisexualadamparrish]

why the hunger games series had to end the way it did...

      Okay, so before I get going I want to give a little background on my own perspectives of this book over time. The first time I read the series, I was ~11 years old and in the sixth grade. I read the books shortly after my mom (for some context, I come from a southern, pretty conservative, military family, which obviously gave me some very specific world-views). Now I’m 21, have been out of my house for 3 years at college, and have very different views on society, the government, and military/police forces than my family and myself at age 11, which are the major themes explored in this series. The point of providing this information is to say that, as an 11 year old reading and discussing this series with my mom and other 11 year olds, a lot of the real-life implications of the series were lost on me, and I think these real-life implications are pretty important to understanding why the series had to end the way it did. 

My full analysis is under the cut (as well as a “too long, didn’t read” summary)

      Looking more into the real-life connections in the series, I never put much thought into the fact that Panem is specifically a future & fallen version of North America, that fell specifically as a result of natural disasters and resource scarcity that led to a nuclear war. The series could have been written as a vague unnamed location in the future, but Collins chose to explicitly say that this new society rose out of the ashes of North America, and the USA specifically. If you read the prequel, it explores a little more in-depth how the capitol specifically rose to power, and how the relationship between the districts and the capitol were in the early years of Panem, during the first revolution, and in the early years of the era of the games. 

      The Capitol is very clearly painted as the direct result of wealth and resource hoarding and the abuse of the working class and how insidious it is for that to be allowed in even small amounts because with time it can snowball into more and more severe exploitation.This makes the themes explored even more relevant, because all of the major themes in the novel (war, military/police, capitalism, and government), while portrayed as more severe than in real life currently, are all big factors that do effect every-day life in America. This story is a portrayal of a potential future if these kinds of actions are left unchecked and the opinions and well-being of the vast majority of the population are swept aside in favor of the interest of the powerful. Sound familiar? 

      As a kid reading this, these are the points that were lost on me, and I think these points being lost are what made me feel that the ending was disappointing, or too abrupt, or unfinished. Back then I chalked it up to miss Collins being put under pressure to finish the last book and meet stricter deadlines, etc. We see that kind of slight decline or failure to wrap up loose ends a lot in series that get rapidly popular, and I genuinely just thought that was the case. Now however, while I do still feel that the ending is depressing and upsetting, I do believe it was the perfect way to end this series and a perfect ending to Katniss’s character arch.

      Katniss is a character that has been hit with hardship after hardship from a very young age; forced to grow up even earlier than the other kids in her district, who all had to grow up earlier than they should have anyways. She then had to face the games, which were incredibly difficult on her physically, mentally, and emotionally; which we see the effects of throughout Catching Fire. On top of her own personal troubles moving past that, president Snow targets her that entire year and she witnesses other people hurt and killed because of her actions surrounding the games, which is horrible for her to go through. Then we reach Mockingjay and she is pretty much forced into this leadership role against her will, and even though she does embrace it eventually on her own terms, that’s a lot for an already traumatized teenager to be put through. Katniss is a wonderful character and Collins does a truly wonderful job at showing how these different situations she gets put through affect her. The books do not shy away from showing the uglier side of things and the inner-turmoil it all causes Katniss and how all of the different people in Panem are affected by everything.

      All of this has been a really long lead up to my ultimate point, which is that if the story had wrapped up any differently; if Gale hadn’t committed the crimes he did, if Katniss hadn’t killed Coin, if Prim, and even Finnick, had lived and no other significant characters had been taken in their place, it would have undone three books worth of build up. To give the story an idealized ending where Love Heals All and the Good Guys™ win and they all live happily ever after would have suggested that the after effects of the war could have been overcome quickly. This would have undermined the entire message of the series. This series is a poignant look into the effects of capitalism, a totalitarian and authoritarian government, unchecked military/police force, wealth disparity, and war. In real life, there would be casualties and Katniss would never fully heal, and it makes sense that it would take her years and years and years and Peeta’s unwavering hopefulness to get to a point where she could even think about the world in a generally positive way. 

      I always felt when I was younger that the ending was just so depressing- it felt like they could have given us a little more of the epilogue, a little more cheerful of an ending to Katniss and Peeta’s story, but now I realize that the small amount of hope Katniss shows in the end is enough. She’s a deeply traumatized woman in a deeply traumatized world that is overcoming generations of war and poverty and oppression. Katniss never felt very hopeful even before she got put in the games, so for her as a character and the story as a whole, that small bit of healing and the hope that things will continue to get better, even if they aren’t just yet, is what we needed without it being so much that it disregards the serious tones of the series. Of course I wish Katniss and Peeta could have been completely fine and lived happily ever after, but the fact of the matter is that their society will take generations to truly heal, because the themes explored are things that leave deep scars and I think the ending Collins gave us helps prove that point. 

TLDR: Yes, the ending of the Hunger Games series is depressing, but if it had been more focused on romance or if things were fixed quickly/totally it would have been too idealistic and undone three books worth of build-up showing the lasting effects of unchecked capitalism and wealth disparity, totalitarianism, and military/police forces. 

[dreamingofscully]

Season 5/FTF Summary

THEME: RISK

Other Seasons: Season 1: INNOCENCE Season 2: IT’S PERSONAL Season 3: THE STANDARD  Season 4: BARRIERS

They are both punished for opening up to each other, for expressing how they feel, for trying to do something different.

SCULLY

The season starts with Scully vowing to do something different than she has been for the past 5 seasons. She folded in on herself after her abduction, needing answers, needing to be strong, and she holds onto that isolation like a shield. At the same time, her affection and love for Mulder deepens - he’s brave and selfless, intelligent and humble, relentless and appreciative. When she gets sick, she realizes it only hurts her to be so closed off, that she’s missed so much out of her fear of getting close, letting people in, of exposing herself, of feeling too much and then being hurt.

So, she takes a risk - tries to deepen her relationship with Mulder, open herself up to the idea of raising a child that she thinks is her sister’s, only to be punished for it. Mulder rejects her, holds back precious knowledge from her, and his ex-partner and lover shows up - causing her to fear the loss of the most important relationship and its potential to grow into something more intimate. The daughter she never knew, stolen from her twice. And the chip that saved her takes away her autonomy. It’s a horrifying season for Scully, and the things that happen with Mulder are insignificant when compared with the rest.

Scully has been growing more and more dissatisfied with working on the X-Files. The losses she suffers this season only serve to strengthen these growing concerns. She knows that the people she wants to hold accountable for doing terrible things usually (always?) escape justice (”Tunguska/Terma”, season 4) and feels like her and Mulder have been manipulated for their own ends (”Redux”). If she cannot hold people to justice what is the point of working for the FBI? Even if she could somehow get answers, get the truth, there are no actions left for her to take after that. 

The one thing holding her to the X-Files is Mulder. She’s had his back, saved him countless times. She knows what would happen if she wasn’t there. The relentlessness that she loves about him keep him tied to the X-Files even if he can never get justice or satisfying answers. But this season she begins to doubt not only the potential for them to have a deeper and more intimate relationship, but her effectiveness as his partner. Her fear of giving up her rigid skepticism causes significant issues - among them, Mulder getting committed in “Folie à Deux”, their office and work being destroyed in “The End”. He chooses her proof over the nebulous never-ending quest but this choice ends in disaster. 

And someone shows up who used to be partnered with him (and who loved and was loved by him), who is a specialist in “para-science” and that Mulder trusts. Wouldn’t this woman be better suited to support Mulder, to give him what he needs, that Scully thinks she is incapable of providing? Diana’s injury sets those insecurities to the side, and in the gap between The End/FTF Scully supports Mulder, turns his black mood around. Things are good between them again, hopeful.

The events in FTF come and Scully’s insecurities rear up again. They’re getting split up, transferred. The only thing keeping her in the bureau (working with Mulder) is being torn from her, so she tells Mulder she’s quitting, not thinking that she has a significant contribution to their work, and being dissatisfied with it anyway. Maybe they can have a relationship outside of work, if she stays near him?

Mulder’s admission that he needs her, that she completes him and his intention to kiss her flips her world upside-down. She knows, now, how he feels about her, that he appreciates how much of an impact she’s had on his work and life. That he knows her skepticism grounds him, steers him in the right direction. He flies across the world to save her, cures her with something he held in his hands. The potential of the vaccine renews her faith in their pursuits in the X-Files as well, gives her something concrete to pursue.

Another risk for Scully -- I think it’s likely that the initial IVF conversation occurs sometime this season between All Souls and The End. Scully wants to keep her connection to Mulder, wants to explore the possibility of a relationship with him outside of the X-Files. I think she’d be too self-conscious to ask him to be a donor after DIana shows up, once she starts doubting the possibility that she could have a romantic relationship with him. She doesn’t expect her question to lead to a more intimate relationship, but she holds out hope that one day, down the road, they could have that together. Diana throws a wrench in those ideas, that Mulder may have feelings for another woman, that the reason he’s rejected her isn’t because of Scully herself, but because he’s been holding a torch for Diana.

MULDER

Mulder’s awareness of his feelings for Scully are a new thing for him. Her illness caused him to realize what he felt. I think he almost takes comfort in being more loving with her when she’s sick because he feels like if he’s going to lose her anyway, so there’s no point in keeping things hidden away. He enjoys the idea of his suffering because he deserves it (see my thoughts on “The Field Where I Died” about this in particular). He does everything in his power to save her because that’s just what he does, and he just cannot lose her even if he thinks that’s what he deserves.

Once she gets better, he’s not willing to risk their current relationship for what he views as a selfish desire for more. His previous relationships have not been healthy - the women he was involved with manipulative and abusive of his guilt-complex. It was easy for him to blame himself for failed relationships. The relationship with Diana, in particular, caused him to deny his feelings for Scully for so long, caused him to push her away even when he knew he loved her. Mulder can’t help but make parallels - that Diana worked with him on the X-Files and abandoned him because of his obsession. He absolutely couldn’t lose Scully because she means more to him than anyone else ever has, and up until now, he associates romantic entanglements with failure, caused by him.

It’s hard for him to deny his feelings, though. Scully’s near-death experience in The Red and The Black makes him desperate. He comes close to telling her his true feelings in “Folie à Deux“ (she’s his “one in five billion”). The thing that finally snaps him out of his stubbornness, though, is his belief that she’s leaving him anyways. When Scully says she’s resigning in Fight the Future, he thinks he won’t see her again. He thinks the only way to keep her is to have her as a partner - even if they don’t have the X-Files, if they have the potential to work together again he can keep her in his life. So, he tells her. It’s spontaneous - both the admission and the near-kiss, but that is a very Mulder-y thing to do. 

At the end of the movie, he tries to push her away again briefly because of how close she came to dying, because of HIM. Scully sticks by him, reminds him of his words and their near-kiss, what they almost had. They hold hands and it almost seems inevitable what will come next. Not only does he have Scully by his side, sharing in his quest (that he has a renewed faith in), but he knows she saw something incredible. He thinks he can finally share his beliefs with her, his wonder at all of the unexplainable things he finds fascinating. I’m not sure if he’s convinced himself that she feels the same way as him, but she also hasn’t rejected him and reminds him of their moment in the hallway. 

Things... might turn around for them, finally. (... Poor Mulder, and Scully.)

[thepermanentrainpress]

THE PERMANENT RAIN PRESS INTERVIEW WITH MADELEINE SIMS-FEWER AND DUSTY MANCINELLI

Violation is one of the most stirring films we’ve seen over the past year. Since making its world premiere at Toronto International Film Festival last year, the Canadian flick has been busy on the film festival circuit; now available through digital-cinema on TIFF Bell Lightbox, with Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) Connect to follow beginning March 26th. 

What inspired the story behind Violation?

We were both dealing with our own personal experiences of trauma at the time, and wanted to make an anti-revenge film that deals with female rage, and emotional and psychological unravelling that trauma gives rise to.

We really wanted to make a revenge film that pushed the boundaries of the genre, challenging the tropes of the scantily clad woman becoming empowered by violent revenge against a menacing stranger, and that revenge is the cathartic climax we are all seeking at the end of the movie. Yes, it is a film about seeking retribution, but also about the cost of that retribution. It is a film about violation, but also about lack of empathy and selfishness, and how both can erode your morality and the relationships around you.

It’s been described as “twisted,” “feminist-minded,” and a “hypnotic horror.” At its core, how would you describe the film’s genre(s)?

Those three descriptors fit perfectly, actually! We weren’t thinking too much about genre when we wrote the script, mostly about the story and about how we portrayed Miriam’s journey. We were inspired by films that don’t sit comfortably in a genre box, like Caché, Fat Girl, Don’t Look Now. Films that are dramas with elements of horror.

When you were writing the script, can you elaborate on the dynamics between the two couples that you wanted to portray – Miriam and Caleb, and Greta and Dylan?

Miriam and Caleb are very much at an impasse in their relationship. The spark has gone out and they don’t know how to reignite it. Instead of doing the work it might take to get through a rough patch Miriam is very much running away. There is a real transience to modern relationships that we wanted to capture in their dynamic - this idea that when the romance is gone the relationship has run its course. Miriam wants to fix it, but doesn’t know how - she clumsily tries to fix it with sex (on her sister’s advice), and this echoes how she tries to fix her trauma too.

Greta and Dylan have a seemingly healthy relationship. But when you look a little deeper their outward affection and codependence masks a deep distrust. Dylan is having his ‘grass is greener’ moment, and he’s totally selfish to the impact this has on those around him. Greta can sense this, but she’s too enamoured by him to risk rocking the boat. It’s all a recipe for tragedy really.

Miriam and Greta have a complex relationship, to say the least. It’s natural to have distance between siblings as they grow older, did you always intend to have a sibling relationship be a centre of your story?

Yes, we always wanted to make a film about a person who suffers sexual assault and is not believed by their sibling. That was one of the first parts of the story that came together. There is so much to unpack in a sibling relationship like theirs. A rich history of mutual failures and resentments as well as so much camaraderie and love. The more painful betrayal in the story comes from Greta, not Dylan.

We wanted to explore the idea of trauma within families, and how abuse and violence affects everyone in the family, not just the person who suffers it. Everything else orbits around these two sisters — Miriam and Greta — as Violation mines the little resentments, commonalities, shared joys and sorrows that weave together a truthful portrait of these women.

A lot of the horror and dread in Violation comes from the way the sisters interact, and in the ways they react to each other from a place of fear. There is no filter in these close sibling relationships (we know this as we both come from big families!) which can be wonderful, but can also lead you to hurt and be hurt in ways that leave permanent emotional scars.

The non-linear editing engages viewers into the story, as do the jarring intercuts with imagery of nature, animals and insects. Tell us about the editing and post-production phase, and what you hoped to accomplish with the progression and symbolism.

The way we have edited Violation is very deliberate. We are forcing you to experience things you might not want to in a very specific way, guiding you through this post traumatic landscape where the past and present are constantly speaking to each other.

We chose to weave two timelines together — the 48 hours leading up to the betrayal and the 48 hours surrounding the act of revenge. This forces the audience to re-contextualize what they have seen, challenging their own opinions of the characters based on what information we choose to reveal and when.

Violation is told completely from Miriam’s perspective — we watch her emotional and psychological unravelling as she struggles desperately to do the right thing. There is a sequence in the middle of the film where we see this act of revenge. There is no dialogue for a long time, we just follow Miriam as she goes through these meticulous actions. And what we realize is that her plan, though well thought-out, is unbelievably emotionally and physically taxing. She’s not prepared, and we watch the real horror of her actions play out through her visceral emotional responses. It was important for us to really force the audience to experience things as Miriam does. The editing is focused and relentless; never letting you stray from her experiences and emotions.

Madeleine, for you, getting to play Miriam and connect with her pain and turbulent emotions through the course of the film, can you share your thoughts on that experience. How did committing to this character challenge you as an actor?

It was the most challenging role I have ever played, and in many ways was absolutely terrifying. I wanted to push myself as far as I could go as an actor and challenge myself to really find the truth of who this woman is, and reveal that to the audience. There are so many quiet moments where Miriam’s journey is so internal, so the challenge there was in truly living each moment as if I was her — getting lost in the role — so that I was not indicating what she was feeling, but living it.

What was it like having Anna, Jesse and Obi as screen partners?

Very liberating. They are all extremely dedicated, layered, engaging performers. They elevated me and challenged me every step of the way. Jesse and I have worked together before, and we have an ease that makes scenes with him very fun. The comfort level we share allows us to really experiment. It was my first time working with Anna and Obi, but it won’t be the last. They are both so open and sensitive that I felt our work was incredibly nuanced.

An overarching question is whether revenge is ever justified. Tell me about Miriam’s mindset, and the struggle between morals, motives and her actions. For you as individuals, is this something that you have had conflict with in your own lives?

In a way we wanted to make a sort of revenge fairy-tale. Fairy tales provide ways for children to think through moral problems, and to wrestle with life’s complexities. They aren’t depictions of reality, but reflect ideas about morality and humanity. We wanted the audience to think about consent, the rippling effects of trauma, how we judge women vs how we judge men, and perhaps consider those things more deeply.

In the end Miriam’s desire to punish those who have wronged her hopefully leaves the audience with a compelling ambiguity to be unpacked as they scrutinize her actions.

Tell us about the trust built between the cast and crew on-set, especially during the more intimate and grim scenes and tense conversations. How do you build that comfort level?

It’s really just about having open, honest conversations. We spent a lot of time with the actors during prep and rehearsals just talking, and building friendships. We are dedicated to creating a comfort level where actors can be completely transparent and open with us, so that when we ask them to go somewhere they know we are there guiding the process and aren’t afraid to take big risks.

To survivors of trauma, what do you hope this movie provides in its story?

We hope to provide a new take on the revenge genre - one that explores rape from a different angle and context - with the focus of the narrative much more on the psychological ramifications of trauma. We aren’t looking to tell anyone what to take away from the film, and we made Violation as much for people with no experience with trauma as for people who understand these murky waters. Really we hope the film sparks thought, discussion, and empathy.

You met at the 2015 TIFF Talent Lab; what drew you together as a filmmaking team? What advice do you have for artists/filmmakers looking for their own collaborators?

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what drew us together - it’s sort of an intangible thing. We developed a very candid friendship that we thought might translate well to a working relationship. Luckily it did!

Shortly after the Talent Lab we decided to work together on two short films, Slap Happy and Woman in Stall. Until directing these shorts neither of us had really had ‘fun ’making a film. Filmmaking was a drive, but it wasn’t a joy. These shorts gave us a totally new perspective, where we actually had a good time workshopping the script, creating a visual style, and just challenging each other. By the time we were making our third short, Chubby, we had decided to officially form a creative partnership.

We definitely approach filmmaking from different perspectives and with complementary strengths, but we don’t say ‘this is your thing and this is mine.’ We work collaboratively on every part of the process, and we built this unique way of working through our shorts, so that when we got the funding to make Violation (through Telefilm’s Talent to Watch program) we already had a solid method that works for us.

In terms of advice it really helps to know how you like to work before looking for a collaborator. Then it’s just about experimenting. It is very much trial and error. Don’t try to force a collaboration that isn’t working for you. There is no shame in a creative relationship not working out. But also it is important to be flexible and open to compromise - that’s how ideas flourish and grow. If you are too rigid then maybe collaboration is not right for you.

Going from short films to your debut feature with Violation, what new challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?

The endurance required to make a feature was something we weren’t prepared for. At about day 3 we turned to each other, totally exhausted, and were like: “there’s 30 more days of this.” It was brutally draining. Honestly every day brought its own unique challenges and problems to overcome, but we had such a strong, supportive team that it made each mountain a little easier to climb.

Aside from yourselves, who are some other up and coming Canadian filmmakers viewers should keep their eyes on?

Grace Glowicki and Ben Petrie are both doing really interesting work. Grace’s film Tito is a disturbingly good character study that builds a terrifying sense of dread. Ben’s short Her Friend Adam is one of our favourites, and he’s about to make his first feature.

Is there anything further you’d like to add or share, perhaps what you are currently working on?

Right now we are writing a slow burning mystery thriller and a twisted dark comedy. That’s about all we can reveal at the moment!

Thank you to Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli for providing us with further insight into Violation! Visit their official website for more information on their projects. 

[disworl]

Alive, indefinitely.

I.

So, since I’ve been dutifully informed that since this is my blog and I can post hwhatever I want, I thought I’d talk a little about my ‘fic ‘Alive, indefinitely’.

The ‘fic was birthed by me realizing the implications of Hussie’s revision that all burgundy bloods have the ability to commune with the dead. For the most part, I dislike his changes where the trolls from Homestuck proper become near stock representatives of their entire bloodcaste, but at least, this one has compelling subtext instead of just seeming lazy. And it is that the bloodcaste that has the ability to commune with the dead is also the bloodcaste that lives the shortest and is the most likely to have friends and acquaintences who die often.

And who better explore that topic than Aradia? So I wrote the ‘fic, and it did branch out to be about her, partially as her role as a rustblood on Alternia. And so it grew bigger than just exploring the subtext. I knew I wanted it in little numbered parts that made vignettes, as I’d been working on writing longer stories and was worried I was losing my edge in vignettes and short fiction. Though the resulting ‘fic ended up 1,677 words (I intended to keep it under 1,000, though I’m not disappointed!), I’m still very satisfied with it and think the vignettes work. With the numbering of the vignettes, I also wanted to do an sort of Epileptic Bicycle and start skipping around numbers, to show that there was different amounts of time passing, and that things were happening in between. And because I just thought it was neat. The idea of a story with missing numbered chapters is very compelling. And anyway, I did have a skip, with the penultimate vignette being 5, and the ultimate being 10 (which upon thought really does make the ‘a lifetime later’ after the 10 work out mathematically*), but it played nowhere near as a big role as I would want to. Maybe some other time.

*Which since all the numbers are roman numerals, 10 ends up being ‘x’, which as a symbol is associated with death. I planned none of that (or at least I don’t remember it consciously) but I will take credit, regardless.

II.

For a second I thought Tumblr was more competent than it is, so I tried to insert a line break, but Tumblr is not competent, so have a fancy second section with big roman numerals instead.

Anyway, I’m just going to note and comment on some specific parts of the passage, because I can.

The internet is wide and wonderful, and it is through there that she learns about archaeology, the wonders lying just beneath the ground and thinks, to be an archaeologist would be an awfully grand adventure.

What Aradia thinks is a fairly straightforward play on the phrase, ‘to die would be an awfully grand adventure’. It's a neat way to both tie back the theme, and it also spared me from figuring out exactly how to phrase it.

She finds especially good company with one boy, his troll tag resting at the top of her chumproll. He’s a rustblood like her, a bit reserved but passionate about the mystery book he’s writing. Occasionally he sends her snippets from it, and while it’s a bit clumsy, he is always eager to hear about her archaeological expeditions, so she never mentions it.

When I wrote this part, I suddenly realized I needed an unnamed rustblood to die. I also realized it would be a good idea to also characterize him a little bit before killing him off, so you get at least the idea of what his and Aradia’s relationship was like, so I decided to use one of my long-derelict fantrolls.

So she starts to rebel. She grows her hair out, longer than the modest shoulder-length cut she had before. She lets it become wild, a sign of her own spirit and power. She starts painting her lips and lining her eyes in burgundy, a mockery of the high bloods who wear their blue hues as a fashion statement.

This is a combination of two of my headcanons about Alternian society: that long, wild hair is seen as a sign of power and sexuality (as expressed by the Condesce and other highbloods), and that wearing hemo lipstick and eyeliner is a high blood fashion trend.

When she is five sweeps old, she makes another close friend. He’s a bit shy, but unapologetic about what he likes – his fiduspawn collection, pupa pan, FLARPing – and that, as much as she loves Sollux, is a breath of fresh air.

Tavros is often done dirty by fanfic and fan-interpretations of Homestuck, and it often intertwines with apologism for Vriska and her abuse of him. He’s treated as a perpetually and naturally weak and insignificant, when having a person who is abusive like Vriska will make anyone unsure and rattled like that. It takes some digging, as the majority of Homestuck takes after Vriska’s batted around Tavros for quite a while, but underneath her abuse (and the effects from that abuse at the hands of Alternian culture) it’s clear that he’s still that unapologetically dorky kid, and even cocky at times. In his trollhandle adiosToreador, he’s not the Toreador - he’s the bull. And hopefully I could express that well in the space that I could.

She befriends Karkat through Sollux, and Terezi through Karkat, and it’s through Terezi that she learns about Vriska.

This is one of several sentences in this ‘fic that employ a certain sense of repetition and rhythm. Part of that is because it gives a motif of time, which is tied to death and destruction in Homestuck, and the other half is because I just... really like writing ‘em.

She still talks with Tavros, however, but now he’s uncertain, hesitant and ashamed, and a fair number of times when she trolls him he doesn’t reply, and when he does more than anything he talks about the things he’s experienced in his dreams, and she knows exactly who has been trolling him even if he doesn’t say it and –

– and Aradia watches her friend become a living ghost, bit by bit.

This is place where I forwent canon the most, earning the ‘fic its ‘mild timeline fudgery’ tag. Throughout writing this ‘fic I constantly had a tab open to either a page in Homestuck or the wiki, or both, in order to make sure I stayed as accurate to Alternian culture that I could (at least, in Homestuck proper). While there were a lot of gaps that I got fill in for myself, it’s just plain canon that Aradia sends the ghosts after Vriska immediately after she knows that Tavros is likely going to be paraplegic for the rest of his life. But I had written the sentence already (one of my favourite lines, really), and it just makes for a better story, at least in this ‘fic. So I kept it like that. There’s also a sort of cut-and-paste fudge in that sentence, too. I remembered that Tavros spent most of his time dreaming on Prospit just so he didn’t have to deal with Vriska’s abuse, but as it turns out, it happens after she god-tiers. So I just turned it into regular dreaming and thereby folded into the above canon discrepancy. But it’s definitely based on that later detail.

iv.

The shock of seeing Sollux actually at her hive is quickly overtaken by the shock that courses through her veins right after she realizes what is about to happen, and far too late to do anything about it.

I knew pretty early that I wanted the vignette of her death to be one sentence long, though I certainly ended up stretching that one sentence fairly far. Either way, it’s very isolated from the rest of the ‘fic, which is fairly on-par for the ‘fic style where a particularly hard-hitting or important sentence gets its own paragraph. Anyway, everyone knows how the story ends, and it’s sudden for Aradia, so I think putting it in one sentence both works structurally and artistically.

She’s tired of temporal inevitability.

She’s free of the endless orders and voices of the dead.

She, for the first time in her life, feels truly alive.

Instead of the pale shadows that clung to her hive, the hollow ghosts that people left behind, the dream bubbles are filled with countless iterations of her friends, and numerous others.

But even then, dying and waking up in foreign surroundings is a shock.

And really, there’s no-one else who would be a better guide to greet the dead.

At this point, I feel again, that going into detail would be dragging things out. I also wanted it to feel significantly different from the rest. So, where the other parts of the story are told through a sort of rolling tone of voice, through ‘the lens of age old history’ the rather straightforward sentences here are meant to sound very present.

[ladyloveandjustice]

Summer 2019 Anime Overview: Carole and Tuesday (final episodes)

I ended up having a lot more to say about Carole and Tuesday’s second season than I thought I did! It delved into some pretty varied and complex issues, after all. I did an EXTREMELY brief review/reaction( to the first half/season of the show you can see here. This review continues from that but is much more involved.

Carole and Tuesday (second half/ episodes 13-24)

Carole and Tuesday’s second half really expands its scope and goes all-out into the zone of social commentary in a way that I didn’t expect. Dang. I’m definitely impressed. There were hints of this in the first part, with Carole being a refugee from Earth who had very limited means and opportunities, while Tuesday came from a privileged background but ran away to escape a mother who cared more about her political career and public approval than her children’s well-being.

The second half delves into this much more, and condemns the policies of deportation and general public attitudes towards refugees and undocumented immigrants. Since the part of Mars our protagonists live inhabit pretty clearly meant to be analogous to New York, the plotline definitely meant to be a criticism of what’s going on in American politics right now. Of course Japan also notoriously has a lot of problems accepting immigrants and I think Watanabe and the rest of the staff probably wanted to say something about that too. 

Tuesday’s mom is able to climb the political ranks by calling for deportation of refugees on Mars- and in a chillingly accurate bit of commentary, she does this  solely to gain popularity with the public, and an even richer white man who has a corporate monopoly easily flouts laws and ethics to push her campaign. Black people are shown to be the first ones targeted for deportation and the black men who speak out are “made an example of”. The show doesn’t go so far to have anyone be killed (which is for the best, it’s unnecessary to go that far to make the point), police brutality is depicted and condemned, one man is targeted and beaten a bit despite not physically resisting, and a pair of men simply walking on the street are manhandled and arrested for “obstructing officers” despite doing absolutely nothing illegal. These marginalized folks continue to bravely fight back, even releasing protest raps from jail. And it’s pointed out to Tuesday that her mom is targeting people who are like her best friend and maybe she should step up and do something about it.

All of that is really good, and the show is firmly on the side of the minorities fighting back, and is all about how art should be used to challenge and reject oppression. It encourages diversity, unity, and takes a stand against persecution of immigrants, forced deportation and censorship. And how the show does this witha multi-cultural cast and a lot of developed characters from different backgrounds is great- there’s a love for all different kinds of music and acknowledgement that music owes everything to people of color. I especially appreciated the show going out of it’s way to depict how rap is often a tool for resistance.

That said, while the show’s message is positive and I appreciate its optimism and good intentions, the ending felt a little too neat and overly simplistic.It might be reductive to say the show goes so far to say racism can be solved if you sing a song, it’s more like “yeah use music to resist!” but the way the police are SO EASILY talked out of violence when they come to shut things down, the neat and simple way the political situation is resolved, and ALL the prison guards being willing to help out minorities in jail with no argument- yeah, I think it’s fair to say it wouldn’t go that smoothly in real life. However, the show seems to sincerely trying to send a message of hope, even if the execution is a little simplistic and lacking. 

The show is just sort of messy when it comes to its plot, themes and issues in general- I’d say it tries to do a little too much, so every arc is left feeling kind of underdeveloped and a lot of things are just...dropped. There are several examples of this.

Two mothers are both major characters in the show, and the show tries to make a connection there and say something about motherhood at the last second, but it’s muddled and contradictory. It’s stated that mothers can either chain you down or give you guidance and freedom, which is true, but we’re ONLY shown awful moms throughout the show, who have a large negative impact on their childrens’ life and hardly any positive impact, so celebrating motherhood at all feels bizarre. 

And the idea that this one mom isn’t all bad and maybe can be reasoned with is jarring since there aren’t any examples in the show of her postively affecting her child or being a good mom in the past. It’s so muddled I don’t know if I can say the show crosses over into abuse apologism (it’s at least made clear that if that mom doesn’t take her one chance to start to make amends, the kids will step aside and let her be taken down) but it really edges on it, and this is definitely something the show should have developed more and executed better

Another really muddled plot element with a lot of weird implications was the whole “martian androgyny syndrome” thing. It didn’t tun out as badly as I feared it might, but it was really hard to say why it was even there or what the show was trying to do with it. 

Basically, being on Mars can lead to some sort of vague condition where your sex changes I guess? And maybe it’s eventually fatal for some reason? And maybe the medication that treats it (by trying to stop the change? by addressing side effects? it’s not clear what it even does) causes uncontrollable anger??? That last part is especially uncertain because it’s only stated once by a person who might be trying to justify their abusive behavior BUT it’s also true that out of the three groups introduced in the show who have the syndrome, the people who (probably) take the meds have explosive tempers while the person who explicitly doesn’t is calm so????

 Anyway, the syndrome isn’t presented as uniformly negative, the calm person who doesn’t take the meds is a good person who is okay with their condition and they identify as non-binary and make a nice speech about it. But they’re also, y’know, dying, so. Again, it’s really unclear why this is even a plot element since it goes nowhere and gets explored so little and what is actually even going on with the syndrome and the medication is SO VAGUE. It doesn’t help that 2/3 of the people afflicted look like stereotypical anime caricatures of trans women. The idea that being intersex/getting a sex change/whatever is supposed to be happening is a death sentence isn’t great either.

And that kind of extends to the character arcs, relationships and plot in general a bit- there were a lot of things that were underdeveloped and muddled, which made the characters a little hard to connect to. Even the sci-fi aesthetic felt a little half-baked- I guess it’s a alternate history because we’re in Mars but Instagram is still a thing and modern singers are being referenced, but exactly how this world works went pretty underexplored. At least the text at the encourages viewers to use their creativity and continue the story themselves, so even the show itself is telling ficcers to get on it and make sense of this mess, okay. (Seriously though, I always enjoy seeing pro writers inviting the viewers to continue their story. Let those fic flags fly!)

Carole and Tuesday is definitely not perfect, but it’s entertaining, warm, visually beautiful and bursting with a love and respect for music. It’s features awesome tunes and varied and intriguing characters. The pro-diversity message that extends support for the marginalized and especially immigrants and refugees is very needed in these troubled times, and it’s theme of unity is very sweet

It’s an thought-provoking show clearly made with a lot love and largely positive intentions, so if you can handle the mixed and concerning implications of some of the more muddled bits, I encourage checking it out.