#And this is one of my favourite roles of hers

[creatingblackcharacters]

Favourite characters: Guinevere (aka Gwen) and Elyan from BBC Merlin.

They're brother and sister, children of a blacksmith, Tom, who is killed by the king (not Arthur Pendragon, Gwen doesn't marry the guy who killed her father) late in the first series. Estranged at the start, their relationship improves after Elyan returns to Camelot in s3.

Gwen starts off as Morgana Pendragon's maidservant, before becoming Queen Guinevere Pendragon later in the show. She's kind and brave, and she accepts shenanigans (two days after meeting someone: "oh you need a wheelbarrow? To move a dog statue up a flight of spiral stairs into your room off the physician's chambers? Sure, I'll help you"). She helps save multiple characters and smuggles a knight out from the dungeons under the nose of Morgana when she takes over and an immortal army, while still pretending to be loyal (okay, so Morgana technically lets her to bait a trap, but she doesn't know, so it counts). She's also the only character on the whole show to figure out Merlin's magic without being shown or told about it, and one of the first to discover Morgana's treachery because she's suspicious and investigates. She helps take down a witchfinder on the king's payroll, and can use a sword! And argues for other women to be able to fight! She's awesome! And she's still soft, and cares for people, including assisting the court physician (she has more medic skills than a lot of people seem to give her credit for). She also fits into the damsel in distress role multiple times. She's the daughter of a blacksmith and knows all about armour, and is very, very loyal.

And she becomes a queen! They cast a Black woman as Queen Guinevere! She gets to wear pretty dresses and she looks gorgeous in them (she looks gorgeous throughout but yk), and she has an important, strong role in her debut two-parter as queen.

Elyan's Gwen's brother. He leaves Camelot when he's a teenager and reunites with Gwen when they're both kidnapped by an enemy king as part of a trap. He's the son of a blacksmith, and has been a smith in the years he's out of Camelot. He reopens his father's forge when he returns to Camelot, in that episode, and although there's no timeline iirc, it can't be too long before he becomes a Knight of the Round Table instead. He's very loyal, loving of his family and friends, and although he's made mistakes in the past (leaving Gwen and his father and not returning voluntarily, not even when he found out Gwen was alone because their father was killed), he's making up for them. There's a nice (? not sure that's the right word but anyway) scene of them grieving together at their father's grave four series after his death and two after Elyan's return that shows that well (also some continuity, and them doing this despite all their duties to the kingdom is something I like, it shows the importance of family to them both).

They did them both so dirty in the last series though. They killed off Elyan (in the episode with that scene above, unfortunately) and it was in the first of a completely unnecessary three-episode storyline of her being enchanted, so there was a funeral but she didn't get to grieve and they never went back to it after the enchantment was removed, and they didn't really show any grief from anyone else either. The show just moved on. And sure they did that a lot but it's particularly aggrieving with Elyan because he's a knight of the round table, the queen's brother, the king's brother-in-law, they both grew up with the first knight, and they didn't pay enough care to it.

(this will be your surprised face when you find out I don't rewatch the last series)

ANYWAY. I love them both.

GWEN!!!! You have to understand she was the Original for me. The first time I'd ever seen a Black woman in a main role in one of those fantasy sorts of shows, where there are white people around her and everyone acts NORMAL about it. She belonged there!! So she holds such an important place in my heart and identity, even if I didn't even finish Merlin. Fuck anybody who says Black people don't belong in fantasy bc Gwen was there and she did it and I loved and needed that. And she's wearing the hell outta that dress 😤

Well I wanted to be excited about Elyan, bit of course he doesn't make it 🙄 I hate it when that happens, when a character dies and everyone's just like... All right! That's it! Especially if it's other Black person on the show, like wow thanks a lot. Well, we care about Elyan, even if I don't remember him 😤

[don-dake]

「我第一隻舞就係同William跳嘅。」

“My first dance was with William.”

「50年後，William已經唔响度嘞。」

“50 years later, and William is no longer here.”

「佢緊守佢嘅諾言，叫佢嘅孫返嚟搵我。」

“He wanted to keep his promise, so he asked his grandson to come look for me.”

「直至上個月我收到佢嘅遺書…」

“And until last month, I received his last letter.”

「叫我嚟香港搵返Aunt Honey，」

“Telling me to come to Hong Kong and look for Aunt Honey,”

「為佢完成佢嘅諾言。」

“and fulfill his promise on his behalf.”

「佢話想我同小William跳多一次舞…」

“He said he wished for William Jr. and I to dance one more time.”

「我骨頭都硬晒囉…仲點跳呀？」

“My bones have all stiffened…there's no way I can dance now can I?”

「筱，你代我跳啦！」 “Siu, you dance in my place!”

《人間蒸發》 (2005) 第十一集

新詞：响 (hoeng2)

[flo-n-flon]

I'm having trouble drawing lately but I had a mighty need to doodle Faile Bashere: Lady. Hunter of the Horn. Falcon

[liauditore]

BDUBS DAY! BDUBS DAY! BDUBS DAY! BDUBS DAY! BDUBS DAY! BDUBS DAY! BDUBS DAY! BDUBS DAY! BDUBS DAY! BDUBS DAY!

[shorthaltsjester]

free my complex female character, she did the same thing as complex male characters but the fandom takes Any analysis of her actions/choices/motivations that doesn’t strip her of all of her agency in bad faith and claims that only misogynists would dare to critique the things that they’ve noticed in her character because she’s a woman, completely ignoring the over-presence of discourse about similarly traited male characters in their fandom.

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

Underrated adorable thing Kyouka does is when someone gives her something to do and/or tries to show her something new and she gives it her full, serious attention.

It could be a matter of life-or-death. It could be delivering an important document. It could be taking care of a cat. It could be mixing a little candy. Doesn't matter.

Someone: *showing Kyouka a thing*

Kyouka: *staring intently, laser-fucking-focused*

What makes this so good to me is that it's nothing to do with her mafia training - she tends to go numb and distant when her assassin instincts kick in. When she focuses like this, it's driven by her genuine want to learn how to do the thing and do it perfectly. And yeah, part of this is also likely to do with her want to prove that she can do good things, but there are a million different ways she could go about this and she chooses... to watch people. To listen and learn and try her hardest at every single little thing she does. Honestly, I don't think this is anything she picked up from anyone - I think she's just like that. She gives everything she does her full attention.

And yeah, sometimes she gets a little too into it (tasing the guy she was supposed to deliver the files to, making a gigantic tower of god grub...) but she's got the spirit.

You guys she's so cute. She's SO cute. And also I think so incredibly strong for this. I don't think Kyouka fully realizes how much of her recovery is due her own consistent dogged efforts. Atsushi and the Agency gave her an opportunity and a safe home base and she took it and ran with it through her own conviction (in spite of all the setbacks), making herself brighter in the process.

[crimescrimson]

Favourite Resident Evil Characterizations Out of All Their Games [1/?]: Short Hair Claire Redfield in Resident Evil: Revelations 2 (2015)

[longagoitwastuesday]

I am liking Jujutsu Kaisen, way more than I imagined I would, but I foresee it will let me down and it's keeping me from enjoying this as much as I could haha

I think the characters and dynamics are well set, and I think many of them have an incredibly good and deep potential, but I would be willing to bet they'll not get a proper development, enough for them to really hit. A well assembled set of gears is not enough to make the movement go, you have to wind the clockwork.

I think Gojo and Megumi have a fascinating and very complex dynamic, but I doubt it will be given the time and care that imo it needs to actually work. And it is going well enough for now! One could see the intimacy between them was deeper than the one Gojo had with, say, Yuji and Nobara ever since the very first few episodes despite the fact Fushiguro too was a first year. But the pieces forming what they have are extremely complex, and it just wouldn't be realistic if it doesn't show, even if in a not showing way, or if it doesn't have consequences or implications.

It's one of those dynamics that shape one's life, the way one regards the world, the way one establishes or not relationships with other people. It's one of those dynamics that could be full of fondness, gratitude, resentment, admiration, trust, and that imply intimacy, the good kind or the bad, even if in just the knowledge of someone who's been a constant through your life. It could, and would, imply a myriad of feelings, and probably in such a mix it could imply contradictory feelings too. Even the nothingness would weight, even the nothingness would be significant and meaningful.

Gojo took Megumi and his sister under his wing, the son of a man who murdered him, because of both selfish and selfless reasons. Megumi looks like Toji. What does Gojo feel about this? How does Gojo deal with this? How does Gojo go about taking care of Megumi? Would he walk him to school? Make him breakfast? Celebrate his birthdays making him blow candles? Did he take him to the zoo? Does the relationship between them feel professional or is it something more? Gojo appreciates his students, but is Megumi to him just another student? When Gojo faces Sukuna in Megumi's body, did he see the kid he raised, or does he just see Sukuna in one of his students' body? Did he have one faint wavering instant? And how does Megumi feel about this? Is he resentful of him? Resentful of the situation? Of the selfishness behind his actions? Does he feel like a pawn? Is he grateful? Does he resent feeling grateful? Would he rather not? Does he love Gojo? Does he feel nothing about him other than what he could feel about a teacher that sort of annoys him but knows he's reliable in his strength? Does he think it unfair, cruel or unfeeling that Gojo is close, closer perhaps, with Yuuji or Yuta, considering their story? When Sukuna slices Gojo in two, does the remnants of Megumi's soul tremble?

And not just Megumi and Gojo. Yuuji and Nanami, Gojo and Nanami, Yuuji and Fushiguro, Nobara and the boys, or Nobara and Maki, Todo and Yuuji or Yuta, Gojo and Yuta, Megumi and his sister. Gojo and Geto, even! If the pieces are well set, the dynamics are intriguing, interesting, and have potential to be deep, but then the characters have like two plot relevant scenes that punch you hard, but little more, it's not nearly enough. Especially not nearly enough for the enormity that is shonen dynamics and situations. And the potential existing at all, and then not delivering, makes it all the more frustrating when you're left with something mediocre that could have been so good.

The development of dynamics through not only a few plot relevant gut wrenching moving scenes, but also the smallness of life, is important. The friend who recommended this to me said that those things were just unnecessary filler, but I disagree. I think there's a big difference between a large amount of anime-only filler episodes whose existence is based on the fact they had run out of manga chapters to animate, and moments of quietness. The low stakes character-driven moments of quietness can be so telling and so insightful, and they are so satisfactory when brought back later in higher stakes situations. My friend teased me there was no scene of Gojo making breakfast to Megumi, that it would be an idiotic idea, but it would be so telling. How he makes breakfast, what they eat, if he tries hard or if it's all mechanised, if they have personal bowls or if they use whatever, if he just buys them some pastry on the way to school, if the way they have breakfast changes through the years, or if he doesn't make them breakfast at all! All that would be very insightful on their dynamic and its evolution. All that would give a glimpse on how they regard each other and why, even in the present. All that could become meaningful in tense situations and high stakes scenes.

These moments also let the plot breath; if a lot is happening all the time, if every character is always experiencing trauma after trauma, the entire story is so emotionally draining that at some point you don't even care all that much. Besides, these nothing moments or low stakes plot arcs, besides deepening and developing dynamics, also let some in-world time pass, which would make the intimacy and bond between characters more believable imo; between Yuuji eating Sukuna's finger and their last confrontation in December how much time has passed? A few months? Am I truly to believe these characters are so everything to each other in only a few months?

Without some smallness, some repetition, some daily life, some low stakes not plot-centric development, the dynamics don't hit, they don't truly feel fleshed out, and dynamics as complex as the ones Megumi and Gojo have, or as supposedly meaningful as the one Megumi has with Yuuji or his sister, should be fleshed out if they're going to exist at all. Otherwise they'd risk making the writing feel awkward and fake. Besides, if the dynamics felt well fleshed out and realistic, they would shape the way the characters interact and act, and how they deal with situations, thus being plot relevant.

The shonen genre has so much happening all the time, the stakes are so high, the dynamics are so rooted in big events and the relationships carry enormous weight and implications. Yet they barely get developed, and it feels so stupid, so plain, the absence of something so important noticeable like a constant void, a shapeless nothingness present in every scene. It makes the characters feel like cardboard figures. Jujutsu Kaisen is already getting a better job than many, but I doubt it will do enough for what I've heard, and I fear I am bound to feel let down, and bound to feel unmoved.

After all, if not enough time and care has been given to develop a dynamic, I am not going to feel pressured by the high stakes; if not enough time and care has been given to develop the dynamic between Megumi and Yuuji, as good potential as it has I am bound to feel little for this last confrontation between Sukuna and Itadori, and his effort in getting Megumi back.

[starryalpacasstuff]

Last Twilight; Mee's legacy continues

I know that we're all mad at how episode 11 went. Believe me, I am too. I'm not going to be talking about the issues in the episode, several others have already done so, and far more eloquently than I could. Because despite the episode's failings, there are still some things about this episode that I think deserve to be talked about.

I've loved keeping up with Mee's story as the show has progressed (written about it here and here). I thought that Mee's story ended in episode 9, but it continues to be present in the narrative. The most obvious clue to this is, obviously, Porjai's daughter, whom they named Mee. In addition to that, episode 11 focuses on highlighting the fact that Day 's blindness is not something that can be cured, just as Mee could never return to her life before she was cursed. Just as Mee had hoped that the last twilight would allow her to return to her normal life, Day hoped, even fully believed that the surgery would allow him to become "normal" again (the medical inaccuracies of the process aside). In the end, neither can return to a sense of "normalcy", as Mee turns to stone and Day's surgery fails. Both stories are haunted by a sense of grief, helplessness, and hope that is given and taken away. But the end of Mee's story isn't written as tragic, it's written as joyful. The exact same ending could have been written as tragic and solemn, but it wasn't. In the end, Mee was able to revel in the fact that she would never turn invisible again, despite turning to stone. And that's what I'm hoping that Day's final arc will resemble. Because we know that Day is still insecure about his blindness, and about people's pity for him. His buying that cane was a massive step in the right direction, because it showed that he was willing to "announce to everyone that he's blind", to be less afraid. But, as the breakup showed us, he's still insecure about his blindness. If the theory is right, episode 12 should show us Day accepting his blindness, and maybe even celebrate it as a part of him, as Mee does.

Mee's story has run parallel to Day's since they began to read it. Mee's story is over now, but Day's isn't. We see that Mee continues to have a presence in Day's life, be it metaphorically, through her story predicting his, or literally, through Porjai's daughter. Besides fixing a lot of the damage that was done in episode 11, if there's one thing I'd like from episode 12, it's one final call back to Mee's story.

[blackknight-100]

I think I've said this before, and I will say it again: Rebecca is such a well-written character, especially for someone who is neither the MC, nor an LI, nor the villain(s).

And this scene is so good, and fits so consistently with her character and her relationship with her mentor. Here is Eragon, an old, weary man, Heaven's last fortress against destruction- a man sick of war but unable to stop fighting; and there is Rebecca- not his family, lover or wife, but his "spiritual sister", his "executioner" and his "comrade-in-arms". Someone whom he regarded with appreciation, if not respect, and someone who will disagree with him, and perhaps even dislike his attitude at times, but someone he can trust, someone who will respect him, and someone who will stand by him when the whole world burns and fight by his side. His sister.

[deputy-morgan-malone]

What Faerie Court Does Your OC Belong To?

Hello, I've been so bad at these lately (I cherish every tag!) so feel free to ignore this...but I found this random uquiz a while back, and I really enjoyed doing it and really liked Morgan's result for it, so figured I'd throw it to the fandom. It's a decent amount of questions and they're pretty involved, so it's not really a quick one, but like I say, I did enjoy it. ETA: The quiz is here!

Tagging @direwombat, @strafethesesinners, @unholymilf, @corvosattano, @carlosoliveiraa, @socially-awkward-skeleton, @voidika, @florbelles, @adelaidedrubman, @henbased, @aceghosts, @cassietrn, @shellibisshe, @schoute, @simplegenius042, @statichvm, @roofgeese, @chazz-anova, @perhapsrampancy, @deputyash, @derelictheretic, @clicheantagonist, @detectivelokis, @inafieldofdaisies, @fourlittleseedlings, @marivenah, @beautiful-delirium, @josephslittledeputy, @shallow-gravy, @redreart (feel free to ignore this! For whatever reason)

Deputy Morgan Malone (FC5 OC)

The Dawn Court

The Dawn Court isn’t categorized into Seelie or Unseelie, and assumes a more liminal alignment. Faeries belonging to this court are generally considered hopeful fellows and are mostly satisfied with the role the universe has bestowed upon them. Like the Dawn, they are the best of both worlds, favoring some of the traditional aspects and values of old, but are not opposed to new beginnings or a fresh start. Change is not always necessary for them, but can be something beautiful, opening up new and fresh perspectives able to enrich life and enjoy it to the fullest. They are a justice loving and mostly optimistic folk, believing that everything will turn out alright in the end. Rough patches might exist, but they are of a transient nature necessary for life to move forward and thrive. Liminality is seen as something favorable, opening up endless options for you to choose from. Every new day is a day for you to explore, to cherish; your unwavering hope a beacon for others to cling to and be inspired by. You’re probably not the leader in your friend group, but you’re the glue holding it together.

[variksel]

ME WHEN SIBLINGS WHO LOVE EACHOTHER TO THE MOON AND BACK ME WHEN SIBLINGS WHO WOULD DIE FOR EACHOTHER BUT WOULD NEVER SAY I LOVE YOU DIRECTLY ME WHEN SIBLINGS HUG AFTER A BATTLE ME WHEN SIBLINGS FIGHT AND BICKER ME WHEN SIBLINGS ARE BEST FRIENDS AND ENEMIES AND CODEPENDENT AND DISTANT AND FAMILY!!!!

[wonder-worker]

"...Walsingham, the monastic author of the St. Albans Chronicle, was by far [Alice Perrers'] harshest contemporary critic, who in his venom has (somewhat ironically) left us with the longest and most detailed account of her background and personality, her influence as Edward’s mistress, and her subsequent trial. He describes Alice as a shameless lowborn meretrix (a word variously translated as mistress, whore, or harlot), who “brought almost universal dishonour upon the king’s reputation […] and defiled virtually the whole kingdom of England with her disgraceful insolence.” Although Walsingham was not always accurate and, specifically in this case, clearly heavily biased against Alice, he nevertheless provides a truly contemporary account, and his importance as a source should not be underestimated. Likewise, the anonymous monk of St. Mary’s York recorded that in the Good Parliament the Commons (represented by their speaker, Sir Peter de la Mare) stated that it “would be of great gain to the kingdom to remove the said dame [Alice] from the presence of the king both as a matter of conscious and of the ill prosecution of the war.” During the same assembly, the bishop of Rochester, Thomas Brinton, preached from St. Paul’s Cross that “it is not fitting nor safe for all the keys of the kingdom to hang from the belt of one wife.” Although the word wife (uxoris) is used, it is widely accepted that this is a reference to Alice.”

-Laura Tompkins, '"Edward III's Gold-Digging Mistress": Alice Perrers, Gender, and Financial Power at the English Royal Court, 1360-1377", "Women and Economic Power in Premodern Courts" (edited by Cathleen Sarti). Italics by me.

[draconicsplendor]

Why do some people not like Wendy from Gravity Falls? I really liked her character all the way through

[deaddcas]

Every time a fanfic writer mentions Imogen having thick thighs an angel is born

[ode-to-fury]

Alicent fucking Hightower you are just that bitch