#but i thought this show was different in understanding the complexities of love and female independence

[twistsandtales]

I was so hopeful that we were gonna break the curse by episodes 8/9/10 because i feel like the season stories or vibes or whatever often change a little right around that mark but now with all this “let me move on” and potential ace love interest in the next few eps im so stressed it wont be until the last 2 episodes or even the finale

[seaglassmelody]

Today’s “Yay Veilguard!” Stream of consciousness post is how much I love the writing with all the female characters.

Neve and Bellara and Harding all get very different plotlines and their emotional responses have such a wide range. Harding and Bellara are both the sort of cute adorkable party members but they approach it very differently. Harding buries her emotions and opinions to be likeable, whereas Bellara just blurts out all her thoughts. Meanwhile Neve is measured and thoughtful almost to the point of anxiety.

They all feel full and realized and not just weird feminine stereotypes. I especially love Neve being the in-between of the noir detective and the femme fatale - it gives her such a strong and interesting core. And then you add in her idealism and desire to protect the downtrodden??

I love that Neve feels the most cynical but Bellara and Harding are actually far more vicious. I LOVE that Bellara gets to BE vicious but she’s also conflicted when it comes to Cyrian- like if anyone else had done what he did, she’d be all for killing them, but because it’s HER BROTHER, it’s different. It’s nuanced! It’s complex! She knows what her values say but her heart doesn’t want it!

And then there’s the female villains. I do think with the exception of Hezenkoss and maybe Isseya, the companion quest villains are a little underwritten, but that doesn’t take enjoyment away from playing with them. I love that Aelia is an unapologetic powermonger. I love that Zara is totally morally bankrupt and willing to use anyone she deems as lesser for beauty and power. I love that Isseya is a visible monster but actually the most sympathetic of the villains.

Hezenkoss gets her own section because my GOD I love necromancer grandma so much!! She’s so funny, she’s so unethical and unapologetic about it. An older woman getting to be so unstoppably but affably evil is incredible to me. She’s got such a high level of arrogance and ambition and she’s always chewing the scenery and it’s so enjoyable every time she shows up!

My lowkey favorites though are the Problematic Mother Figures. Shathann and Caterina you will always be legendary to me. To care about children, to try to set them up for success but in ways that are initially harmful, to try to understand them and fail, to hold them to impossible standards and have to deal with their resentment but you do it anyway because you LOVE them- Veilguard isn’t necessarily trying to make a point about parenting (and motherhood in particular) but at the same time it IS with Morrigan and Mythal and Shathann and Ghilan’nain, mother of monsters. I love the depth of emotion they get to especially with Shathann and Taash when it comes to the complicated relationships of family. I wish Lucanis had gotten more of that with Caterina instead of everything being focused on Illario but that’s not the story they were telling so alas.

All this to say, I never felt like I was dealing with a feminine stereotype in the game. The female characters get to be a range of right and wrong, moral and not, peaceful and vicious. And there were so many!!

Bonus final shout-out to Evka, light of my life, love of my heart, leader of the Grey Wardens as far as I’m concerned!! Her calm, decisive demeanor is the best!!

[exorcqism]

𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐒 ﹆₊ 概要 ‧₊˚ hcs with ghostface!choso in an arranged marriage + mini scenario attached.

␥ tags. modern/horror AU, possible nsfw, female anatomy, smoking, blood, threatening. choso carries a knife as a comfort item. wc, 1.37K. dark mode recommended.

␥ note. so i combined my previous idea with a new one. i’ll eventually break them up so they’ll be two separate things. thank you @hwoarangs-gf for helping :D

﹅˚ ⸝⸝ 𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐒𝐎 𝐊𝐀𝐌𝐎 ‧₊˚

your husband isn’t the sweetest guy around. to you or the people in public

he emphasizes that you’re only his and that since the two of you are bound together, there’s no backing out

he doesn’t talk a lot so when he does, his deep, soothing voice terrifies you and he laughs at you when you look like you’re about to shit yourself

very protective of you even though he seems pretty mean

tags. mean!choso, ghostface, arranged marriage

you couldn't exactly place your finger on how you got yourself into this situation. your wedding night was amazing and terrible at the same time. though, you weren't expecting to be marrying an infamous killer.

as your married life progresses, you start to notice your husband's behavior more closely. you realize that he can be quite rude to you and others without showing any remorse. it's especially noticeable when you go out in public together. he seems to be on high alert, constantly scanning the area and shooting hard glares at any man who shows even the slightest interest in you. at first, you find his possessiveness endearing, but as time goes on, it becomes suffocating. you feel like you're being watched all the time, and it's exhausting. eventually, it all comes crashing down, and you start to see his behavior in a different light.

"if he looked at you one more time, i swear i was gonna kill him." you hear choso growl under his breath, his grip tightening on your wrist as he hauls you out of the mall. the menacing tone of your husband's voice is unmistakable, sending a shiver down your spine. you could feel the tension radiating off of him, his anger palpable.

choso's possessiveness is on full display, and you know better than to question him in moments like these. as the both of you exit the mall, you can't help but wonder if you'll understand the man you were married to. the man who is both your protector and captor, all in one.

as you walked out of the mall, you couldn't help but notice how possessive choso was being. his behavior was a clear indication that he did not want anyone else to come near you, and you knew better than to challenge him during such moments. his grip on your hand was tight, and you could feel him pulling you closer to him as if he was trying to shield you from the world.

despite being married to him, you couldn't help but wonder if you would ever understand choso. he was a complex man- your protector and captor all at once. you knew he loved you deeply, but his overprotective nature made you feel suffocated at times. you wondered if there was a way to make him understand that you needed your freedom too.

as you walked beside him, lost in thought, you couldn't help but wonder if you would ever find a way to strike a balance in your relationship.

as you step through the front door of your home, choso immediately locks it behind you, securing the deadbolt with an audible click. the tension that's been building throughout the day hangs heavy in the air, making the silence between you both almost unbearable. choso drops your hand, stalking off to the living room without a word.

you stood there for a moment, hesitant, before following him. when you enter the room, you find choso staring out the window, his posture rigid and his expression unreadable.

after a long pause, you finally ask choso, "what did I do wrong?" your tone is slightly irritated and confused, as you try to understand why he appears so distant and cold. choso slowly turns to face you, his eyes fixed on yours. the air between you two is heavy as you wait for his response, wondering what could have caused this sudden change in his behavior.

"you didn't do anything wrong." he says, his voice low and emotionless. "but you need to understand that you're mine. no one else's. and i'll do whatever it takes to protect what's mine." his words are chilling, but there's something in his tone that makes your heart twist- a hint of vulnerability, a glimmer of the man he might be underneath the hardened exterior.

you take a deep breath, mustering up the courage to speak. "i'm yours, choso. but i'm not a possession. i'm your wife." your words hang in the air between the two of you, the silence deafening.

the tension between you remains, but choso's expression softens slightly, as if he's contemplating your words. he looks away, the silence stretching on for what feels like an eternity. finally, he speaks, his voice softer than before. "you're right," he trails off, unable to finish the sentence. his vulnerability is unexpected, and it takes you by surprise. you hesitate, unsure of how to respond, but you could feel your own walls lowering, the slightest bit of empathy creeping in.

the dynamic between you and choso is complicated, nuanced, and layered. it's clear that choso's possessiveness stems from something but you're not sure exactly what that source may be. after the confrontation, choso suddenly stalks off to his study, leaving you alone in the living room.

choso is deep in thought, poring over old books in his study when he hears a soft knock on the door. before he can respond, the door creaks open and you peer your head in, a playful smile dancing on your lips. "i know you're busy," you say, your voice light and teasing, "but i thought you might need a little bit of a distraction."

you enter the room, twirling a loose lock of hair around your finger. you knew what you were doing. choso's brow furrows, unsure of how to react to this unexpected change in your demeanor.

as he asks, "what are you doing?", his voice sounds tense and brusque. however, your smile only grows wider in response, indicating that you are either unfazed by his tone or perhaps even delighted by his attention.

"just trying to lighten up the mood a little," you say, taking a step closer to him. "don't you think we could both use a little fun?"

just as you step closer, your playful expression falters as you spot the ominous items on choso's desk- a large knife gleaming in the dim light, its blade stained with what appears to be blood, and the haunting ghostface mask, its empty gaze staring back at you.

you feel a bit of fear seeping into your veins, replacing the lightheartedness from moments ago. "what's this?" you ask, your voice filled with curiosity now as you point to the objects.

choso's demeanor shifts, his gaze turning icy. "it's none of your business." he snaps, quickly covering the knife and mask with a stack of papers. "you shouldn't have come in here in the first place."

he rises up from his chair, his towering figure casting a shadow over you. "you saw too much." he says, a menacing edge to his voice. your eyes widen at the gravity of the situation. you stand there pleading for your life but choso's expression remains cold, his eyes fixed on yours. "i'm sorry, but i can't take the risk of you telling anyone."

choso takes a step towards you, his intentions clear. you let out a blood-curdling scream as you dart toward the door. your husband lunges after you, his knife glinting in the dim light.

your eyes snap open when you hear a familiar voice calling your name. quickly, your head shoots up from the man's lap you had been lying on. your eyes travel over to the tv when you notice that the classic slasher movie, "scream", just ended. only the credits are being shown on the screen.

as you sit up, choso looks at you with concern. "you okay? you look stressed and you were mumbling in your sleep," he says, his voice softer than usual. you quickly compose yourself, hoping to hide your unease.

"i'm fine, just a weird dream, you know?" you reply, trying to keep your voice steady. choso studies you for a moment, his expression just as unreadable as it was in your dream. "do you wanna talk about it?" he queries. you swiftly shake your head, not wanting to reveal anything.

"no, it's okay. really."

choso seems to accept your answer, though there's a hint of disappointment in his eyes. "alright," he says, "but know that i'm always here if you need me.'

he smiles softly, but you feel uneasy as your stomach starts to churn. the smile seems menacing, and you nod slowly to acknowledge him.

⠀© vmpiires | like, reblog & follow.

[knarme-art]

@recom-week

RETURN TO PANDORA MONTH

DAY 1 - MOUNT DESIGN (1.12.2024)

Ikran Series - Ngulya, Kxasi's Ikran

Name meaning - 'gray air' Bonded to - Kxasi of the Kxayltirey people Age / sex - nearing an older adult's prime, female About - Ngulya's psyche has a calming, comforting effect on Kxasi. She enjoys complex tasks that require good memory, making her an ideal companion to Kxasi, who is very ambitious and energetic.

Above: Only minimally shaded, mostly flat color reference missing the glow effects on the bioluminescent markings.

Above: Ngulya's bioluminescence in dim lighting

Above: Ngulya's bioluminescense in night lighting

History of Ngulya's design

Above: February 18th in 2023 - Here you also see Kxasi's old design. The purplish-gray look and orangeish/reddish bioluminescense have been a part of my vision for Ngulya from the very beginning.

Above: March 9nth in 2023 - Here is my first take for a full reference for Ngulya. This is the point where the pale head and neck became iconic traits to the otherwise dark purple design.

I've always been torn between oranges/browns and actual purples for many of the color areas in this design, as you see from that earlier color draft.

Above: This year, I wanted to finally make proper ikran templates for the sake of more comfortable designing of all my ikran characters.

This is an early version of the final template set I created, and two different drafts of Ngulya.

Sadly I never saved these drafts, so these are just badly compressed screenshots from my Bluesky and Twitter accounts.

The one on the right is my last draft before beginning work on the final one, as I started to be happy with the markings.

The orange one on the left of the 2nd image is not Ngulya, but a draft for another ikran entirely.

Above: For a very long time, I could not make the bioluminescent highlight markings fit anywhere into this design, so I almost called it 'done' in this stage.

The color pallette was more brown than purple. It was a really hard decision to tweak the pallette once more, so I could make it all good-looking with the highlight color.

About my thought process...

I create my ikran OC designs entirely via body/emotional/visual synesthesia. This intuitive process doesn't contain conscious thought, but rather letting an 'inner eye' show me things.

This method lets me get ideas I couldn't otherwise get, unlike when combining my old clichés in a calculated manner etc. Instead of such calculated process, instead I succumb to a more dreamlike intuition where my brain can just fire whatever.

For these ikran, I must feel like I am them, to create their appearances. For the same character, like Kxasi, even for a long period of time, I've been getting the same results with this process...

I imagine the na'vi during their 'Iknimaya' (or equivalent), the type of feeling I would have about them as a person, as if they stood in front of me.

Then, I imagine I'm indeed an ikran looking at them, - what kind of a mental and emotional being would I be, to feel particularly drawn to this na'vi? I imagine the feelings.

These feelings inform me of the ikran's whole design, as well as personality.

Kxasi's ikran Ngulya is a character I can understand, put myself into, imagine her feelings and personality/temperament from the inside, and how she'd feel even when connected with Kxasi's consciousness via tsaheylu.

I can also imagine how Kxasi feels connected to her.

Their personalities contrast each other. Kxasi is hot-headed and energetic, while Ngulya is a calming presence. Usually, Ngulya even discourages Kxasi's antagonistic impulses when they're connected.

However, if overwhelmed by the need to protect, Ngulya's mind will be drunken on quite the berserker's adrenaline, - also affecting Kxasi that same way. Their minds will melt into one demonic entity with the sole goal of turning someone into minced meat. This can be triggered by putting their loved ones or personal home etc. in danger.

Ngulya resembles my favorite, now-deceased dog Lola a lot by her personality. Her 'feel' is very much like what Lola was, even though I did not intentionally create her in Lola's image.

She's funny and silly like Lola, obsessive and persistent in tasks like Lola, has basically endless energy to run (fly), hunt and play, - and there is a soft comforting energy to her. She's also fiercely territorial and protective, - just like Lola... I definitely see her as a Pisces, like that dog was, also.

[maskedauthor]

𝐅𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐔𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭- 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐬 𝐈𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 3

Female reader X Roman Reigns

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: After an electrifying performance, you and Roman discuss the highs of success and the complexities of your dynamic backstage. Moments of celebration are met with underlying tension, leaving questions lingering beneath the surface. As new challenges arise, the lines between professional and personal continue to blur, setting the stage for what’s next.

—-----

After the bit was over, you and Roman walked hand-in-hand backstage. As soon as you both arrived backstage, you could feel his grip loosen. So desperate to hang onto him, but so unwilling to give him any signs of how you felt, you let go. Before Roman and you could say anything to each other, Paul Levesque starts yelling, “Amazing. Did you hear the electrifying screams out there? I mean– not as loud as DX, but it’s up there!” His joke made you laugh, distracting you from the painful reality of what you and Roman had. 

“Y/N, I want to do something different. Next monday, you and Nia will be opening the show in a mixed-tag-team match. Her partner will remain a mystery, so don’t go snooping around. I want raw and real reactions for monday–no pun intended. In the meantime, you and Roman have some training to do– oh, and interviews. Get at it.” He smiled and walked away. 

The feedback made you feel so accomplished; you had worked hard for this moment and never believed it would be happening so fast; the sentiments of excitement overshadowed the feelings of confusion for just a moment– that was until Romans voice interrupted your train of thought.

“It was great watching you out there, Y/N. We should go find Jackie now for our interview.” Roman said. You nodded in agreement, walking beside him in an awkward silence before finding Jackie Redmond. 

In an instant, you and Roman were both positioned in front of the camera. The countdown until you were back on air began, and you could feel Roman slipping his hands around your waist. A mixture of adrenaline from the match you just had and from Roman’s touch left you speechless. 

Jackie started by asking Roman his questions, “Roman, we saw a different side of you tonight—letting someone else take the spotlight in your yard. What does this alliance with Y/N mean for The Bloodline?” 

“See, when you're at the top, when you run this business the way I do, you don’t just lead—you elevate the people around you. Y/N isn’t just ‘someone else’ stepping into my yard. She’s proven time and time again that she’s a force to be reckoned with. Tonight, she reminded the world why she belongs at the head of the table. This isn’t just an alliance—this is dominance, but this is also love. And if Nia or anybody else has a problem with that, they can step up… but they’ll get stepped on.” Roman said, his tribal chief persona stronger than ever. 

The reassurance made you feel amazing, but the mention of love made your heart sink. Jackie proceeded with another question, “Nia Jax just put herself in direct opposition to you. How do you plan to handle this challenge from within your own family?” 

“Nia made her choice tonight—she wants to stand against me, against The Bloodline. That’s fine. But understand this… challenging me isn’t just stepping into the ring, it’s stepping into a fight you can’t win. She thinks she’s got something to prove? She thinks she’s ready to take the throne? Then she better be ready for the consequences. Family or not… you come for the Head of the Table, you get put down.” Roman smirked, his eyes looking directly into the camera and then at you. His glance made those butterflies flutter again. 

Roman did a good job at shifting the attention back to you, as Jackie started with her questions for you, “Y/N! It’s so nice to see you back. That was an explosive return! The WWE Universe just witnessed you make a major statement—what was going through your mind when you stepped into that ring tonight?” 

“Thank you. I took some time off for myself, but that never meant I wasn’t watching. Honestly, the only thing running through my mind was my man, the tribal chief. Nobody should ever feel as if they could step-up to him and disrespect him– especially not Nia Jax.” You looked directly into the camera as you mentioned Nia’s name. You wanted the WWE universe to know you meant business. 

“You were amazing out there. You didn’t just confront Nia Jax, you made it clear that you’re standing beside Roman Reigns. Can we officially say the Chieftess has arrived?” She pointed the microphone back at you.

“The WWE universe knows the Chieftess has never truly left. Did you hear them out there? Did you feel that energy? I didn’t just arrive—I took my rightful place back. Nia wants to question Roman’s leadership, but let’s be real… she’s the one out here making reckless moves. So if she wants to come for the top, she’s gonna have to go through me first.” You shrugged, the tone of your voice growing more stern. At this point, you hoped the questions would end. 

“Alright, one last question,” Jackie smiled, “The WWE Universe erupted when you and Roman kissed tonight. Was that just for show, or does this confirm what everyone has been waiting to hear—you two are still very much together?” 

The question made you stumble in your tracks, but you quickly pulled yourself together. You didn’t want people seeing right through the act you and Roman are doing. With forced confidence, you answered, “I don’t think there’s any question after that kiss, Jackie. We’ve always had each other’s backs, on and off the screen. Tonight was about more than just a moment—it was about showing the world that nothing’s changed. Roman and I? We’re still here, and we’re stronger than ever. The WWE Universe can keep speculating, but the truth is in the ring, and in that kiss.”

With that, you and Roman walked off screen, the camera putting Jackie in the middle of the frame now. Finally, you felt as though you could take a breath. Again, the distance between you and Roman grew. 

“I’ll see you later, Y/N?” He asked.

The question left you puzzled for many reasons. He was leaving abruptly, but you knew you couldn't be around him for any longer before he could see through you. So, you didn’t try to keep him around. A part of you wondered what he meant by seeing you later, but you didn’t want to ask. So, you answered in a soft tone, “See you later, Roman.” 

You flashed him a gentle, but forced smile. The inner turmoil you were facing left you wondering if you should’ve ever agreed to this arrangement….

PART 4 SOON.

[hotdaemondtargaryen]

WRITER SARA HESS TALKING ABOUT RHAENYRA AND ALICENT'S RELATIONSHIP IN SEASON 1 AND THEIR MOTHERHOOD FOR VARIETY MAGAZINE.

“I can definitely understand that it’s hot watching complex female characters who have agency and who are trying to navigate the world and understand themselves. Like, that is hot,” nonbinary actor D’Arcy says.

“And is very different from, I suppose, more two-dimensional portrayals of female sexuality.” 

Cooke adds: “I guess what’s alluring, and quite scintillating, is that they all live in quite close proximity to each other,” noting “House of the Dragon” Season 1’s focus on keeping its characters near the Iron Throne in King’s Landing.

“Stealing these loaded looks with someone that you fancy and that’s forbidden, that’s hot. It’s all hot.”

“We had a lot of conversation at the beginning about, is this a feature or a flaw?” Hess says.

“There’s a lot of births, do we want to see a lot of births? My thinking was, every single childbirth I’ve ever seen on television, in any show, in any genre at any time, has always looked exactly the same: the woman lying on her back with her feet in the stirrups and doing the pushing and the baby comes out.”

“In my experience, women give birth in vastly different ways.”

“I thought we should show them all and they be really, really different, separate experiences and not just, now there’s that birth scene and we all know exactly what it looks like.”

FOLLOWING THE BIRTH SCENE IN EPISODE 6, D'ARCY RECALLS SHOOTING A PARTICULARLY REALISTIC MOMENT OF MOTHERHOOD WHEN RHAENYRA FINALLY GETS TO REST AFTER GIVING BIRTH AND IMMEDIATELY GOING OFF TO SHOW THE BABY TO ALICENT:

“She gets in and [her sons] Jace and Luke have gone and got a dragon’s egg and want her to look at it.”

“And I just remember responding, ‘Wow, that looks perfect,’ but not looking at them at all, I was looking in the other direction.

“And that felt like what a lot of parenting is probably like.”

FOR COOKE, THE MOTHERHOOD MENTALITY HIT IN EPISODE 9, WRITTEN BY HESS AND DIRECTED BY CLARE KILNER:

“That moment in the carriage where Alicent’s hungover son asks her if she loves him, and she says it by smiling and saying, ‘You imbecile.’

“Like, it’s so obvious, this is all for you.”

“Everything that I’ve done.”

“Everything that I’ve sacrificed.”

“All the awful things I’ve done in order to facilitate your ascension is because I love the bones of you.”

BUT MOTHERHOOD IS FAR FROM THE ONLY ASPECT OF A WOMAN'S LIFE THAT FEMALE WRITERS LIKE HESS AND WOMEN DIRECTORS INCLUDING KILNER AND PATEL INFUSED INTO THE STORY, WITH MUCH OF THE SEASON FOCUSING ON YOUNG ALICENT (EMILY CAREY) AND RHAENYRA (MILLY ALCOCK) AND THEIR DEEP BOND AND INTENSE FALLING OUT.

“There’s an element of queerness to it,” Hess says.

“Whether you see it that way or as just the unbelievably passionate friendships that women have with each other at that age.”

“I think understanding that element of it sort of informs the entire rest of their relationship… Even though they’re driven apart by all these societal, systemic elements and pressures and happenings, at the core of it, they knew each other as children, and they loved each other and that doesn’t go away.”

Hess continued: “Olivia has told me she believes — and this is her headcanon — that they at some point kissed or made out or had some kind of physical interaction that Alicent’s mother found out about and forbade.”

“And that was Olivia’s head story, ‘Oh, I can’t do that. That’s not right.’ And that’s the background for her in their relationship going forward. I would be 100% down with that.”

COOKE SAYS SHE AND D'ARCY HAVE “DEFINITELY” TALKED ABOUT ALICENT AND RHAENYRA BEING “EACH OTHER'S FIRST LOVE”:

“But when it comes to our iterations of the characters, too much has happened and too much time has passed to probably even recognize those fledgling feelings.”

“But Condal and Hess weren’t “necessarily interested in ever defining” what that love meant in terms of the women’s sexuality.”

“I happen to be a queer woman, but I know straight women who had ‘Heavenly Creatures’ -esque, romantic friendship with their best friend at that age,” Hess said.

“That’s something that I think, probably — I don’t want to stereotype anybody – but it seems to be more a phenomenon with young women than it is with men, probably because whether you’re queer or not, society cares less if you’re physically intimate with each other or hugging or touching each other.”

“You can have sleepovers and sleep in the same bed and nobody cares.”

[annawayne]

Hi, Ann! Hope you're having a good day. I wanted to ask—why do you think some people refuse to acknowledge that the sins of other characters in Attack on Titan are no better or worse than Annie's? Why does she seem to get more hate compared to characters like Bertholdt, Reiner, or even Eren? Annie is one of the most hated characters, along with Gabi. Do you think this could be because she's a woman? Her personality is similar to Levi's in different circumstances, yet she gets criticized heavily. People even accuse her of manipulating or bullying Mikasa. What are your thoughts?

Hello!

Oh, thank you a lot for asking! (and sorry it took me a few days to answer it)

There are a lot of wonderful metas on this topic, but I would be glad to contribute a bit with my thoughts on it as well, and thank you for the ask!

Here, a small disclaimer at the beginning: I'll talk only about my personal thoughts, focusing primarily on my reflections on why this intense hate comes from that are not related to the basic "I just don't like her" - it's all valid, and it's absolutely fine not to like a particular character just because, and it's nothing to do with plain hate.

I think that one of the main issues of Annie's hatred is not even about Annie as a character, but, unfortunately, by the way her character arc is built. We see her at the very beginning, and she is still the second-line character, even if she's EXTREMELY important to the plot. So, back then, we had her screen time, and let's be honest, not as much as I personally would love to have, primarily because she's an incredibly beautiful, interesting character with her unique points of view on the world and, as turns out later, one of the most prominent roles in the story as a whole. Still, till her reveal as Female Titan, we have some scenes with her, we have some impacts on other characters (also significant, like for Eren and Armin, for example), and then, the Female Titan arc happens and... she disappears for a VERY long period of time from the show, appearing much, much later, firstly, in flashback like a glimpse, and only then, with her whole come back during the literal apocalypse. So when the time comes to give us her backstory - I won't lie, it feels rushed, and I think, Isayma has a very great sense of self-irony when he articulates it through Hitch's mouth: "Wait, what is it a sudden sharing of your story?", all while on the background the Colossals take a march. I honestly think that Isayma also understood that it's definitely not telling enough to sympathize with Annie's character when it's presented like this (for me, personally, it was enough and I just simply would love to have more, since Annie's past in Liberio is one of the most interesting topics for me), but on the other hand, he couldn't reveal her story earlier because it would hint at her comeback FAR too obviously.

So, one of the main points is this large gap in her presence and a bit rushed exploration of her character due to the lack of time because of the situation around the characters. For example, we have a very detailed dive into Reiner's character, and still, I also feel like there's much more to explore with his character and his psycho, and what we can even say about Annie, who doesn't have such detailed exploration but has the same difficult and complex past which is undeniably important to understand not only her as a character but also more about the universe of AoT?

The next thing that plays the role here is linked to the previous one - due to the massive gap in Annie's presence in the story, many people forget many things about her. Primarily, her emotions. I think it's one of the most overlooked things regarding her character and in AoT in general. The way we see her tears IN HER TITAN FORM when she fails to capture Eren? Her tears when she was crystallizing herself? Her eyes, full of fear, when she woke up before the whole Stohess thing? Her genuine surprise, which she tried immediately to dismiss when Armin called her a good person? Her smile when Eren complimented her on her skills, which was also deleted from the anime but remains in the manga?

Here, I need to highlight an essential thing: Annie's Titan is the only Titan that is capable of showing emotions.

If we look closely, everyone else has their emotions relatively very firm, like, for example, Bert's and Armin's Colossals, caged and restricted by bones; Reiner, it looks to me, is not only the shield for others, but he's a shield from himself, completely forced to be armored in everything he feels; Lara's Titan also seems like covered in pristine white chains, and it's also interesting since she was, let's say, the shifter with a twist; Pieck's Titan also has a very permanent expression, which is compensated by her incredible endurance, just like Porco's or Ymir's Jaws lack of emotions are compensated by their mobility; Eren's Titan has always this emotion of rage as if it's the only feeling he could have going into attack. Zeke's monkey is the only other Titan with emotions, which is also intriguing.

So, back to Annie, her Titan is emotional: her tears from the failed attempt to catch Eren; like she was genuinely shocked to see people under the rubble when she fought Eren, and he threw her towards the church, leading to its crashing; like she smiled when she saw Armin under the hood; how she returned to the last battle, and how she screams in her Titan form - I genuinely here a lot of "human" in this tune, something, she doesn't allow herself in her human form. And yet, people focus a lot on the infamous "yo-yo" thing, on her battle with Levi's squad and other people, where, ironically, she attacks only when she has a direct threat to her identity or capture. If we look closely, Annie avoids fighting humans as much as possible till she's attacked directly - she runs, she screams, she tries to show off people not to touch her, and when it comes to the "fight or to lose" (which is also a remarkable parallel to Eren's character), she attacks, not to mention the obvious question - how else you act at war? Yes, back then, it wasn't something we could call like that specifically, yet she had a military mission, which, by the way, she was failing for several reasons, primarily because she's not so cold-blooded as her character is often reduced to. So, how else was she supposed to act? We don't see a lot of the same questions, for example, for Armin, who came to her hometown and blew up the port with many more casualties among civilians.

In AoT, everyone has sins. Everyone, with no exception, but Annie sometimes seems to carry the hate as if she's the typical antagonist that is supposed to be hated just because the genre demands (she's not even an antagonist either).

To sum up, Annie's character is simply very misunderstood. She's one of the most interesting characters in AoT, and I say it not because she's my fav, but primarily - she's my fav because she's much more complex than some people see her, starting from her mindset and views of the world to her development, which shows how unlovable, unwanted flower that was denied to bloom, grows through the cement and concrete, firstly, with the spikes not to let anyone close because she knows how it's to be hurt, and then, that uses these spikes, this strength to protect others and eventually leaving them be on the cold floor, and she - growing more and more into buyoant garden.

Her hands aren't without blood, and so are the others who have the same invisible tint on their skin, and yet, the same hands that only knew destruction and cold touch could also be soft and build something new, something much more powerful than her Titans kicks.

When Hitch asks her if she would do all the same, Annie says - yes, but I see it as only the mirror of Levi's "living with no regrets." Objectively speaking, Annie understands that it's impossible to turn the time back, and living among these endless what-ifs doesn't give any change - it's gone and cemented in history as it is. All these potential questions of "what would you do" are more of a mental trick to whitewash the ego. Annie doesn't do it - she understands that nothing of it was something to be proud of, and she never was, and at the same time, she doesn't know anything else. To do something differently from what point exactly? From her crystallization? Not to reveal herself earlier? Not to give Armin a chance to live twice? Not to go into the mission? Force Reiner to return? Not to listen to her father? Not to be born?

Where exactly could this point change something?

Annie doesn't lie to herself, and she doesn't look back with abstract thoughts of "How would it be," but when the time comes to actually take another action, she does it; she returns to the final battle before it becomes another "what if."

And it says more than anything else.

Annie is an honest character, primarily with herself, and she doesn't want to pretend to be better than she is. This makes her character much more human than some people try to make her look.

So, that's it!

It was quite a long read, and thank you everyone who reached this point, I appreciate your time on this!

Thank you a lot for asking, and have a good *timezone*!

[blorger]

Hello so I wanna ask about Hinny and Drarry, since Ginny does everything she can so Harry will like her not showing him her vulnerable/emotional/crying side and girly/feminine since these are what Harry doesn't like, and even did Quidditch just for him, how come these would work with Drarry/Draco? But not with Hinny, if Ginny ever did those, Like I've read that Draco is femme coded and well Harry saw Draco being emotional and crying and the moment Draco didn't do Quidditch anymore, Harry, who supposedly love this because that's why Ginny even does this, suddenly lost interest but in a way Drarry still makes more sense and will actually work

And another weird thing is Harry has a sense of justice right? And hates Draco acting like a bully but the thing with Ginny being good at hex and does it to Smith, isn't that considered bullying?

I think it depends on your personal tastes since drarry is not canon but, to me, it reads differently from hinny because JKR is bad at writing romance: what she intends to come across one way often reads in a completely different manner to her audience.

JKR is a misogynist so in her mind a successful female love interest cannot be too girly: Ginny is boyish because jkr sees femininity in a negative light which means that Harry, her creation, also sees femininity in a negative light. If us readers don't have the same fucked up worldview we can see the inherent sexism in Ginny's "not like other girls" depiction and we can see that Ginny's character is constructed rather cynically in order to fulfil JKR's ideal.

JKR wrote Ginny being aggressive and malicious towards Zacharias Smith because she wants us to enjoy seeing a character we're supposed to like (Ginny) dress down one we're supposed to dislike (Smith). To her, a Good Guy's actions are inherently good on account of their goodness so this is not bullying. It's a somewhat circular logic: Ginny's actions can't be ill-natured because Ginny is meant to be one of our heroes so whatever she does (wether it be cursing Zach Smith or laughing behind Luna's back) is good by default. This is not a very nice or coherent belief system: someone's intent and actions are what determines the quality of someone's character, we don't excuse horrible behaviour just because it comes from a well liked/respected person (or at least we shouldn't).

JKR intended for Ginny to come across as funny and tough but she wrote her according to her own ideals so Ginny's humor ends up reading like malice and her tomboy persona ends up feeling fabricated in order to appeal to the male gaze. Conversely, JKR intended for Draco to come across as mean and weak but did not realize that, by showing us his flaws, she gave Draco's character more depth and nuance than she ever does to Ginny. Thus Draco, who's meant to be pretty one-note as a character, ends up reading as complex and sympathetic and we find ourselves wanting to understand his thoughts and motivations.

When writing the books, JKR wanted to make Draco's status as a minor villain blindingly obvious and she did so by femme coding him. We have been trained to associate gender non-conformity and general deviation from the norm with villainy by the media we watch (Disney villains being a very notable example); this is called queer coding, here's a very coincise explanation:

This trope is so omnipresent in the media we watch that we don't even notice it, that's how successfully the concept has been assimilated into our culture.

JKR tried doing something similar to that with Draco's femme coding. She's a misogynist to the highest order so this is meant to help make him unlikeable but this doesn't work if you don't hold the same worldview as her. JKR shows us Draco crying because to her crying is the ultimate act of weakness, we aren't meant to sympathize with him, we're meant to be somewhat scornful.

Here I come back to the gap between what JKR wants us to read and what we read. If you don't have the same exact opinions as JKR, you end up reading a completely different story from what she intended which is why to many the hinny romance falls flat. As to why many people are drawn to drarry, it's a matter of personal taste.

Personally, I enjoy reading about relationships in which the people within are equals and have a profound understanding of each-other; stories about not meaning what you say and not saying what you mean and about the thin line between love and hate are interesting to me and drarry checks out all these boxes for me (i watched too many Moonlighting reruns as a kid and i became a lifelong lover of enemies to lovers storylines).

Ultimately, all that matters is wether a certain ship has a dynamic you enjoy reading about and you can interpret canon to suit your needs accordingly. It doesn't matter what JKR intended, it stopped mattering the moment she finished writing the books and sent them to her publisher. We read for entertainment value and we are free to derive entertainment however we see fit.

Sorry for the verbose reply, and thank you for the ask my friend.

xoxo

[izartn]

What's good about KnH is (besides its main char and bc of Maomao) the way it manages the power dynamics and what life was as a woman without falling into utter pessimism and powerlessness or full romanticism; which is a reason I usually avoid like the plague historical/pseudo-historical fiction with female leads.

Usually I'd be super skeeved out by the power Jinshi has over Maomao but the way the series presents both of them, their personalities and their agency (limited as it is for Maomao but it's there and it counts very much) it brings out all the best and interesting parts. I trust this series to get twisty with them bc it establishes so well Maomao own character and understanding of her situation and the ways Jinshi can and does or doesn't take advantage of his power over her.

Like. It's presented as a problematic element, but also unavoidable given their social situation and the world they live in, so I can trust given everything else this show has done when solving the mysteries and presenting us the situations of other women, that the romance will be treated with that same weight.

Honestly if you've read over what I like to read/watch in my tumblr you'll notice that twisty and even toxic/unhealthy dynamics are very much within my favorites, but it needs to be told in a certain way. And I'm much more difficult to satisfy when talking about het romance.

So to watch KnH, notice it's primarily about Maomao life and the various misteries/medicines/palace intrigue and the romance is playing second fiddle riffing on all the themes presented on the plot? And it's complex, and plays with messy power dynamics of gender and class, but never loses Maomao her personhood? Wow.

Also. Jinshi is so BL chara coded omg XD like, he's very clearly based on a kind of shojo ML prototype (hello tamaki suoh!) but it also pulls from BL in his case (nothing to do with their romances but I think of Yan Xiaohan re:his relationship with the imperial power, from Golden Terrace lol)

And yet his romance with Maomao wouldnt work near as well for what is trying to say if they weren't a man and woman (which I love in their case, is what has me fascinated). Yes~! Get into the meat of how fraught it is for a man and a woman to be together when the man has so much power over her. Get into it!!!!

He's so so messy and fun as a chara too. Sheltered and not at the same time, you really notice all the things he misses by way of his privilege of being a noble born man (and specifically royalty, last ep (19) left that very clear he was doing a ritual probably by proxy for the emperor and also bay exchanges people. Maomao noticed and buried that thought far far below her subconscious but we all now who he is lol). Like. The way he fumbles and ends up essentially harassing Maomao at the start sometimes, which is both played for comedic effect and also upsetting. Mmm.

Like I said, I like complexity.

Also that part when he buys Maomao contract and he goes to collect her and she's all dolled up, and the clear implication by everybody but our mains (who clearly prefer to live in willfully blind land although for Jinshi I think the subtext of what he's doing lands when he sees her) is that in any other case she'd be his concubine/side-wife. It's not their situation wight now, and she's put to work as a live-in maid and apothecary and put to study (he wants her to assist him in politics lol I love that, but also he's so so lonely) but it's very much what the palace rumor mill says.

LIKE. I love the messiness! It could go soooo badly, but it also could not and there's Maomao living at the edge bc despite herself and what she says, she wants more from life, but also as she says the rear palace isn't all that different from the high class brothels and ugh. That tension. She has to depend on the favor of a man as a women of low class but she also could lose her head! GAH. And then there's feels involved! Aaagh.

[melocherie]

I will never get over how Noor BUTCHERED princess mononoke ( sorry I just wanna rant about it )

Her downgrading not only ashitaka but also kaya in sen's arc is genuinely so baffling. I remember when Noor said she finds ashitaka a boring character/ protagonist and to me that's crazy because his personality is almost like mc in the sense that they both have a strong sense of justice , willing to hear both sides while also standing that they do not want violence. The only difference is that ashitaka doesn't express himself as much , he has a flat tone , he's very blunt and he's a calm person. These aren't boring qualities in my opinion at least

And kaya OML

Sorry I just wanna say

NOOR BUTCHERED SO BAD THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN KAYA AND ASHITAKA. These two have respect and care for each other, it's hinted that their engagement was arranged. He takes care and protects her and she does the same with him, even if ashitaka never loved her romantically. Kaya could have had romantic feelings for ashitaka but that's up for interpretation, when she gave ashitaka that necklace you see the worry look on her face.

Because of course her ( now ex ) fiancee is now leaving the town forever with a curse no one knows how to cure.

She could've given this necklace to ease his mind when he gets homesick or a last gift of love to him

( this is what Noor said btw below )

It doesn't make sense at all that kaya could be pregnant with ashitaka's ( especially with how conservative Japan is )

Also like dude really a girl being pregnant in the movie is now the same with a guy wanting to force a girl to be pregnant????

OMG WHAT?? Also I've seen that Noor finds it weird that ashitaka gave the necklace kaya gave to him to San

So why didn't she just write Kano as a worried and sad ex fiancee that went to MC because he was worried , show him upset that sen has the gift that he sent to MC

Also how did Kano even leave the village?? Doesn't that have any consequences? Wouldn't the people there be worried

I don't know man I have so many thoughts but I just wanna share them with you

unfortunately,  i  still  haven’t  seen  princess  mononoke  since  i’d  like  to  watch  the  movie  before  reading  sen’s  arc  so  the  details  are  still  fresh  in  my  mind.  as  a  result,  while  i  agree  with  you  based  on  what  little  i’ve  seen  the  arc,  i’m  afraid  i  can’t  add  much  to  the  discussion.  nonetheless,  i  am  aware  of  hayao  miyazaki  as  a  writer,  and  your  thoughts  regarding  the  butchering  of  his  characters  brought  to  mind  this  quote  from  him:

“I've  become  skeptical  of  the  unwritten  rule  that  just  because  a  boy  and  girl  appear  in  the  same  feature,  a  romance  must  ensue.  Rather,  I  want  to  portray  a  slightly  different  relationship,  one  where  the  two  mutually  inspire  each  other  to  live—  if  l'm  able  to,  then  perhaps  I'll  be  closer  to  portraying  a  true  expression  of  love.”

it  seems  strange  to  me  that  miyazaki,  known  for  portraying  complex,  platonic  relationships  and  for  his  strong  female  characters,  would  fate  a  teenage  girl  to  raise  a  child  after  her  fiancé  is  exiled  without  offering  any  attention  to  the  anguish  she  would  experience.  i  understand  that  princess  mononoke  is  far  more  mature  compared  to  ponyo  or  kiki’s  delivery  service,  but  i  don't  think  it  makes  sense  for  such  an  blatantly  mature  plotline  to  be  sidelined  off  screen.  i  can  comprehend  an  arranged  marriage  between  the  teens,  but  a  ghibli  film  that  implied  underage  sex?  are  you  sure?

and  it's  these  kinds  of  uncertainties  that  make  me  cringe  at  noor’s  decision  to  use  this  blatant  lie  to  turn  this  innocent  little  girl  into  a  rapist.  while  "wouldn't  it  be  wild  if  this  happened?"  is  a  legitimate  approach  to  storytelling,  it  shouldn't  be  the  only  method  of  handling  a  significant  character  in  a  story's  arc.

i  feel  terrible  for  comparing  a  quotev  story  to  tatsuki  fujimoto,  but  i  think  fire  punch  is  an  excellent  example  of  what  i  mean. 

the  world  of  fire  punch  is  considerably  bleaker  and  darker  than  everything  in  iaptbap,  with  every  trigger  warning  under  the  sun,  from  dismemberment  to  incest  to  sexual  assault,  and  as  a  result,  i  found  it  an  unpleasant  read,  yet  despite  the  copious edge  there’s  an  elegance  to  fujimoto's  writing.  the  post-apocalyptic  world  of  fire  punch  isn't  just  "wouldn't  it  be  wild  if  people  had  to  resort  to  cannibalism  to  survive";  it's  a  statement  on  how  ignorant  people  will  become  if  denied  the  tools  to  live  and  an  education,  and  how  ignorance  can  be  shaped  into  cruelty.

one  of  its  characters  is  togata,  who’s  essentially  immortal  and  whose  sole  passion  is  cinema.  they,  like  most  characters,  aren’t  a  moral  person.  in  their  second  chapter,  they  wait  idly  by  while  men  attempt  to  assault  a  child  because  they  believe  the  act  will  make  the  men  more  hateable  as  characters,  thus  improving  the  film  their  directing. 

likewise,  "wouldn't  it  be  wild  for  quirky  togata  to  do  that"  isn't  the  pinnacle  of  their  character.  another  theme  in  fire  punch  is  how  individuals  and  mankind  as  a  whole  will  find the  means  to  live.  togata,  who  is  three  hundred  years  old  and  has  seen  old  humanity  die  before  their  eyes,  is  so  disillusioned  with  life  that  they  can  only  engage  with  the  world  through  the  escapism  of  movies,  a  relic  of  old  humanity  in  this  post-apocalyptic  world.  despite  their  shocking  actions,  the  characters  of  fire  punch  don’t  feel  like  puppets  on  a  string,  dancing  to  the  writer's  whims  but  real,  multifaceted  people.  they  are  the  narrative,  it’s  themes  and  questions,  not  merely  vehicles  to  ride  to  the  next  insane  thing  that  happens. 

and  i  can  never  count  on  noor  to  have  a  fraction  of  this care.  why  waste  time  exploring  kaya's  personality,  thoughts,  dreams,  and  feelings  when  the  event  of  assaulting  the  protagonist  is  far  more  interesting.  it  would  be  incredibly  messed  up  and  crazy  if  she  did  this,  so  why  bother utilizing  her  to  delve  deeper  into  the  themes  already  explored  in  the  film?  why  even  care  about  the  themes  in  princess  mononoke  any  way  when  we  can  spend  the  chapters  smooching  our  6’8  feral  wolf  boy  hottie! (  ♥  )  /sarc

[winters-rose-daughterofcain]

I've been trying to phrase things eloquently and I really can't so here you go. Part two really felt like it was trying have its cake and eat it as well in a lot of ways, and it really didn't work.

You give Cressida a whole redemption arc and friendship and put her in an impossible situation and humanise and make you sympathise with her, then want me to hate her again?

You show how Pen uses LW as a coping mechanism and how it's not good for her or those around her and not have her drop it?

You want LW revealed to the ton but no real consequences?

You double down on how Pens family treat her only to have them all come together and be forgiven at the end?

You sideline Colin in his own damn season and butcher Penelope so badly I almost wanted less of her as well?

You can't have everything. Not in such a short time span at least, and it really suffer from it. If you wanted to give Cressida more depth and expend on her role why was she tossed away like nothing at the end? Why did Eloise abandon her? Why was she treated as awful in part two after being put in an actual horror show of a situation? I know they needed the blackmail plot but you can't just give her depth, make her the antagonist and then drop her storyline in the drain that's not how that works. That's not complexity that's laziness, and laziness they created mind you.

They didn't have to write Cressida the way they did this season, if they wanted to make it easy they could have had her marry off screen between seasons to a rich man, they could have had Eloise befriending her be a mistake and had a different arc there, they could have had her LW claim be for any number of reasons, and her blackmail because she still has it out for Penelope. They added this to the story, and as much as I was sceptical at first (I have seen far too many botched bully redemptions) I was glad they did it aded a lot of depth and character interaction, it created some interesting parallels between Cressida and Penelope and seeing Eloise in a different, less intimate friendship with someone who, ironically, is a lot more open with her was interesting. Incomplete, but interesting. It was good, or it could have been. But you can't just turn like that and have it still work. You can't just have Eloise abandon her and have it treated as the right thing to do. You can't leave her with that ending and consider it a happy one. You can't have your cake and eat it too. You didn't create a complex antagonist, you created a scared lost girl who was cruel because she was taught to be and you left her to burn.

You could have had Penelope and Cressida talk to each other, could have explored the ways the mirror and the ways they differ. You could have had Penelope struggle, but untimely empathise with Cressida and help her out, she could have forgiven her for her years of torment because she of all people understands why she did it. You could have had her forgiveness mirror Colin and Eloise forgiving her for LW. You could have looked at how Cressida's openness helped her friendship with Eloise and how Penelope might start to incorporate it. About how by nature of Cressida's openness Eloise is learning to see other perspectives and listen more even if she still has work. You could have done so much with female friendship and camaraderie and empathy and you just... didn't.

The Lady Whistledown this season was just... I think I have a thesis which is most of my thoughts on Polin.

Whistledown was meant to be the subplot to the Polin storyline, not the other way around.

Putting aside my own wishes to have her end Whistledown for her character and for her and Colins relationship, and her love of Colin, her continuing it isn't unexpected I was afraid of this and thought it might happen even if it's lazy. If that was it and if it was handled better I think I could begrudgingly live with it. But it's not. Not only was it handled so so poorly it was the whole second part and for what? Part one was Polin. Part two was Lady Whistledown drama with some cute Polin moments sprinkled in-between with some mandatory angst. Tell me the resolution to Colins arc now. Quickly. You can't he didn't have one, we barley even saw him through Episode seven and eight. There is so much romance in your purpose being the person you love, IF and only IF, it's reciprocal. Penelope literally says in season two, when she has been Whistledown for over a bloody year that she hasn't found her purpose yet. They were meant to find each other. To both have their writing as their passion and creativity and fulfilment, not Whistledown, but her manuscripts, his stories from around the word their joint and secret words. But their centre, their purpose, their guiding light was always meant to be each other. It's what kept Penelope sitting at that window, it's what draw Colin to her at every ball. They had all the potential and set up to be the most beautiful, genuine, heartfelt relationship. But no.

Colin deserved to be angry. The woman he loves has lied, has hurt him, has his from him after all the times he was venerable with her and so, so much more. They deserved to argue. Penelope deserved to be more upset over this than crying in the moment and walking past him later. That's the man she loves, who she thinks hates her, who she know if he did hate her she would deserve it and she wouldn't blame him for a second. They deserved time and space and Colin deserved explanations and apologies. They deserved a later, happier wedding, they both deserved to have their feelings heard and said and listened too. Is that not the core of their relationship? Listening to and seeing each other? Would that not lay the groundwork for some really good well earned conflict and a really rewording resolution? The groundwork was all there that's what's killing me. The set up was all there for something so good which is why I was excited. I know screen time is limited, I know there is only so many emotional conversations you can have on screen, but Bridgerton primarily just people talking on conversations, when it's there bloody season surely they can space out the conversations that need to happen in a way that works with pacing. And to be honest, the screen time defence only works when the screen time that they did have was allocated well. And I'm not taking subplots. Even if I think a few could have been trimmed, the screen time Polin did get was just used so so badly. Colin got dust and that didn't even feel like Penelope had the time, just a mouth piece for the writers.

Rapid fire stuff because I need to expand on the above in more detail later lol.

The acting was flawless give everyone on that set their flowers.

I really like the Mondrich's and seem to be the only one who likes seeing them lol, their sweet and always a good time they just need a better storyline, or you know, one that actually has a resolution.

Not what I would have done for Benedict and I still want to see him look at art again but let's hope season 4 is better lol.

Don't like the way Penelope's family stuff was done, specifically Portia but it is what I thought would happen. Disappointed but not surprised. I'm biased tho so I won't speak on it too much. I lose too much objectivity.

Hate hate hate the baby thing tho, it was fine as a subplot with her sisters but her having the boy was predictable and also dear god the girls nineteen for fucks sake. No. Hated that.

Francesca the absolute love of my life. I adore her and John, I liked the conflicted with Violet, loved everything about her storyline this season she was perfect, my favourite part honestly lol. Also Michaela Stirling get behind me NOW. Sapphic Bridgerton fans truly are the bravest soldiers cause istg. Also I don't trust this fandom with any actor or actresses period but especially not a Black actress who's "ruining" your favourite storyline. So I will be greatly enjoying everything I see of all three of them Francesca John and Michaela, while watching with a sharp eye for any bullshit.

Kate, also the love of my life it was so lovely to have her back even if just for a bit. Wish they did more with Anthony especially him and Colin tho, but again, wasn't expecting much more. I do wish they would write them out with a bit more subtly tho it's getting almost funny how obvious it is.

The Violet, Marcus, Lady Danbury plot I didn't actually mind. Could have been trimmed a bit but it was good seeing the adults in more depth, I haven't watched queen Charlotte tho so I kinda feel like I missed some things.

Overall, I liked certain parts of this season I really did, especially if I fully ignore the context, and I'm happy for everyone who enjoyed it truly, but it was have an entirely different ending in my head. I'll definitely write about at some point but who knows if anyone wants to see that lol.

[zhuoyichenpretty]

Ep 27 Commentary

Again, a little hastily thrown together, but there's a bit of meta in there! Somewhere...If you squint...

Spoilers under the cut:

Lmao I did not make it five minutes into this episode without crying.

I'm not sure if this is the consensus but tbh I'm doubly glad for PSJ's character in the way her relationship with WX sort of throws off the conventional tropes WX's character toes the line of falling into and instead develops a narrative that is squarely their own. It's important to me how much she personally centers WX (and WX returns the favor, bringing PSJ back into the fold every time I worry she's being sidelined). The way she turns to WX in this opening scene, it's distinctive that PSJ grieves for her, alongside her own angst over their friends' apparent sacrifices. And I like the contrast of their gazes, her anger as Ying Long laughs at them, and WX's deadened stare.

In PSJ's presence, WX's words become more than a self-loathing lamentation (which, also, very understandable, if I were her I'd have snapped by this point too) or a monologue to a seemingly uncaring ancient audience; it's a burden shared between two people. And actually, it's a burden that PSJ grabs hold of from WX and forces her to share. That slap was crazy work tbh, the force of it, but ultimately how much more it looked like it hurt PSJ to deliver than WX to receive. And the way WX first looks back up at her after the slap is so painfully vulnerable and young. Something about the tilt of her head and the line of her brow. We don't get a direct shot of it in that specific moment (another thing kept private between characters!) but just from WX's profile, her gaze is so expressive in its hopelessness, its despondency. In the immediate aftermath of the sacrificial freezing, I would wager PSJ is the only thing WX looks at and can actually see.

And while I'm sure PSJ would grieve deeply on her own over losing ZYC and ZYZ, those tears, that sob she lets out, and the way she holds WX imo all very specifically seem to be her heart bleeding for the woman she loves. Such subtext, plus the preceding wordless and purely physical scene of the suicide attempt and slap, is to me altogether kind of uncommon for female characters in this style of drama to be afforded (at least the ones I've seen) so it does make a difference to me that we have that here. All in all, I love the rashness they are allowed, the respective impulsivity that we're offered because they have each other to ultimately fall against.

Gotta love how obviously PSJ is sick of Ying Long's shit. Also PSJ always the master of wasting zero time like thank you girl I do want to see what's in that box.

What do you mean ZYC has preemptively given WX back the gift of comfort after grief and loss, the assurance that it will pass? That he's kept the flowers all this time and has thought through his own potential demise with such clarity and has prepared for soothing the grief of those who will be left behind before he's even gone, precisely because he's been in that very position? I really truly can't with ZYC. I've hardly seen a modern male protagonist with a heart so full of this particular brand of intensely sensitive, complex, attentive, and careful love, and so freely given, too.

Also CDL (Wen Xiao's actress) coming up with new ways to cry is honestly impressive with how many crying scenes the show puts her through. Her sobbing as she explains the flowers to PSJ is so raw to me. I really think she excels at these extreme line deliveries.

Bingyi!!! Also Ying Long your completely unfettered adoration for Bingyi is showing through your gaze man stand upppp (but also I get it).

The barest hint of a smile in Bingyi's expression as he recounts Ying Long fighting alongside him. This man is in looooove.

Ying Long I know you died for the sake of the world and all but the fact that you made Bingyi cry like that.....twice.......and he kept your soul and your dragon bone in his own clan's tomb............oh how he must have mourned you..................Bingyi I would treat you right just saying

Oh god the Bingyi clan's tender-heartedness. Literally one of my favorite traits in a fictional man thank youuuuuu.

That paralleling of scenes when ZYC comes back from the future and we get to see him and ZYZ as Ying Long and Bingyi staring at each other wowowoww the soulmatism is insane. There's so much affection in ZYC's voice and gaze.

Headcanon that ZYC sucks at math because there's five of you/?? wb YING LEI heLLO?

Yes!!! The triumphant OST music as they're brought back!! That shit hits so hard, I really gotta appreciate the soundtrack once again. And oof the first moment ZYZ is unfrozen and just looks at ZYC and then the fact that when ZYC fully turns around and they meet eyes the literal lyrics say, "I've found you" twice, once for each of them. what in the ROMANCE wow

The queer panning!!! On PSJ and ZYC my two belovedssss ouch. But yeah the camera could not be clearer on who's watching whom and pining for and yearning over whom. Maybe a pan to ZYC alone would be ambiguous but both PSJ and ZYC? Gay.

Ying Long dragon bone pulsing like a video game objective to get their attention during the emotional reunion makes me giggle ngl

Oh god the mpreg joke. I've come across this scene so many times by now but I literally cannot sit through it without biting my fist I cannot believe this made it to the final cut lmfaooooo

Also given how many transitions this drama is missing in terms of scene-to-scene flow and continuity, I really love that we get to watch them walk away and pick up the flowers and the box and PSJ her bow and arrows.

The way ZYC waits up for WX after her convo with Bai Yan. His concern for her re: Princess Longyu and the flashback to when they were young...her implication that he's one of the sources of light in her life and how we know she's the same for him...this is the platonic m/f bond of the year for me I think. He loves her so so much!!! And that's her mf bestie!!!!

I devolved into just reactions by the end there I'm sorry!! But I'm running out of time so that's a wrap!

[irlplasticlamb]

I need to know how you feel about the rhaenicent reunion scene

i have so so so many thoughts…. and i’m gonna preface everything by saying i treat hotd as entirely different canon than f&b so i don’t mind the different characterisation and such. i know it’s technically an adaptation but let’s be honest — it’s more of a fanfic and genuinely i enjoy it more than the book.

if we put this scene in a void i think it’s genuinely a wonderful rhaenicent scene with tons of little moments that just highlight their love towards each other (“you speak as if from a distant dream” ESPECIALLY! rhaenyra’s tender smile and the parallels to “i want to fly with you on dragon back, see the great wonders across the narrow sea, and eat only cake” oh my GODD it reminds rhae of a dream because that’s what she’s been dreaming about for YEARS) (also alicent asking rhaenyra to go with her paralleling criston except in this instance rhaenyra doesn’t mock the person. you could almost say if the circumstances were different she WOULD go with alicent) (also ALSO i’m a sucker for role reversal in fiction and the visual representation of rhae becoming caged in her duties and alicent choosing freedom was BEAUTIFUL! honestly the visual language in s2 is incredible)

i do struggle a bit with alicent (seemingly) so easily sentencing her sons to death but considering her insanely complex relationship with the boys it kind of makes sense for her character — aegon and aemond are such complicated little beasts. i do believe alicent loved them but i also believe she was a bad mother — then again, she was a teenage girl FORCED to become a mum and it’s 100% understandable for her to struggle with motherhood. alicent’s very complex and it’s hard not to let the book version of her character muddle the perception of the show one. i don’t want to babble a lot more about this but basically, with a heavy heart i do agree alicent deserves to make a selfish choice. is it still heartbreaking? i think so. aegon and aemond LOVE HER i truly believe that. not every female character has to be 100% morally good. alicent made a choice to save herself, her daughter (who i think she sees herself in so it’s easier for her to empathise, also helaena’s always been good to her) and her granddaughter. we’ll see how it affects the later story. i am just a tiny bit baffled about daeron thing — it seems they don’t have a super strong relationship in the show but alicent is shown to love him still, yet she betrayed him. idk idk!

for rhae, i think this scene mostly makes sense. she’s always had a soft spot for alicent i think, she stood her ground ordering aegon’s death (and, i think, aemond and maybe daeron’s as well. it’s not stated in the dialogue obviously but when you think about it, they do pose danger to her position as queen) but still gave alicent a choice. she did not detain her, she agreed to the plan. again, we’ll see how this all ends up.

[lebs]

when i first started watching AAA, i was like “omg this is great! ive never seen this troupe with reversed roles!” because what i always hated most about this troupe was that the grizzled old male character would be loved and mischaracterized by everyone and his young adopted daughter would be hated and loathed for every choice she made that didn’t resolve anything in a satisfactory way. and i was like, “wow, you’re hatred for women holds no bounds. you dont even try to see the reason they do the things they do. you are blinded by false love and all-encompassing loathing.”

and then i watched AAA and i was so excited because i thought things would be different. i thought that because the show was targeted for queer people, specifically lesbians, that we could not only see ourselves in this mentor state, but also further our understanding of the importance of the mentor and protégé’s relationship. but no! its exactly the same! you babygirl-ify agatha as if she’s not someone who took pleasure in killing and is lustful for power! and you hate billy because he dares to challenge agatha! don’t you get it?? the relationship between the protégée and the mentor is vital to the storyline, you cannot understand the mentor’s characterization without accepting the protégée’s existence and influence! you’re hatred is the same, just in a different form!!! you are doomed to the same fate as everyone who has ever hated gwen from ATSV but or mabel from gravity falls or any other female character who dare had complex motives and emotions! do you even hear yourself!!!!

[dwimmerlaiks]

you know I really DID like the final ep of severance, it was exciting and well paced and soooo funny actually and smart enough. but yeah I hated the last scene, I'm sorry, it just literally overwhelmed me with disappointment. I wasn't prepared for that ending, didn't even consider it, didn't see it coming (but I could have actually I realize now). it's just that for me, you have all those themes about identity, about forming relationships, about clinging to life even if it treats you unkindly, about finding yourself and also about sacrifice, and again - idenity and self worth and you could have framed that ending in regards to CHOICE - and all those things I mentioned before - in a myriad of ways considering the other story elements of this show. and what happend was, OH HERE'S A LOVE TRIANGLE AND OH WHICH GIRL WILL HE CHOOSE and it's all about romance!! and look a man and a woman, who will he choose to be with hehehe !! and sorry it's just. I'm not saying that's the truth of it or that it was a bad episode, I'm saying that for my taste, for me personally, that last scene encapsulated something that I am deeply, deeply tired of. that I didn't see coming in this case because I honestly thought this story offered more that the same old trite bullshit of heterosexual romance and love triangles. that this last scene, they could have made their point in many different ways that would actually have honored a bit more complexity. that would be a bit more subtle. a bit less trite.

and again I'm not saying that's the truth of it. that was MY experience of it, and that experience reflects on my tastes and that I get very defensive and non-apologetic when confronted with this kind of "romance theme" or whatever because - well, ever since I've watched movies I've just been so, so very bored of this flavor of romance. of this overpowering, omnipresent romance focused narrative style. and yerah especially the heterosexual kind. there's other types of relationships surely you can use in narrative to tell the kind of story, or make the kind of point they've done here. friendship. family. the relationship with yourself.

and again, sorry, I've seen some posts now on this scene that reflect enjoyment of it and I realize some people do get something out of it and I'm happy for everyone. not saying it's bad just that in me personally it triggered this reaction because ugh. see above. ugh ugh ugh.

otherwise, really cool episode! this season was so and so, but I really liked this ep otherwise. just the last scene kind of spoiled it for me. anyway I'll browse some more posts now and see other people's reactions and I'm sure it'll make me be more understanding and less grumpy about it. but uuuuugh. life is so complex. if you're telling a story about clinging to life, small and hard though it may be, I'm sure there's more you can think of than JUST romantic love. I'm actually a huge fan of romantic love, do enjoy reading about it and participating in it if I get the chance. but it's like. just a little part of life, yeah? it's NOT THE MAIN THEME OF LIFE. not every single experience in life that you can have as a human being boils down to being in love. christ, if they'd framed it in away honoring the friendship between those two characters I'd be less bitter about it. but then again they also made having children or not like 100% of the personality/motivation of one of the female main characters so. hm. yeah no I'm discontent.

edit: maybe I just watched it wrong. maybe it was a romance show all along and I just didnt realize. I just thought it was like, an arc yeah. a major theme. but not THE theme. you'd ask me to decide on something I'd say identity would be THE major theme of the show, and romance one of the tools to explore it. but not like, the point of the show. lol, silly me

[horizon-verizon]

Hiii!! Do you happen to see The Wheel of Time? Because I read a THR interview about queer themes and how they've chosen to portray them, and at first I loved it, and then I thought, damn, THIS is what HotD DOESN'T understand.

Of course, there's a fundamental difference in that tWoT decided as a primary focus that homophobia simply wasn't going to exist in their world. Period. While aSoIa, and therefore HotD, has a homophobic base. But the thing is, HotD missed the opportunity to do that and when it does, they're trying too hard to be subversive and to achieve "cool" moments regardless of how they impact the character, the plot or if it even makes sense.

I have a lot of thoughts and I don't know how to organize them. Because it's about how both books had implicit homosexuality for some of their characters, and how the plots both deal with feminist themes and how they decided to adapt both to a modern audience and one ruined their show and the other is succeeding even with some mistakes and changes.

HotD destroyed every female relationship it had to the point where it doesn't exist, yet they still want to talk about girl power. tWoT Even when it has women constantly facing each other, there are moments of sympathy and compassion between them.HotD shifted the focus of its female protagonist and her family through which it could explore the supposed feminist themes that interested the family misogyny and they didn't even allow the matriarch to carry the narrative force. TWoT decided to switch from their male lead to a female lead that allowed them to better explore the themes they wanted to. HotD decided to make their main gay character bitter and closeted. tWoT has their protagonist in a long-term relationship even when they face problems or they do not agree. HotD erased the poly queer relationship that was a subtext in the books and refused to explore the complications of Rhaenyra's first marriage. tWoT spent a lot of time (some say too much) on the poly relationship and to write it they looked for writers who had been in polyamorous relationships and talked about its complexities and how to deal with it.

And I'm sure I can think of half a dozen more comparisons, and EVERY TIME HotD shows they did a HORRIBLE job in those areas. I'm not saying tWoT is perfect, but the effort and love is noticeable. While, despite what interviews say, I find it hard to see it in HotD. And if that's them trying, I'm scared to see what it's like when they don't make an effort to hide homophobia and misogyny.

(sorry for any mistakes, English is not my native language)

Never read nor watched TWoT, so I can't corroborate nor confirm your observations about the show. And I'd rather read the books before watching the show, so Idk when I am ever going to get into this franchise.

But I also like to believe there's just GOT to be better writing for queer fantasy characters, so if true, it looks like I'd enjoy watching it.