#Suman dark

[akirayuri]

Hey but have you guys thought about a non-fallen or before fallen Suman Dark meeting Allen and immediately going dad mode ? Like, " I'm ganna adopt this child. No one touches me shut up "

[ellcrys]

suman is such a tragedy

he really was doomed from the start

he never wanted to be an exorcist. he never wanted to put himself at risk. he only became an exorcist to save his daughter's life. that's already three bad omens and an absolute set up for failure.

he might have been saved if he'd found community and love in the black order, but he clearly never did. he was lonely, according to johnny. but was that by choice? circumstance? i suppose we'll never know.

he clearly felt no loyalty to the order, was only there to get treatment for his daughter and he clearly values his family and seeing them again above all else.

honestly the order should've foreseen all this. you can really only succeed in being an exorcist if 1) you have nothing besides the order, or 2) you're a selfless unicorn who will throw away your past to become an exorcist. if you have any ties outside of the order, that's a recipe for disaster.

suman is so, painfully human. he wants to live, he wants to see his family again, he was given no reason to be loyal to the order.

does this negate his betrayal? no. he failed the order. but the order also failed him. and that's why he's such a sad character. he gets such a bad end for being human.

[poupeesdecirque]

Another bunch of panel redraws.... I really need to draw more women. Anita was giving me a hard time.

[akirayuri]

I was on a call with a friend. And I also dubbed this arc similarly. Thank you very much.

The Suman Dark arc, or as I like to call it: The Holy Shit it gets really Fucked Up from now and here on

[flowersforfrancis]

My loves.

[prahacat]

sith aesthetic: fancy coats and fluffy bats

[tarohonii]

Eleceed Character's Tier List

S Tier: Sucheon and Dark, aka eyebags that comes with an complementary side of emotional damage

A Tier: An jumble of characters. However, honorable mention is the two twins, Jaehyuk and Boyoung. Those two are one of my favorite side characters despite how little I mention them. Boyoung's personality has always been so lovely to me. She's sassy, smart as a whip, but also has an good heart. She's a perfect balance between 'tough girl' and 'shy, quiet feminine' type of female characters. And Jaehyuk is just funny to me. He's like an more vanilla version of Sucheon and I love him for it. I wish he had more screentime god.

B Tier: I know Jiwoo being in B tier is slightly controversial but this is my land and it's a lawless land and in here we enjoy side characters more than the main ones.

C Tier: Yea. They're just people I don't really care for

D Tier: I have fostered an hate-love relationship with Duke. But as of now, restraining order. He's a little shit with mildly positive connotation.

[grenadaee]

CHAPTER 6 of So now we're Homicides together is out now on wattpad!!!

(link below)

Upon entering the narrower walls and low ceilings of the guest chambers, the Professor had to duck his head to a certain degree in order to pass. It was so comical to witness, that for a moment I had almost the impulse to laugh. I peep into every room on either side of the halls and try to spot what I had been looking for with the Professor eyeing my every movement with suspicion. Coming across the one, I turn towards the man. He is confused to find his luggage stacked by the door.

"This will be your chambers. May you have a wonderful stay." I say and finding no delight to loiter in his presence, start to leave but I am grabbed harshly by the arm.

"I thought you were to give me a tour."

My eyes leave his and settle on the part I feel bruising under the fabric. There was no composing myself after this.

"Then you're a bigger fool than I thought you were." I say suddenly growing grave and freeing my hand from his grip with as much aggression as bodily possible.

"Sharp tongue for a nun." he sneers.

"Strong hands for a man who claims to have held nothing in his life but a quill. Maybe this is why."

Considering my words for a moment, a smile creeps up his fiendish face.

"You're a little devil aren't you? Plotting to make my stay here a living Hell."

"You have no idea." I say and turn to my heel before I lost patience.

an excerpt from Chapter 6 of So now we're Homicides together now available in Wattpad

The link :

[aahanna]

The world of Premchand's female characters..

This is the strong aspect of Premchand literature.

To understand Premchand's creative vision, it is necessary to look deeply at his philosophy of women. Of his approximately 300 stories, a hundred are on women's life, while not more than 50 are on the rural environment. The role of female characters in his novels is also not less. There are strong female characters in every novel. Among his female characters, Suman, Sukhda, Nirmala, Jalpa, Dhaniya, Malti etc. cannot be forgotten.

Premchand's women society is Shatarupa. It contains heart-touching stories of human relationships. In his profuse female characters, glimpses of relationships like girl, young woman, girlfriend, wife, mother, sister, friend, daughter-in-law, widow, sister-in-law, prostitute etc. will be found, in which their independent personality has been lost and women have become the embodiment of exploitation, slavery and submission. Yes, but this is one aspect of his women's philosophy. Nirmala in his literature

('Nirmala' novel)

Live and die the most painful life, but all the female characters are not destitute and slaves of men, rather these women challenge male authority, refuse to accept their husband as God and are active participants in procreation and Swaraj movement. Women will be found.

Premchand depicts the traditional form of woman in his literature. It reveals the poignant nature of her being a woman and her compulsion to live with the problems and tortures of family life and creates a modern sense of self-consciousness in her. It is written about Malti of 'Godaan' that she was a butterfly from outside and a bee from inside. There is a collection of modern woman's values in her butterfly and traditional feminine values in her bee.

To understand their women's issues, it is important to know and understand Dhaniya and Malti.

Is. This modernity in Premchand's women's thinking is not from the Western women's movement, but is the contribution of Arya Samaj. He was a member of Arya Samaj and was associated with its reform movement. Along with this, they consider protection of sexual purity and chastity of women as paramount. Premchand creates high level human ideals (sexual purity and chastity along with service-sacrifice, motherly love, sacrifice, motherhood, creation of family, active for national goals) and consciousness of self-realization in the female characters. These women have the ability to take a man to divinity ('mystery' story). In 'Godaan', Mehta says, 'Woman is as superior to man as light is to darkness. Forgiveness, sacrifice and non-violence are the highest ideals of life for humans. Woman has achieved this ideal.

Premchand does not want to break the family. Although his story 'Bade Ghar Ki Beti' is famous, he also gives it a modern form. They talk about the use of artificial methods for family planning and limiting the family to two children and its rights, monogamy, man's right over property, divorce and woman's right to half the property.

In his writings, Premchand brings the Indian woman equal to the man and writes that the man should give up the madness of ruling over the woman, otherwise they will remain in their own rights. They should have equal rights and the decision should be left to them only.

In this way Premchand establishes the condition and direction of Indian women and becomes the father of women's discussion. Her women's thinking becomes the foundation of independent India and women get many rights.

Source - kkgoyanka

[seleneprince]

So, I was searching for a good face claim for female Severus Snape (Sevrina or Severina, still deciding) and now I'm stuck between two great options and I can't decide:

Amita Suman (known as Inej aka knife wife aka love of my life, from Shadow and Bone)

I can't be the only one, right? Just look.at.her. She's perfect! The profile, the nose, the hair, the expression, the vibes. There are times when I'm picturing my Fem! Snape scenarios that her face just comes up to me, and she fits so well.

It also fits wonderfully in my headcanon that Snape is POC coded.

In here she's a badass. Strong minded and brave, but with a coveted warmness that few see. She doesn't let anyone, specially men, talk her down.

(and the green clothes, for fuck's sake. She's that girl)

Aaand

Mikey Madison (Amber in Scream, also known as Mommy, my queen and beautiful psycho)

I recently saw a tiktok claiming she would have been the perfect fem! Snape, and honestly, now I can't unsee it.

Canonically, Snape had very pale skin, almost sickly, and a big nose, so she's closer to the original source, while Amita is closer to my own headcanons. But c'mon, don't tell me you don't see it either.

She has the dark, creepy vibes, but also hot snarky gothic witch vibes. The photos encapsulate her character perfectly. Look at her pouty lips, her unimpressed stare. She's surrounded by idiots and judging everyone's life choices (spoiler: she's the least indicated person to do that)

Anyway, don't be too confused if I use both of them for my future fem! Snape posts. I can't pick, so I'll take them both.

[azumasoroshi]

THIS DUDE OH MY GOD. KAYDEN YOU ARE NOT BEATING THE ALLEGATIONS

i started rereading all of eleceed (im in my dark room at 3 am if you couldnt tell) and like. even kartein and kayden’s first interactions reek of exes/divorced energy and we know im all about that shit

like. kayden calling kartein on a private number. meeting on a rooftop overlooking the city. kayden actually taking kartein to his home and being vulnerable and cute with cats near him. you could say he’s doing all this for jiwoo’s sake but i firmly believe there’s no way he would do all that without having some level of trust and a little bit of amicability towards kartein like hello this is kayden break we’re talking about

both of them freaking out over jiwoo refusing treatment and kartein instantly going mom mode LMAOOO

its 3 am im not cropping those fuckin photos but dude you cant tell me there isnt a little bit of fondness in kartein’s eyes. im an artist those are the fond eyebrows i KNOW that shit i draw those on geto suguru every other day

lmao how do you know kartein’s limits that well huh gay boy. has he treated you in the past huh. have you stood guard for him before. spill your fucking secrets you’re not SLICK PRETTY BOY

kayden when jiyoung/inhyuk/suman/jiwoo’s friends/literally anyone else saves jiwoo: good job, thanks, i owe you one

kayden when kartein helps jiwoo: I WILL LEAD YOU TO MY DOMESTIC HOME AND MY FOUR BABY CATS AS MANY TIMES AS YOU LIKE. DO YOU WANT TO SHARE MY CAT BED

good lord ive been looking for the source of that last panel after seeing tumblr screenshots but how could i ever forget the MOST ROMANTIC FUCKING LINE IN ALL OF ELECEED THAT CAME WITH IT. IS THAT NOT LIKE A 500 PAGE ROMANCE NOVEL LINE. FROM KAYDEN FUCKING BREAK

kayden and kartein’s relationship is so funny bc you can tell in the earlier chapters everyone was like ok they’re too alike, they have to be siblings or cousins or something but starting this chapter people started being like hey something’s up with these two. i dont think they’re siblings anymore

and ofc webtoon comments are always obnoxious about this shit and any comment hinting to gay romance in an action webtoon gets like 300 downvotes but they slowly start getting fewer and fewer downvotes and im pretty sure no one downvotes comments about how they’re totally married by the time the lord astra arc rolls around at all which is HILARIOUS to me

the way kartein and kayden openly reveal their weaknesses to each other or assume the other already knows also gets me like. ok mr kayden i dont work with anyone and im all alone break and dr we’re not close enough for me to do a favor for you kartein what the FUCK ARE YOU HIDING FROM ME

[midnightemy35]

T’is the Season for Giving

What I would give the Eleceed cast for Christmas 

Since it’s December 1st, I think its officially Christmas time

Jiwoo - another cat (you can never have too many cats)

Subin - that thing that looks like a pack of gum but if you touch the strip it shocks you (to use on jisuk )

Jisuk - a chance to beat up his “friends” (the ones who used him to extort money from other students)

Wooin - a bowl of jajangmyeon ofc

Kayden - new clothes (why does the mf wear the same shit every time we see his human form)

Kartein/ Curtin - balls (y’know for his cat form) + a break from Kayden and Jiwoo’s bs

Dr Delein - some bonding time with Wooin (he probs doesn’t get much time to spend with Wooin outside of Wooin’s visits)

Gangseok - his spar with Jiwoo

Iseul - a date with Jiwoo/ a break from Jisuk and Subin’s teasing

Sucheon - therapy + a good sleep schedule (have you seen how big his eye bags are)

Suman - a good night’s sleep

Vatore - shopping spree with Kartein

Jiyoung- a break from work (girl is so busy as the chairwoman of shinhwa and the top ranker of Korea let her have a break)

Inhyuk - a basket full of cat related stuff + a break from Jisuk’s bs

Seongha - a break from the gang’s bs

Arthur/ Asher - a prosthetic arm + a hug (his family are assholes)

Cain/ Gahin - a hug (my poor bby got stabbed twice by his “friend” he needs the hug)

Duke - a slap + clown makeup & nose

Amyeong/ Dark - therapy + a hug from mama Jiwoo 

Mama Jiwoo - bonding time with Jiwoo, Amyeong, Kayden and Kartein 

Veramonte Patrick - a hug (got some fun grandpa vibes from him)

Julian/ Jurion Patrick - a consoling pat on the back (for losing the chance to date Jiyoung to Jiwoo, he didn’t even have a chance to win her over from the very start)

Ian Patrick - an outing with the gang!! (I want him to join the group and add on to the sillies)

Spoilers under cut (Based on the chapters webtoon has released as of Dec 1 2023)

Schnauder/ Schneider - shoes (why does mf wear slippers out when it is literally snowing in Frame territory )

Supri - old woman perfume (idk much about her)

Andrei - a kick to the crotch (I really really REALLY don’t like him)

Earthquake - a kick to the crotch (don’t like him either, the two of them were beefing with a teen despite being fucking adults)

Roist/ Royst - a hug ( i love the clown boy)

Muse - a hug ( i love him he is beautiful and perfect)

Astra - a kick to the crotch (you’d think he’d have some dignity being a top ten but you’d be wrong)

Muras - a new eye

[onomatopagu-et-cie]

Some (too many) mental notes & questions about D. Gray-man!

(SPOILERS UP TO CH. 247 & sorry if the terms used are awkward esp. the localization of the manga, I read it in french!)

I recently re-read DGM as the new chapter came out. I stopped catching up after volume 22 years ago and I am so glad I re-read the series!

If it was already beautifully sad and cruel, the volumes 23 to 27 hooked me even more. Like other manga (eg. Witch Hat Atelier, Berserk), the panel composition was already beautiful in the previous volumes but I was fascinated through my reading. The attention given to hands in these volumes (like MHA) was mind-blowing!

The Allen-Kanda-Johnny-Link group (and now Tiedoll) works really well, I didn’t expect that at all! Oh, and the character development/decline of every character is great, especially Allen & Neah, Kanda & Link (and Cross and Road in those flashbacks?????).

DGM wouldn’t be DGM if the mysteries didn’t keep growing even more cryptic as the story unfolds, so I guess here are some notes and questions I’ll come back to one day to see if they are answered!

► Now that we know the D. in DGM stands for ‘Dear’ (I already sense the tragedy in the title for both Allen and Mana aaaaa), I don’t know if this was intentional, but Mana in front of the mirror strongly reminded me of The Picture of Dorian Gray, especially the end (I shouldn’t have read this scene late at night, I was spooked haha). The characters of Allen and Neah, shrouded in mystery, also encapture the elusive personality of Dorian Gray.

► Paying extra attention to all the parallels between the Ghost of Mater & the Artificial Exorcists Arcs was Pure Pain. I’m always amazed how far the details go and make (even more or a whole new) sense later on.

► Lenalee and Komui’s story touched me once more aaaaaa ► Miranda’s power is really cruel, I wish we could see more of her someday ;;

► Road used for super-human the word ‘choujin’, which also seems to refer to the concept of übermensch in japanese ie. the ideal superior man of the future who could rise above conventional Christian morality to create and impose his own values... NOW THAT IS INTERESTING.

Especially regarding Road and Cross meeting & Allen’s prophecy as the ‘Destroyer of Time’ (the fact he could ‘sense’ Lenalee’s dream and interact with it, Cross ‘death’ by Apocryphos hands, past!Allen’s mystery over his rejuvenated body, Apocryphos observation on ‘Allen’s’ long existence as a parasite, and so on …)?????????????

And could she have a link to Allen and Lenalee’s dream of the future?

► The overarching theme of humans, akuma, Noahs and even the Earl at God’s/The Heart’s mercy manifests in many little plot points eg. the Ghost of Mater (that could even foreshadow the whole Cross/Road meeting), Road dressing Lenalee as a doll, Lenalee and Miranda taking their suffering as the Innocence testing them, Link turned into a puppet, Crown Clown and so on …

► Could this be Campbell’s mansion Allen will visit in the next chapters… ?

► Reever’s devotion to Komui ;;;;;;;;

► Fascinating how everyone except Allen is at risk of becoming a Fallen One, despite everything he does ‘against’ the Order, God and the Innocence: it could be explained by the role he was given by the Heart now that we have a bigger picture And it is foreshadowed since the Suman Dark Arc:

-> When Allen says Suman betrayed ‘God’, the kanji for god is used (kami), but the furigana read as Innocence:

And Allen even says later the Innocence punishes sinners as God itself, devuring Suman from the inside like a worm ……….

-> While Komui says he has betrayed God and the furigana read as God this time:

I love the word plays in the original versions with the furigana (I wonder if this has a name?), another example:

The kanji for family, kazoku, is read as the english « home », which we always saw used to describe the Order as a comforting place to return to: the Order was never Suman’s home, he always longed for his family

► Will this ever be explained? That, and Cross's special bond to God or the Heart!

Also this????????

AND ALSO CROSS HATRED FOR TIMCAMPY???????????

► Could Cross be a Bookman?

Neah’s flashback mentioned an ‘excentric uncle’, so it could also be Cross, given how he remembers Mana’s smile from his childhood, I am Confused Or he could be their childhood friend, as his appearance in the flashbacks suggests he would've had the same age past!Allen, Neah and Mana would have, around 35yo? Idek anymore! Either way, he has an obvious hold over his age like past!Allen, maybe through magic or their nature?

Was the unknown language Bookman spoke when the Ark was disappearing in the sky the same Mana taught Allen? In Komui’s corner, we learn Bookman knew in advance they would synchronize with an Innocence when their mission began???????? Do they somehow have links to the Heart or Apocryphos? Are they from the doomed world Road told Cross, as some sort of witnesses of the Noah's struggles on behalf of God?

► Tyki’s nature is hinted at by Road even as early as ch. 93, and the confrontation with Neah in the volume 26 makes me really think he’s some sort of copy of him

► This panel is Pain:

► I love Lenalee and Lavi’s relationship so much!! Lavi’s arc was gripping, and took Lenalee’s words on the boat (‘am I still in this world?’) to a whole new context

► About Luberrier :

How in hell was he aware of the 14th without even Cross telling him? His dialogue with Zuu before saving Link strongly suggests he knew the 3rd gen. project would cause the Noah attack on the laboratory and the 14th awakening, isolating Allen, as though he made a deal with a Noah or sb else. The ch150 (Hevlaska and Luberrier’s past) is haunting me, I’m really curious to see where this is going!

► About Link : We know so little about his past, how he became a Crow, how his devotion was built by the Administration (Link’s flashback with Luberrier after recovering was scary, how easily he gave in & Luberrier’s whole behavior was ugh)! Komui’s corner mentions the two red dots on the Crow’s forehead are scars left by the operation that made them sorcerers against their will + Allen tried to touch it, which made him mad GAHHHHHH I NEED MORE CONTEXT

Ch247 hurts even more considering Neah used the same words as Allen to greet Link but rang false aaaaaaa

Link’s profile is cut from the Central Administration’s organization chart from volume 25 (when he admits feeling conflicted over Allen’s fate), before his profile was included in the same box:

Komui’s corner once mentioned comforting food thanks to the emotional value they hold eg. Allen and Cross’s porridge. Link says he had something similar so I wonder if this will ever be showed in the manga!

► About past!Allen: This might be a reach, but ch221’s flashback made me think Atuuda’s magic (its symbol in particular) can be linked to past!Allen with the whole spiral of life theory (+ the fact his body rejuvenated by some miracle):

There are also many parallels with other dynamics in the manga: -> Neah-Cross & Mana — he was set on eliminating anything else that draws near Mana, as a promise he made to Neah -> Luberrier-Link & Neah-Allen — Luberrier needs Link in order to protect and save them from anyone -> past!Allen & Neah — he promised Neah he would protect his memory from anyone (-> Kanda & Alma — he was the only one that could save Alma)

(I don’t want to think about Link potentially becoming another host for Neah, sacrificing himself for Allen for example aaaaaa)

I saw Hoshino’s sister loves Link’s character and what happens next to him will potentially be pure pain, I get her because his potential is skyrocketing and I’m definitely not ready aaaaaaaa

► What was even going on between Neah and past!Allen???????????????

► Allen’s past was really devastating. Mana’s words by the sunset ;;;;;

► In ch216, Cornelia’s wood destroys Timcampy in a similar way Red is bound eyes and ears from the scene when the Earl comes back in the circus in the recent chapters (with those little black hands)

► The parallels & oppositions btw Kanda & Link (the potential of the trio Kanda-Allen-Link!!!!!) : -> both presented in a negative light at the beginning -> both now deem themselves unworthy to be a part of Allen’s life: Kanda is glad Johnny is there to support him, Link says he will disappear from Allen’s life if he defeats the 14th (and also That Panel when he saw Allen come back to his senses and save Johnny). Both have feelings they suppress when it comes to Allen, in a stark contrast with Johnny’s honesty -> both were objects of experimentation/intensive training but Kanda feels no loyalty to the Order, while Link does strongly to Luberrier -> both wound up with a shortened lifespan they hide atm (Kanda as a Fallen One & Link with Atuuda) -> both were targeted by Apocryphos and had their memories rewritten -> Kanda wants to kill the 14th, Link is ordered to aid him -> hands shown as holding dominion over them both (the Innocence, Luberrier and the Heart)

► Predictions for the next chapters: Since Johnny is going along with Allen & Link, there’s a chance : 1) Link will drive Johnny away so Neah wakes up ; 2) Neah will do it since he sees everything through Allen’s eyes and even challenges Link’s ‘loyalty’ 1) would be logical as everyone in Allen’s group feared it while Allen accepted the risk but given the whole arc, Link seems VERY conflicted over the whole matter (and their shoujo-esque reunion damn, that and volume 25 whole vibes) Also Road seems to have led Allen to the mansion through his dream because she thought he was dangerous (????) AND a ‘bookman’ was there, so a lot will happen!

Have a nice week-end!

[ginevrastilinski-ocs]

Narnia OCs Masterlist

Name: Aine Meraxes

Pronouns: she/her

Story: Untitled

LI: Liz Pevensie

Quote: I'm going to be the deadliest piece on the board.

Pinterest: X

FC: Millie Alcock

Name: Amaranta Ira

Pronouns: she/her

Story: Untitled

LI: Prince Caspian & Edmund Pevensie

Quote: She conquered her demons and wore her scars like wings.

Pinterest: TBD

FC: Amita Suman

Name: Avaluna Lohan Kirke

Pronouns: she/her

Story: Untitled

LI: Lucy Pevensie

Quote: I'm just a girl trying to find a place in this world.

Pinterest: TBD

FC: Elle Fanning

Name: Fitzroy Mahogany

Pronouns: he/him

Story: Untitled

LI: Peter Pevensie

Quote: I do not believe this darkness will endure.

Pinterest: TBD

FC: Douglas Booth

Name: Edurne

Pronouns: she/her

Story: Long Cold Lonely Winter

LI: Peter Pevensie

Quote: She waits, seething, blooming.

Pinterest: X

FC: Freya Allan

Name: Kalila

Pronouns: she/her

Story: Clairvoyant Dreams

LI: Susan Pevensie & Prince Caspian

Quote: Now she sits on her throne in her palace of bones, praying to her greed. She's got my past frozen behind a glass, but I've got me.

Pinterest: TBD

FC: Phia Saban

Name: Killian Evada

Pronouns: he/him

Story: King And Lionheart

LI: Edmund Pevensie

Quote: Even if I can't find heaven, I'll walk through hell with you.

Pinterest: TBD

FC: Thomas Brodie Sangster

Name: Leocadius Thorne

Pronouns: he/him

Story: Untitled

LI: N/A

Quote: Fill your mind with knowledge. It's the only kind of power no one can take away from you.

Pinterest: TBD

FC: Isaac Hempstead Wright

Name: Liz Pevensie

Pronouns: she/her & they/them

Story: Untitled

LI: Aine Meraxes

Quote: We were children thrust into war and once it ends, what will we become?

Pinterest: X

FC: Maisie Williams

Name: Magpie Kirke

Pronouns: she/her

Story: Untitled

LI: Peter Pevensie & Prince Caspian

Quote: Oh I'm no longer a kid. And everything has changed.

Pinterest: TBD

FC: Florence Pugh

Name: Marianne Luell

Pronouns: she/her

Story: Untitled

LI: N/A

Quote: And I can go anywhere I want. Anywhere I want, just not home.

Pinterest: TBD

FC: Sarah Bolger

Name: Merletta Of Narnia

Pronouns: she/her

Story: Untitled

LI: Lucy Pevensie

Quote: But I miss you in the mornings when I see the sun, something in the orange tells me we're not done.

Pinterest: TBD

FC: Ceara Coveney

Name: Neera Merwyna

Pronouns: she/her

Story: Untitled

LI: Prince Caspian

Quote: Do it because they said you couldn't.

Pinterest: TBD

FC: Halle Bailey

Name: Nevan Dair

Pronouns: he/him

Story: Untitled

LI: Edmund Pevensie

Quote: I'll make it though the winter if it kills me.

Pinterest: TBD

FC: Kit Young

Name: Shivani

Pronouns: they/them

Story: Untitled

LI: Susan Pevensie

Quote: My soul comes from better worlds and I have an incurable homesickness of the stars.

Pinterest: TBD

FC: Jessie Mei Li

Name: Verena Mars

Pronouns: she/her

Story: Untitled

LI: Susan Pevensie

Quote: The laws of the universe say that the person I love is lost to me. I say watch me save her.

Pinterest: TBD

FC: Hailee Steinfeld

[theaddictedwatcher]

Hello everyone!

Here again to introduce you to another fantasy show. This series, made for Netflix, is for now composed of two seasons. First broadcast in 2021, the story is an adaptation from the literary world created by Leigh Bardugo. Today, the show I will introduce you to is Shadow and Bone !

And now, to begin with as always, a little summary : The kingdom of Ravka has been cursed for millennia. Its fate now rests on the shoulders of an orphan, Alina Starkov, who works as a cartographer in Ravka's First Army. When her childhood friend, Malyen ‘Mal’ Oretsev, an orphan like her, is enlisted to take part in a boat crossing the Shadow Fold, a dangerous, dark and evil fog that cuts Ravka in two, Alina manages to go with him. In the middle of the Fold, as the crew is decimated by evil flying creatures, the terrified young cartographer begins to project beams of light that drive them away and allow the boat to emerge from the Fold. Word of her feat soon spreads and Alina discovers herself to be the Sun Summoner, a Saint steeped in beliefs dating back thousands of years and the only one capable of destroying the Fold to reunite Ravka. In this world, the Grishas, people with various magical talents, form the Second Army of Ravka under the command of General Aleksander Kirigan. Alina is taken by Kirigan to the royal castle at Os Alta to be trained and to meet the king. Meanwhile, in Ketterdam, a team led by Kaz Brekker, the Crows, have been offered a very large sum of money to capture the Summoner of Light. To complete their mission, Kaz, assisted by Jesper Fahey and Inej Ghafa, must find a way to cross the Fold… Who can Alina trust? Will she be able to rid Ravka of the Fold? Will she be able to escape the Crows? Who is Kirigan really? And a little technical description : - Created by : Eric Heisserer - Music by : Joseph Trapanese - Main cast : Jessie Mei Li, Archie Renaux, Freddie Carter, Amita Suman, Kit Young, Zoë Wanamaker, Ben Barnes, Daisy Head, Danielle Galligan, Callahan Skogman.

As I said above, the series is a Netflix adaptation of two of Leigh Bardugo's literary sagas: the Grisha trilogy and the Six of Crows literary duology. Having read the books a few years ago and the author herself having been involved in the project, my expectations were pretty high. So I'm going to tell you what I thought of the resulting product.

I'm going to start by talking briefly about the production team because, in my opinion, this gives a pretty good idea of the quality of the construction of the atmosphere of this universe. Between Eric Heisserer (A Nightmare on Elm Street, Final Destination 5, Bird Box), Shawn Levy (Stranger Things, Deadpool and Wolverine), Dan Cohen (Stranger Things, The Adam Project) and Dan Levine (Arrival, Freedom Writers), the producers of Shadow and Bone are used to fantasy and fantastic productions that require particular attention to special effects and atmosphere. That's why the team they've built around them (costumes, sets, music and visual effects) has been meticulously chosen, and I'll be coming back to the work of each of them later.

To give you as brief an idea as possible of the characters and their respective stories, I'll start by giving you a little background on the universe in which the series takes place. The chronology of the two merged sagas was certainly the point that made me the most sceptical. The Grisha trilogy doesn't take place at the same time as the Six of Crows duology and, although some of the characters can be found in both sagas, I couldn't quite see how they were going to merge. So I'm going to tell you a little bit about the three different stories that run parallel in season 1, with slight spoilers about the first episode. I'll only be concentrating on season 1 so as not to give too much away, so there are characters and stories I'll be deliberately omitting, although I'd love to talk about them…

THE UNIVERSE

The Shadow and Bone series plunges us into a fantasy universe in which the different populations of the six nations of Ravka, Fjerda, Shu Han, Kerch, Novyi Zem and Wandering Isle adapt elements of the language, culture and traditions of the countries of our world, drawn from different periods. Each of these populations is partly made up of people with magical abilities. These people, called Grishas by the common people, can be categorized into three different sections depending on their abilities:

Corporialkis are Grishas who have the ability to alter the physical state of a living being, either to heal them (Healers) or incapacitate them (Heartrenders).

Materlialkis are Grishas who have the ability to transform materials such as iron.

Etherealkis are Grishas who have the ability to manipulate the elements.

THE PREMICE

The nation of Ravka is divided in two, from east to west, by the Shadow Fold (also known as the Unsea), a region plunged into darkness and filled with beasts created centuries ago by a Grisha known as the Black Heretic. Ravka is also at war with Fjerda, which is seeking its independence from the king of Ravka. General Kirigan -played by Ben Barnes- leads Ravka's Second Army in these conflicts, which threaten the lives not only of the people of Ravka but of the whole world. To ensure the survival of his people, he searches in vain for the Summoner of Light, who, according to legend, is the only one who can destroy the Shadow Fold.

When the series begins, we meet the various protagonists:

* ARC GRISHA

Alina Starkov -played by Jessie Mei Li- is a young woman, half Shu, who grew up in an orphanage with her best friend Malyen "Mal" Oretsev -played by Archie Renaux. In the first episode, we discover that she is a cartographer in Ravka's army and that Mal has been enlisted as a tracker. But when, during an expedition, she reveals herself to be the Sun Summoner -an Etherealki with the rare power to summon light-, her destiny eludes her. Mal does everything in his power to protect her, but General Kirigan takes her to the Little Palace. He wants her to learn about her power there, but also to give hope to the Ravkan people that the Fold can be destroyed. We discover in the first episode that he is an Etherealki capable of summoning darkness, which is why he has been nicknamed "The Darkling". It's a very rare ability, like that of the Sun Summoner, which is why he is admired and feared by many. At the Little Palace, Alina meets Genya Safin - played by Daisy Head -a Healer known for her great beauty. Genya, initially sent to train her in the customs of the Little Palace, becomes Alina's confidante. During her stay at the Little Palace, Alina also meets Baghra Morosova -played by Zoë Wanamaker. She is introduced as one of Alina's instructors at the Little Palace, the Second Army's training facility. She is strict in her teaching of Alina's mastery of light summoning.

* ARC CROWS

Kaz "Dirtyhands" Brekker -played by Freddy Carter- is an experienced thief with a reputation for completing any mission if the price is right. He is the de facto leader of the Crows and has a personal vendetta against Pekka Rollins. Severely haptophobic -a rare phobia involving the fear of touching or being touched, an acute exaggeration of normal protective tendencies in personal space- and suffering from osteonecrosis in his right leg which causes him to limp, he has to use a cane with a pommel shaped like a crow's skull to help him get around and sometimes in combat as a weapon. Together with Inej Ghafa known as "The Wraith" -played by Amita Suman- and Jesper Fahey, a Baelish-Zemini sharpshooter -played by Kit Young- Kaz embarks on a new mission for a mysterious sponsor: they must find, kidnap and bring back to Ketterdam the Sun Summoner. If their mission is successful, Kaz will have the means to take revenge on Pekka and save those closest to him.

* ARC NINA / MATTHIAS

While Nina Zenik -played by Danielle Galligan- was on Wandering Isle on a mission for the Second Army with Zoya Nazyalensky, she found herself trapped in a Fjerdan drüskelle camp amongst whom was Matthias Helvar -played by Callahan Skogman. As Fjerdans consider Grishas to be evil, Nina was taken prisoner, interrogated and tortured. The ship on which she was held prisoner was caught in a storm and destroyed. Matthias survived the shipwreck thanks to Nina's powers which kept their bodies warm long enough to reach the shore, and so they survived together for three weeks in the wilds of Fjerda.

CASTING

It took me a couple of episodes to realise that I shouldn't see season 1 of Shadow and Bone as an adaptation of the first Six of Crows novel but rather as a mission carried out by Jesper, Kaz and Inej before the first Six of Crows book. While this may be uninteresting for readers of the novels, I find the idea of allowing us to learn more about the characters we love before the adventures in which we discover them quite interesting. It includes us even more in the evolution of the characters, and allows readers to discover a new adventure. And I'm thinking that, if I hadn't read the books, this isn't a detail I would have dwelt on. I actually loved discovering the characters I love so much in this adventure, before they were them, before they all met each other too.

I particularly enjoyed that they developed the meeting between Nina and Matthias in season 1, which makes sense as their meeting happens long before the adventures of Six of Crows. To me, it is far more interesting to have it as a story spun throughout a season than as a 5 minute flashback told by a character in a later season. It was always with the greatest relish that I relearned to love their meeting and I must salute once again the quality of the casting, particularly for these two characters who for me have the most beautiful chemistry this first season.

I must also applaud the casting of Jesper and Inej. I hadn't imagined Jesper to be exactly the same physically (in truth, I saw him with his hair shaved like in the illustrations), but Kit Young won me over from the first minutes he appeared on screen. His carefree energy, empathy, humour and ego immediately struck a chord with me and restored the image of Jesper I had in my memory from reading the books. As for Inej, Amita Suman is perfect in the role. Perfect casting. Whether in her appearance, her posture, her uprightness or her facial expressions, her performance gave me the impression of seeing the character straight out of the book come to life before my very eyes. It was magic.

I was a little less enthralled by Kaz in season 1. Mind you, Freddy Carter is very good, but for me there was an essential element missing from Kaz's story that we didn't get until season 2, and, for me, that's what makes all the difference in the way I feel about the character between the two seasons. But he's still Kaz, with all his faults and a few qualities too, and Freddy Carter brought this complex character to life perfectly.

As far as the Grisha novels are concerned, this first season follows the first book of the series rather well, although there have inevitably been a few adaptations, particularly in terms of the characters present. Yet, it's nothing too different from the events of the first book of the saga. The various performances by the actors and actresses fill out the characters rather well and the range of emotions portrayed is interesting but, and this is a personal opinion, some of the chemistry is unfortunately not there and that's a shame because it's a crucial part of the story…

I'd still like to make a special mention of three characters who, although they barely appeared in season 1, are developed in season 2 and whose actors deserve to be praised for their performances. I won't go into detail about the characters, but I'd like to thank Suzanne Smith for casting Jack Wolfe, Patrick Gibson and Sujaya Dasgupta in the major roles they play. They perfectly complemented the expected chemistry with the first-season characters and I was delighted to discover them in these roles.

REPRESENTATIONS

I'd also like to say a few words about the respect for different representations, whether racial -respecting the different characteristics of each nation, Novyi Zem and Shu-Han in particular- but also the representations of the LGBT+ community with different homosexual relationships. Of course, these aspects were already present in the novels but, given the current international climate, I think it's important that, during production, these aspects were not smoothed over or exaggerated. Whatever our origins, sexual orientation or gender identity, we're all the same, we're all human, and that's what should come first. To be honest, this is one of the subjects I enjoyed most when reading the novels: tolerance and acceptance. Beyond anything that might set us apart from one another, instead of pitting us against one another, let's stand together, let's be united.

SETTINGS

I'd now like to talk a little about the filming locations. The main shooting location for the first season was in and around Budapest and Keszthely in Hungary. Various locations were used to symbolise Ravka, such as the Ethnographic Museum, which served as the throne room of the Grand Palace, Buda Castle for the exterior of the Royal Archives, the exterior of the same castle and in particular its medieval roundel as Grisha's training grounds and Os Alta's gates, the old Stock Exchange for the interior of the Royal Archives and finally the main square for the Novokribirsk city set.

Outside Budapest, the exterior and interior of the Festetics Palace were used to create the Little Palace, and the Winter Festival was held in its concert hall. There's also the Amadé-Bajzáth-Pappenheim mansion that gave birth to the Keramzin orphanage, the town of Szentendre gave birth to that of Ryevost, and the royal palace of Gödöllő for the stable and chapel. A flashback scene was filmed in the ruined Széchényi-Wenckheim manor house in Békéscsaba.

Other shootings took place in Vancouver such as the scenes taking place in Ketterdam that were entirely built in the studio.

SPECIAL EFFECTS

Speaking of studio-built sets, I'd like to focus on the series' special effects. Under the artistic direction of Attila Digi Kövári, Francesc Masso and Zoltán Sárdi, the series' special effects were meticulously created. Whether it's the rendering of the Grishas' spells -particularly those of the Etherealki, which are the most visual- or the creation of the Shadow Fold using a green background, the care that has gone into these effects is extremely meticulous. I'm not saying that at certain rare moments you can't see the use of the green screen, because that would be a lie, but on the whole I'm quite impressed by the visual rendering that has been given to this magical universe.

COSTUMES

Before my last stop, I'd like to talk a little about the artistic direction of the costumes. Supervised by Wendy Partridge, the costumes I'm going to talk about can be divided into three categories.

First of all, the first costumes we see are those of the soldiers of the First Army. They have influences reminiscent of the dress worn by Russian soldiers during the first half of the 20th century.

This Russian influence is reinforced later in the season when we attend the festivities at the Little Palace. The outfits of the Ravkane royalty and the Grishas soldiers present remind me of the visuals in Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace -particularly the adaptation made into a mini-series in 2016.

The second aspect that the costumes inspire in me would be a more Western influence with the costumes in Ketterdam. Kaz's in particular, with his greatcoat, hat and walking stick, reminds me a lot of Peaky Blinders with Cillian Murphy.

Finally, and this is something I've already mentioned, I appreciate that the various cultural influences brought by each nation are visible. I'm thinking in particular of Inej's outfits, which, as a Suli, have South Asian influences in them, or the outfits of the Shu people - mainly visible in season 2- which are more reminiscent of traditional Asian outfits. It's important in costume to show the diversity of the world -whether real or imagined- but above all to do so in a way that respects the cultures from which we draw our inspiration.

MUSIC

Last stop before the end of this very long article: the series' soundtrack. I really enjoyed the work on the soundtrack created by Joseph Trapanese -who is behind the soundtracks for The Greatest Showman, Quantico and The Witcher amongst others- and in particular the different themes written for the characters over the two seasons of Shadow and Bone. The diversity of the instruments used also reflects the multicultural nature of this rich universe and contributes to a varied representation in the same way as the work on the costumes, the different languages and the casting of the actors themselves. In an interview with AwardsDaily.com, Joseph Trapanese explained that the music for season 1 was composed over 11 months during the pandemic and how he conducted an orchestra through meetings on Zoom. He also explained that Russian and Slavic influences were incorporated as a basis for his compositions, as Leigh Bardugo -the author of the novels- had cited Sergei Prokofiev and folk music as examples of inspiration when she was writing. Joseph Trapanese cited other musical traditions such as gamelan- the traditional ensemble music of the Javanese, Sundanese and Balinese peoples of Indonesia consisting mainly of percussion instruments, being inspirations for certain pieces.

CONCLUSION

And that's it, I think I've gone on long enough with this review of Shadow and Bone. I hope you've enjoyed it and that I've managed to make you want to get involved in this adventure, despite its cancellation by Netflix before season 3 due to "the writers' strikes in 2023" as Netflix explained.

Personally, I had high expectations having read the books, and I have to admit that never before has a series adaptation of a work I've read won me over so much. Whether you've read the books or not, if this type of adventure appeals to you, I can only warmly advise you to go for it! And if you want to, why not read the novels!

In the meantime, I hope you have a wonderful week, enjoy your viewings and see you soon!

Eli

[flowersforfrancis]

My darlings.