#and then aku thinks he’s privileged just cause

[scorpionatori]

imagine being atsushi and growing up getting abused and tortured in an orphanage for over a decade and getting kicked out of said orphanage and then after all of that you get called a privileged little bitch by two separate people

[theasiantvshipper-blog]

Magnus the Magnificent (3x19 Episode Review for Magnus’ Storyline)

“Magic doesn’t come from talent, it comes from pain”. -Lev Grossman, The Magicians.

This post is strictly for Magnus’ storyline in the 3x19 “Aku Cinta Kamu” episode of The Shadowhunters. 

I can’t even begin to stress how excited I was to finally see Magnus unravel right before our eyes. He was a marvel on screen. Harry Shum Jr couldn’t have delivered it better, and oh my goodness, the cinematography of his scenes were beyond! (okay, I maybe a little biased because it’s Magnus, but duh, who isn’t?). This is probably one of the best performances Harry has had in the show. His nuances were on point, the emotions raw, you almost want to believe that Matthew (not Alec) actually broke his heart into a million little pieces. In that moment, Harry and Magnus were one. Enough with the gushing, truth is, those flashbacks, if not for Harry’s impeccable performance, won’t be as powerful as they came out to be. Why? Allow me to break it down for you: 

Magnus and his magic- right off the bat, we get Asmodeus returning his magic to Magnus. And almost instanteously, Magnus felt alive. That soft smile upon getting his magic back only to realize that he still doesn’t have Alec, does not make for a very good cause for celebration in his part. Thankfully, he got out even before Asmodeus could have said something stupid and evil. 

The Love Lock Scene- this has already been teased a few days before the episode aired so everyone already had their feels about this. And we were not happy that Aku Cinta Kamu was only used in a flash back scene. But like a thief in the night, the scene after that love lock scene delivered the punch in the gut that we never knew we needed. Magnus took the lock and burned it. Now if you ask me, this is his way of breaking up with Alec. A parallel if you must to the book scene- except this time, no words were needed. That was pure art. 

Madzie Scene- by the time this flashback came, I was already reeling with pain from the previous scene that this one almost fell flat. It felt out of place, almost forced so that we can gush about Magnus and Alec actually being dads. I mean, cmon, if that’s not lazy writing, I don’t know what is. We go from love locks to dancing in the Havana to kids? If not for Harry, I would think this was another Malec bait. Why do they do this to us? Really? Why? 

Flashback Montage- this is just angst. I love angst but cmon, let’s not push it. 

Magnus vs Jem- this one was drama gold. When he sought for Jem’s help to erase his memories, I knew Jem wouldn’t agree to it (don’t we all) but I didn’t expect for Jem to actually break his vow of silence for his dearly beloved warlock friend, Magnus.  What I truly loved about this scene, apart from Jonathan’s delivery of his lines (which were very well written btw), was the sincerity of the gesture. When Jem told Magnus that he refuses to do what Magnus’ asks of him, pointing out that Magnus is powerful enough to do it himself, if he had the heart to do so, really spoke to me. Jem wasn’t trying to stop Magnus, nor was he enabling Magnus. In that moment, Jem wasn’t a silent brother, he was Magnus’ friend. A friend Magnus needed in dire times like these. Finally, the writers got something right this episode. 

Magnus vs. his Memories Part deux- Magnus, convinced that the only way to get through this pain is to rid himself of the memories that he and Alec shared; I felt a pang of pain, guilt, regret and loneliness. He longed for someone to love him for who he is, flaws and all. Alec was his person. Now that his person is gone, it begs the question, how does one live without the other? Thankfully (did I just write that?), Asmodeus was there to prevent that from happening. While the gesture is appreciated, the intent isn’t. Asmodaddy didn’t want Magnus to lose his memories because that would mean losing his hold over Magnus as well. This son of a b*tch. And I quote from another TV show: “Magic doesn’t come from talent, it comes from pain”- Lev Grossman, The Magicians. This couldn’t be any more true for Magnus and Asmodeus. He needs the pain to fuel the power he knew Magnus had in him. Asmodeus knows that he’s everything that Magnus has at this point, just as when he was a young boy, Magnus is back to where he was before. Alone with the power of the nine kingdoms of hell. Notice how Magnus’ magic turns red towards the end of the episode- blatant foreshadowing indeed. 

Magnus and Asmodeus Relationship- I seldom discuss parental relationships when writing my reviews because I think, we all have different upbringing in life. Not everyone is privileged to have a loving family who supported them, some of us (myself included) maybe products of abuse, abandonment etc. And it’s a very touchy subject for me personally. But upon seeing how the writers have handled this episode, I’d say they did an okay job of not screwing this up. This episode shone a light on Magnus and Asmodeus relationship, as I discussed in my previous post, he is his father, and he is his son. We cannot change that (as with many things in our lives as well). What Asmodeus did to Magnus is unspeakable, he turned him into a peon of power that he can manipulate whenever he wants. Without Magnus’ humanity keeping him grounded, who knows what Magnus could have done with the world. In this episode, we catch a glimpse of how Asmodeus is trying to be a father to Magnus, in the most conniving, bone-chilling kind of way. Magnus, alone and desolate, knows better. He would never willingly join his father, but at that exact moment, when his world is closing in on him, Asmodeus was there. Sometimes in life, when everything is said and done, when the rest of the world has turned their back on us, there are people who despite our history and conflict, will always be there. And that was who Asmodeus was to Magnus. He leaned in to hug his father, and let Asmodeus support him as he felt the weight of his world collapse on him. Magnus knew there was always a price, but it was a price he was willing to pay, for a brief moment of respite. The words, misery loves company, have never been truer.

So the real question now is, with his Magic back, a demonic father by his side, will Magnus embrace his full demon potential or is Alec’s love enough for him to stay true to his humanity? Will he accept his destiny as the prince of hell, or will he defy his father one last time? 

We’ll find out soon enough. 

[pinkaspersona]

i don’t have a choice

Joker, Midsommar, The Untamed, Bandersnatch, and Druck season 3, what they have in common? my favorite yes, and the concept about having a choice. I mean I know there’s something beyond our control, the catastrophe or damned event that gonna happen anyway, but there’s also something under our control, our decision to make, to be kind not be friend with evil according to Lan’ rule.

Di Joker, ada tiga fase Arthur Fleck when he thought he was nobody, when he can be somebody when he dance in that toilet after killing people for the first time, and when he think ‘I am God’ the scene when he is dancing at the stairs. He, choose to be Joker himself. Dan selesai nonton kuharus tidur dulu untuk istirahat dan mengingat, pertanyaan ‘Joker,mana salahnya’, ‘film anarki? are we for real, it’s realism and yes life is dark itself’, dan beragam alasan untuk menjustifikasi keputusan Arthur Fleck. Saat nonton itu berbarengan dengan skripsi yang membahas tentang realisme sosialis dan menyambungkannya sebagai poin utama karena background Arthur Fleck. militan with the ‘if the enemy does not surrender, he must be destroyed’ sangat cocok karena, let stay real who want to lose their privilege to help other, you’re gonna help other when there’s no chance to hurt your comfort place. Setelah bangun, konsep realisme sosialis juga harus ada ‘the people must know their history’ dan Arthur Fleck and chaos he created?. Perbedaan kelas mungkin iya, scene ketika Mr. Wayne mengkritisi di tivi mengenai orang bawah dan kemudian Arthur Fleck tidak terima dengan tubuh kerempengnya. Ketika itu kupikir scene itu menyoroti kalau Arthur Fleck, dengan tubuh yang sudah hampir habis, orang bawah akan selalu dianggap kaum malas sedangkan mr. Wayne, gempal dan makmur akan selalu beranggapan orang bawah tidak berhasil karena mereka tidak cukup bekerja keras. Scene ini setelah kubaca sebenarnya menandakan bahwa Arthur Fleck sangat kurus karena obat yang dikonsumsinya. To know their story. Setelah bangun tidur, ku kebalkon dan bilang ke elly yang juga menjustifikasi Joker ‘tapi arthur fleck kan gila ya el?’. Joker, finally a movie about Arthur Fleck, to showing the background how he become a mad man. Menurutku berempati dengan Arthur Fleck dan kemudian tetap mengetahui bahwa Joker is a mad men adalah goal dari film ini. His society made him a mad men, don’t be a mad society urself. orang yang kemudian bilang jangan nonton joker karena anarki dan jangan bersimpati dengan arthur fleck is the one who only know how to point the finger to quilty one. Seperti di Black Mirror White Bear, society they created are more cruel even without murdering one.

Arthur Fleck di Joker dan Dani di Midsommar adalah orang yang sadar akan pilihannya, be friend with evil, be the evil one. Seperti kata directornya, ‘she has surrendered to a joy known only by the insane. It is horrible and it is beautiful. They find their way and I think it is beautiful even that mean you’re among the bunch of the clown known as family, their own cult that bring them peace. Strange way to find one of peace of mind, but still.

Lalu ada Meng Yao. Di beberapa episode terakhir The Untamed meng yao berpidato panjang menjelaskan alasan dari alasan dari perbuatan. Wei Ying has to laugh and asking him ‘you have murdering a lot of people just for that?’and kinda my mood tho. neither your superiority nor inferiority should control how you behave. It is not a good reason to do something especially the evil one. Meng Yao berpidato lagi and when he said “I don’t have a choice” I should take a break, cause wait a minute. You know the theory about victim turn to be villain, oppressed being oppressor, and so on. Di satu sisi, mungkin kita belajar bagaimana menjadi orang dari orang yang tidak seharusnya kita belajar, tapi di sisi lain ‘what the fuck’. You, people, have a choice to become the person you want to be. I really like to give a slap to people who said people hate corruption cause they don’t have a power to do so, like really? there is a lot of people who won’t agree with that. I mean, us, people have power to be what kind of person we are, aren’t we?.

‘i don’t have a choice’ is a just joke coming from Meng Yao, cause being bad or good people isn’t by nature after all, its all by your choice. ‘i don’t have a choice’ when it is right cause coming from Wei Ying. He learned all the witchcraft or black magic because he have to, he doesn’t own jin dan (golden core) cause he donated it, so he had to make a choice to learn another power to support himself. It is the right example of ‘i don’t have a choice’ by circumstances not by your own will, goddamn Meng Yao.

Di Bandersnatch bilang kalau orang yang percaya takdir atau apapun itu akan bilang aku telah membunuh orang karena takdirku seperti itu, like how powerless and hopeless a human to be. those words strangely enough was something I need to keep my sanity till now. Aku paling benci ketika ada berita pembunuhan dan alasannya adalah karena mendengar bisikan, goddamn you’re bunch of crazy person. yet they are crazy or just being coward like meng yao. be like Kendrick who said ‘if i kill a person, its not because of alcohol’ i kill because i kill. simple. either way you need a doctor. Be Joker, Dani, but also you can choose to be Wei Ying tho. Do not be like Meng Yao, ever. self conscious to stay sane or insane, whatever, your choice after all.