#ck 4
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#ZoomAndEnhanceHisBeauty
#jugram haschwalth#bleach#bleach tybw#bleachedit#f*ck me...he's so beautiful i'm gonna cry :')#of course Kubo mentioned Jugram as one of the 4 most beautiful male characters#he paid extra attention to make him even prettier and it shows :')#userartless#userdabiluna#usergabii#tuserelena#userpayel#usergokalp#usergojoana#usermica#userokkottsus#useraki#userlysandra
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cleo learned that manny is 27, he’s a san sequoia native but a del sol valley university alum where he's also currently finishing his last term to get his masters in computer science
previous | next
#yall.. i dont usually play with wicked whims and they kept tryna get up to F%CK!!!!!#sims 4#the sims 4#maxis match#simblr#sims#*pacheco legacy#*pacheco gen 3#*main save#*cleo#*manny
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Portrait of Mevrautje Inej
inspired by the amazing fic Serves You Right by @linearao3, for all your undercover kanej needs, incl kaz being very into playing inej's servant ;)
#tgv#sab#soc#inej ghafa#kanej#the grishaverse#six of crows#crooked kingdom#ck#shadow and bone#s&b#kaz x inej#serves you right#tltl art#my art#art#soc art#fic rec#image description in alt#click for quality! :)#portrait of madame x#beyond inej herself there's some bonus spot-the-differences between this and the original painting ;)#1) her hair is coiled in a braid (since inej does that part herself in the fic)#2) the red jewels in her hair and on the bodice (as described in the fic. it's supposed to look like blood spatter!)#3) gloves! kaz gives inej some looooong gloves to wear#4) shoulder chains (3 as described in fic with the right pair slipping down so kaz has to fix them oh noooo)#5) KNIFE. because of course inej has a couple stashed away. she's holding it bc it's a fun parallel with madame x holding her gloves#6) inej's side-eye. she be watching
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𝘖𝘪. Ladies and gentlemen, The Boys are back 💉🩸
#the boys#the boys tv#the boys season 4#billy butcher#homelander#hughie campbell#annie january#starlight#kimiko miyashiro#frenchie#mother's milk#marvin milk#the boys amazon#me and the rare once a year fanart that’s not celebrating a follower milestone and not a fanfic illustration 🫨 surprise~!#could I have put Terror 🐶 in there? yeah but I wanted to get this out before 6/13/24 when the first 3 eps premiere#but finally I can say I’ve drawn everyone in the gang now (😔 so sorry mm & frenchie; you are now here for my second group illustration)#yes billy’s holding a vial that says Supe Virus and Hughie’s wearing F*ck Vought sneakers#my art#featured#phoenixtakaramono#I'M SO READY#the boys fanart
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miguel & robby + all valley tournament
#i’m not crazy about kiaz but their tension in season 4 was 🤌#cobra kai#tanner buchanan#xolo maridueña#robby keene#miguel diaz#kiaz#robby x miguel#miguel x robby#lawrusso#daniel x johnny#johnny x daniel#samtory#lanichols#binary brothers#binary boyfriends#ralph macchio#william zabka#cobra kai spoilers#ck spoilers
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i really just think cobra kai would be a more interesting show if eli and demetri got together at the last all-valley tournament
like up the tension of them becoming friends again in s4 and navigating that their feelings are actually MORE than friendship
like hawk going to miyagi do to fight after his head is shaved for demetri would be so much sweeter if it was also charged with eli's feelings for demetri
imagine it's demetri who kisses Eli to get him his confidence back right before his fight
the entirety of season 5 is charged with "established relationship" vibes from the two of them
and them both helping miguel with his love life would still make sense but suddenly their reference for relationship advice is each other (and they're entirely dysfunctional so it makes sense why their advice ends up sucking)
season 6 divorce arc would be even more painful with demetri thinking that eli not applying to MIT means he's dumping him....
...and eli being like "no dipshit i want to explore other options" "oh other OPTIONS? like date other PEOPLE?" "demetri no-"
and like just add another relationship crisis to the list with the sekai taikai that's pretty much what had everyone else off their game.....
and then the locker room apology would've obviously ended in a kiss
(bonus points if no one knows they're dating - they're not hiding it, everyone just thinks they're Like That)
#to me they are married#to me they got together in season 4#you actually cannot change my mind#hawkmetri#elimetri#binary boyfriends#cobra kai#ck spoilers#cobra kai spoilers#cobra kai season 6 spoilers#demetri alexopoulos#eli moskowitz#hawk x demetri
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DANIEL LARUSSO AND SAMANTHA LARUSSO HUGS THROUGH THE SERIES COBRA KAI
#daniel larusso#samantha larusso#sam larusso#ckedit#cobra kai#cobrakaiedit#ralph macchio#mary mouser#caliedits#caligifs#ck season 1 episode 1#ck season 1 episode 2#ck season 2 episode 1#ck season 3 episode 9#ck season 4 episode 10#ck season 5 episode 8#oh to be a father wanting to keep your llittle girl safe
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This comment on YouTube sums it up perfectly
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#Ck#Ck writers#Robby keene#robby keene#cobra kai#Cobra kai season 6 part 2#Cobra kai season 6#I miss season 4#No literally I want season 4 back this season is just stabing me in the heart
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DARIAX ZAVEON, ASEXUAL ICON, I LOVE YOU
Matt, you can't just say things like that, I just almost cried in joy.
CR has given us so much wonderful beautiful aspec representation and it makes me so happy.
#critical role#bells hells#4 sided dive#4sd#4sd spoilers#critical role spoilers#c3 spoilers#exu#exandria unlimited#exu ck#dariax zaveon#asexual#asexuality#there was a full on little celebration that happened on this couch
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Advent 2024: Day 1 - Kamill's Arena Beam Recolor
on the first day of crimiss, ck gave to theeeeee
some recolors of Kamill's wood and metal arena beams, for all your arena building endeavors.
Wooden Beam Recolor
Requires Kamill's Wooden Beam
Eight swatches to match Horse Ranch wood colors
Six swatches to match Kamill's conversion of @itssimplythesims's dressage arena walls
Metal Beam Recolor
Requires Kamill's Metal Beam
Six swatches of varying grey-silver shades
-- DOWNLOAD --
#CK-Sims Advent 2024#Ts4 horse cc#ts4 equestrian cc#sims 4 horse cc#sims 4 equestrian cc#ts4 equestrian#sims 4 equestrian#ts4 horses#sims 4 horses#ts4 horse ranch#sims 4 horse ranch#sims horses#ts4 cc
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Little recap of episode 4 of season 4 of Wakfu
Look at this!!
You saw this beautiful smile???? This smile can stop babies from crying (and Nora). This smile can revive a puppy.
You saw it???
Well, I hope you did because I think we'll not see it in a really loooooooong time~ (maybe 9... Or 10 episodes.) The storm is coming... violently with a bat.
(BEHOLD SPOILERS OF EP 4 OF SEASON 4 OF WAKFU)
I remember Tot said season 4 was gonna be sad a f*ck and that Yugo will have to pass some kind of "hard trial" (AGAIN) in this season because this kid will never have a good rest. Not even a breath. Stop. Give this little boy some holidays c'mon, the lord is always testing our little angel to the limit. (And by lord I mean Ankama I'm looking at you...)
So it's very likely that Yugo will start to suffer even more in the next episode. And of course, in the entire season :))))))) Let this boy have something, someone precious by his side more than an instant and stop take it from him in the next second, I beg you. (He just found his family... And... Qilby I guess. And Adamai just abandoned him already to investigate by his own way...)
Just seeing how the kings and queens of every nation were so disrespectful in front of him and just called his mother a monster and made her cry, well. (I want to riot! When Joris said they were "quite tense" he fell short.)
Okay, yes, I understand the eyes in the sky~ are pretty creepy and of course I don't trust her either, at least, like this is so suspicious for sure, no one was born yesterday even when she is trying to be so kind and helpful monitoring the entire planet (yeessss mom, way too much).
But, c'mon, this is a goddess as tall as... I don't know, as much as she wants, girl she is made of f*cking magic. If she wanted she could erase you from existence. She didn't have to give a f*ck about anyone and HERE WE ARE~
The best thing you can do is looking for a fight with her in the moment you meet her with no hesitasion? Do you want to die that much? Do you know about survival? Did you skip that class maybe? (I'm going for a tea BECAUSE-)
It was so necessary to (be a little racist dear rich people and) insult the giant blue mother of your hero in his f*cking face and the people who are at least trying to do your job (which any of you losers did well, like ever, btw. When Sadida kingdom was about to be destroyed by the chaos of Ogrest what did you do?? Eh, where were you???)
Jobs like protecting and saving your citizens from, nothing, being robbed and I don't know: imminent death??? I mean, really? Was that all you thought about in this situation? Being a d*ck was your best choice.
These same guys here were talking about stolen freedom?? What freedom? The brotherhood of Tofu had to save your asses for like 3 season. 3 ovas and dozens of comics. The same people who criticize others actions but never assist and reunite when they are needed, Cause I don't know Rick, it seems a little fake....
Yugo just met his mom and his sis and he already has the world of 12 hating them... Like wow, the rulers are all going to die in the hands of that kind of white demon/zombies of TLOU/soul suckers or whatever they are. And I really don't give a f*ck for any of them, ladies and gentlemen. Only the crowns are going to remain. (Down with the monarchy.)
Weeeeeeeell.
You know what? I don't care what Yugo will do from this point. Nop, not a bit. But I'm with him to the end of everything. I will support you honey, I will defend you no matter what. I mean, I'll be totally okay if he decides to save the world for the third f*cking time and I also will be okay if in the end he prefers to let all these motherf*ckers die in an instant with no mercy and no regre-
And it could even happen that Yugo loses someone important in season 4... (The same way I will lose my mind.) Hope that never happens, I just swear to god-
Anyway, Yugo fans, unite and brace yourselves.
#rip yugo's smile#you will be missed#wakfu season 4#wakfu yugo#wakfu#yumalia#wakfu amalia#amalia sheran sharm#wakfu spoilers#wakfu s4#as a yugo fan im always scared#wakfu season 4 spoilers#ankama#spoilers#eliatrope#wakfu evangelyne#recap#wakfu adamai#where the f*ck are you#adamai#yugo#wakfu qilby#qilby#nora#eliatropes#tristepin#wakf ruel#dofus#socorro#im spanish my grammar is a mess
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keenry- robby’s pov (i’m insane)
I NEEDED TO GET THIS OUT BEFORE PART 3
keenry tory’s pov: https://www.tumblr.com/sleepyicon/773121101619429376/keenry-torys-pov
s2
“there’s good in everyone. she just has to be shown the right way”
s3
taking tory up on her offer to go to the zoo. he’s done running away.
grabbing the snake with his bare hands to please tory and the other cobras
s4
robby offering to help tory up when he took her down in a fight
robby having tory stand by his side as he makes his speech to to the cobras. he views tory as an equal.
robby once again offering to help tory up when he takes her down
robby asking tory where her new job is, but respects her not wanting to share
robby once again respecting her boundaries when he found out tory had a shitty day, even making a light hearted joke out of it
robby asking tory if she’s going to prom and amused when she asks him
robby assuring tory that he understands her when she calls her motivations to win the tournament stupid
robby accepting tory when she rests her head against his and telling her that he didn’t care about sam and miguel, which gave her the courage to feel the same
robby jumping into the fight at stingray’s after party to help tory
robby not caring when tory pulled him into the pool and laughing with her
robby complimenting tory’s dancing and karate skills and laughing with her when she mentioned she was going to return her dress
robby initiating kissing her
robby and tory sparring together and robby smiling up at tory when she lands on top of him
robby throwing his gi to tory before his final fight (i saw the way piper looked at tory after ik this means something)
robby telling tory that he’s alright and that she should focus on her fight when she checks on him after his loss, not wanting her to worry about his own baggage before her big fight
robby’s struggling right now, but he STILL SHOWS UP FOR TORY’S FIGHT AND WISHES HER LUCK!!
robby cheering with the other cobras when tory wins, he’s no longer rooting for cobra kai, but he is rooting for tory
s5
robby telling his dad “i could be at home right now with tory” when he finds out johnny lied to him about why they were really in mexico. she was on his minddd
robby shouting her name across the water park
robby looking out for tory by attempting to convince her to take a break from cobra kai, and trying to understand tory’s decision not to (yes his ultimatum at the end of this ep was shitty, but he knew cobra kai was causing damage and i’m glad he ultimately stood up to it in the end)
“there’s some others in cobra kai i care about too” we all know that means tory.
robby showing concern for something potentially happening to tory when she doesn’t show up for her sekai taikai qualifier match
robby looking at and nodding to her after his speech to silver, noticing that her loyalty to silver is fading and that he’s there for her
robby trying to get into contact with tory later that day
robby immediately noticing tory’s hand and asking what happened to it, seemingly not believing her when she tells him it was a training accident
robby smiling at tory when she looks out for the both of them due to their probation
robby (kinda) putting his arm in front of tory when silver walks over to the both of them (what i like about this scene is that silver is the one who set them up, and now they’re both against him)
robby apologizing to tory for abandoning her and respecting that she’s tired (which after everything, i definitely believe that was her true reason to not want a longer conversation) and just wants to kiss
s6
likely, tory was the first person robby went to when he got to school to show that he was reinstated
robby wanting to help tory and sam become friends and going along with miguel’s double date idea, but he sets the record straight with tory when she seems uncomfortable, while still trying to encourage her to give her a chance
also robby calling bs (with his eyes) when tory tells him that she’s not avoiding sam
robby’s sekai taikai pact with tory (do i even need to say more?)
robby looking absolutely CRUSHED when he sees that tory rejoined cobra kai
robby conversing with the cobra kai’s at their hotel in barcelona and his face softening the second he sees tory, and then attempting to run after her
robby smiling at tory when they were taking their captain’s photo and then going after her as soon as it was done
robby having an honest and heartfelt with tory about cobra kai in the aquarium (this scene was so beautiful and absolutely cut short by sam invading their privacy for some reason??)
robby trying to stay away from cobra kai and their challenges, only participating when kwon eggs him on by mentioning his gf is on their team and then agreeing to a bet with kwon (which in my opinion is very unlike him)
robby going to tory’s room in the middle of the night and assuring her that she’s not making things worse for him when she thinks that she is
robby being extremely unfocused during the tournament due to tory putting them on pause and competing for a rival team
robby being jealous of tory and kwon
robby being so heartbroken and off balance due to no longer having tory and screwing up the tournament that he drinks, possibly for the first time and getting extremely drunk
robby attempting to fight kwon when he tells him that he’ll keep tory warm, but being too drunk to do it (once again, all of this is unlike him)
robby did not come to play in his fight against kwon when he discovered that kwon played him by faking a relationship with tory. as johnny said, robby was making it hurt
robby apologizing to tory for letting her and kwon get to his head, saying that he knows himself and her better than that.
“did any of it include me” when tory said that she never should have let herself believe in any of it AJDMFIFNEKSKGNRODN
after kwon rudely interrupted them, he told tory to get home safe and that he would see her there. he was determined to figure things out with her (don’t even get me started with this “oh it’s one sided and toxic” shit TORY’S NOT IN THE RIGHT HEADSPACE RN SHE’S STILL A GRIEVING CHILD, EVIDENT BY THE FACT THAT SHE WAS HOLDING HER AND HER MOM’S MAGIC JEWEL WITH A SAD LOOK ON HER FACE. SHE WAS ELIMINATED FROM THE TOURNAMENT THAT SHE WAS IN FOR HER MOM! AND SHE HAS PROVEN MULTIPLE TIMES THAT SHES A GOOD PARTNER, BUT SHE CANT BE PERFECT ALL THE TIME MY GOD wait this is supposed to be a robby post anyways)
robby pulling a badass double kick to save tory from zara during the tournament brawl
robby telling zara that it’s not even close when she questions him choosing tory over her (more like there’s no decision at all you stupid abuser)
robby and tory fighting together!!!
robby and tory standing next to each other in the aftermath of the brawl, both of them devistated after kwon’s death
shout out to all the times he looks back when tory looks at him across every season
#cobra kai#ck#cobra kai season 3#cobra kai season 4#cobra kai season 2#cobra kai season 5#cobra kai season 6#robby keene#tory nichols#keenry#keenry endgame#robby x tory#tory x robby
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Six of Crows: Representation Done Right (in my opinion)
Six of Crows, for those who don't know, is a series written by Leigh Bardugo, who you may recognize from works such as Shadow & Bone and King of Scars (sister series to Six of Crows). Six of Crows is the second series in the collection, and tells the story of 6~7 teenagers with a chip on their shoulder and the ability to treat overthrowing a government figure like it's just another Tuesday.
It is one of my absolute favorite series ever, and I would gladly give my firstborn to Leigh if she asked. It has many things going for it: beautiful plot, angsty teenagers, sad backstories that spell out peak fiction, and amazing characters. In this Tumblr essay, I'm going to focus on that last point, mainly in regards to how representation ADDS to the characters, instead of feeling like a shitty Target t-shirt during pride month (forced and hella cheap).
Disclaimer: I am in no way qualified to be talking about this. I literally have just about every privilege imaginable except being a rich old man. However, I do read a lot and love literature in all shapes and sizes, so know that my yaps are coming from a good place.
—————————————————————————
Now, with that out of the way...
The 6 main characters of Six of Crows (SoC for short), are Kaz, Inej, Jesper, Wylan, Nina, and Matthias. They are all very different, so I'll go through them one by one and explain what, why, and how representation.
Kaz Brekker:
So, in terms of usual representation, Kaz is one of the more basic of the group. He's not a minority of any noticeable kind, like LGBTQ+ or a POC (person of color), but he is physically disabled. Due to an accident, Kaz walks with a limp and uses a cane.
Now, I know some people who would say that physical disability isn't as important when it comes to representation, since it's "unrealistic" for a disabled person to be kickass. And to those people I would say: have you ever met a disabled person? Like, genuinely, I'm physically disabled myself and use a cane much like Kaz, and while I could never pull off some of the crazy shit Kaz does, some of the strongest people I know have worse disabilities than me. You and I do not live in a world where a disability determines someone's worth.
And, to that point, I think Leigh proves this exceedingly well. Kaz isn't strong in spite of his disability, he is strong because of it. His disability isn't something shameful or something he needs to hide, it's something that people actively fear. He'll be the first to call himself a cripple, and the last to seem weak in any right.
But if that's all it was, the representation would be decent, but nothing special. What makes it special is that it's realistic. There are certain things Kaz can't do. A lot of simple things like walking cause him pain. In spite of this, however, Kaz wouldn't get rid of his disability. In the story, when given the chance, he chooses to keep it. Why? Because he turned a weakness into a source a strength. Kaz is literally my role model for this reason.
To conclude this, I'll leave you with a quote that can explain this way better than I ever could.
"There was no part of him that was not broken, that had not healed wrong, and there was no part of him that was not stronger for having been broken."
Inej Ghafa:
Past Kaz, I debated what I would talk about with each person. Most of them have multiple things that count for representation, which is good, but I decided to chose one for each. For Inej, I decided to focus on her Suli background.
(I'm not even going to lie, this one was the most challenging for me to write bc I wrote it last 😭)
In media, a lot of stories fall into the trap of saying the same three things about POC: 1) they aren't Caucasian 2) They have a life (sometimes) 3) they aren't white. Aka, what we would call the "token black character." No substance, usually feels very forced and fake. These type of characters seem to be written in purely for "representation" reasons, which actually leads to the representation being trash because the character's feel like corporate cutouts instead of people.
Inej, on the other hand, has a culture that feels alive. The Suli culture has conscious thought put into it on behalf of Leigh. They have proverbs and a language, they have costoms and a tangible effect on Inej. She is Suli and she is more interesting for it. Her culture doesn't feel tacked on or forced because it's a staple part of who she is, there is no Inej without the Suli.
And that's not to say that's Inej's entire character, as that wouldn't be good good either. No, Inej is many other things too. She's a girls girl, a fantastic acrobat, she's scarily good with knives, she's kind, she can be a bit scary, she's so much more than her ethnicity but that, is also a distinct part of her character. Her depth is not her ethnicity/culture but her ethnicity/culture is a part of her depth.
Jesper Fahey:
Jesper! We all love Jesper, right? I could talk about him being a different ethnicity like Inej, but I'd say a lot of the same things. Instead, I've decided to focus on our favorite bisexual disaster.
Now, for those unawares (i see you lerkers who haven't read SoC), Jesper is a bisexual character who is in a relationship with another character, Wylan. They're relationship is very wholesome, and their kiss scene is one of my favorites in the book (topped only by Kanej, sorry Nina and Matthias). I could just spend this part of the essay waxing poetic about their relationship, but that's no fun is it?
The main thing I want to focus on is how SoC treats their relationship (ie LIKE ANY OTHER RELATIONSHIP). They don't make a big deal out of it AT. ALL. past the normal relationship things. Hell, Kanej's relationship is treated as more different because they're both angsty teenagers, and that relationship is straight. The biggest trap authors fall into when it comes to LGBTQ+ relationships is that they make them either something super taboo or something so stereotypical that it hurts to read. Even though stories where the relationship is taboo are valid because of worldly bigotry, it's equally as important to stories where the relationships are just a fact of life, same as any other romantic entanglement.
In the same vein, I also want to mention the lack of stereotypes. We all know the stereotype right? One macho strong guy who's super masculine and one submissive (usually feminine-coded, go figure) guy who is typically younger, but that's more interchangeable. I, among others, hate these stereotypes for many reasons. Leigh, thankfully, avoids all of it masterfully. Yes, Wylan is a bit more reserved, but he is in no way weak. Jesper also isn't a strong macho guy, he's thin lanky teenager who likes to gamble and shoot things. He's not the super 'dominant' one in their relationship, because their relationship is EQUAL.
In conclusion, Jesper, in his relationship with Wylan, manages to dodge most-if-not-all typical downsides that would lead to certain elements to being bad or a bit bland representation. Jesper doesn't feel like a poster board LGBTQ+ guy they slap on shitty political add campaigns, he feels like a real, breathing person that just happens to have a (healthy!) relationship with a guy.
Wylan Van Eck:
I know I talked about Wylan some in Jesper's, but for this part I want to focus on Wylan's dyslexia.
In SoC it is explicitly stated that Wylan in unable to read because of severe dyslexia, leading to him being neglected/abused by his father and eventually him running away to join the Crows.
Now, let's start with the practical side of the equation. Although, as I said in Kaz's section, a disability doesn't define you, it is an unfortunate reality that some people try to use that to define you. This is unfortunately the case in Wylan's story, where his dad neglects/abuses him, sends his mother to a psych ward, then ultimately tries to have him killed. What I like about SoC, however, is that it doesn't just say "that's just how the world is, suck it up" and move on. No, it goes so much further.
During the course of the story, Wylan grows from believing his father and feeling shame about his condition, to using it as an accepted part of himself. He grows as a person not because of his shitty father, but in spite of his shitty father. Many people, having seen Wylan's story, may say that Wylan's father is what made him who he is, and therefore Wylan's father was necessary. You know what SoC says to that? It gives those people a big ol' middle finger.
Wylan, in order to grow in both self-confidence and happiness, had first get AWAY from his father. Wylan isn't who he is because of the abuse he endured, no, the abuse was a hindrance to his growth. He was only able to become who he was after he had people who cared about him and truly didn't care what others deemed "shameful" about him.
These things both make a statement about how society treats people who are different, and makes Wylan seem like a real person. It is simply not reality that a totally fine person can spawn out of a broken, abusive household, but it is also not often that the person is broken forever with no other qualities. Wylan is not his dyslexia or his trauma, but instead he is a normal boy with many interests and tendency to blow things up that had to grow out of his self-hatred sowed in him by his father.
Nina Zenik:
The wise, the woman, the icon, Nina Zenik. I love Nina to a fault. She is one of the few that her story extends outside of the Six of Crows/Crooked Kingdom timeline into King of Scars/Rule of Wolves. That's not to say we don't see the others, but a good chunk of her story is seen in the KoS series. Now, even though this is the case, we're going to mostly focus on Nina in SoC/CK with how she artfully uses and discards gender roles at her whim.
We all know the traditional 'gold standard' for women, right? Blonde, ultra feminine, skinny, and above all: submissive to men. There's nothing explicitly wrong with most of these attributes, but when they're forced on everyone? That's when it becomes a problem. Through Nina, Leigh shows that, while most of these attributes aren't inherently harmful, you can still be a badass while not exactly fitting the mold.
Nina is a bold and outspoken girl with brunette hair, a plump body, and a love for all things food and fashion. She's the first to tell Kaz that his haircut is ass and the first to down every waffle in the room. Not only are these attributes realistic to women, since I too love myself some waffles, they also break the traditional 'gold standard' while still keeping Nina feminine.
Some authors, in the pursuit of breaking gender roles, make a super tomboy character that basically forsakes being a woman. While those people do exist and are valid, most women aren't like that. I don't think those characters are always good representation because they aren't breaking gender roles, they're just reinforcing the idea that you have to act like a man to get anywhere in life.
Nina is good because she still has feminine attributes. She loves fashion. She's a girls girl. She's sexy and she knows it. While you don't have to have those attributes to be feminine (obviously), it shows that you don't have to abandon your feminity to be badass.
Matthias Helvar:
Matthias! Some of you are wondering how I'm going to connect Matthias to representation, aren't you? He isn't a POC, LGBTQ+, or even disabled in any (canon) way. He is like me, truly the default settings of the world. This seems to disqualify him from the representation talk, but I would disagree. He aids the representation not by being apart of it himself, but showing how two different cultures can coexist, even with opposing values.
Matthias is from the country of Fjerda, which is characterized by it's highly traditional ideas about women, religion, and just life in general. They believe that women should be subservient to men, and that Grisha are witches that should be killed without mercy by a special army called the Drüskelle. And guess what? Matthias just so happens to have been raised as a Drüskelle!
Throughout Matthias/Nina's backstory, Matthias first captures Nina as a Grisha but then falls in love with her. Nina soon 'betrays' him and they have a falling out, but they eventually rekindle their relationship (that was a small no nuance summary for a huge arc spanning multiple books, so I suggest you read SoC/CK if you haven't). Through this arc, we see Matthias go from bigoted to acceptance WITHOUT losing his culture or religion.
I think a lot of stories get the bigotry -> acceptance pipeline wrong in that a lot of the time, a character completely loses their culture and/or religion in the process. While that does happen sometimes, it shouldn't be the meta. Not being a bigot boils very simply down the principle of not being an asshole, regardless of your culture. I have my stakes in this as I'm Christian, yet here I am making a whole Tumblr essay on representation. You don't have to lose your entire culture to not be an asshole.
Leigh does this very well with Matthias, as by the end of the story, he's still a Fjerdan and still wholeheartedly believes in Djel, but he's changed in that he's no longer an asshole about it. He still has that part of him, just without the added bigotry. My favorite part of his arc is at the very end when he tries to convince a fellow Drüskelle that he doesn't have to live that way. He coexists and accepts other cultures without losing himself, and that's very important when it comes to representation.
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In conclusion, what makes representation good representation is that it adds to the character, not takes over the character. No one wants a character where their only character trait is that they have dark skin or that they like someone of the same gender. They want depth, they want humanity. Representation isn't a crutch to add depth to an otherwise blank character but a tool that can reflect real life in the way that none of us are exactly alike, and we don't have to be.
#I wrote most of this 4 months ago and it's been gathering dust in my drafts lol#six of crows duology#six of crows fandom#six of crows#soc duology#soc#ck#crooked kingdom#the crows#kaz brekker#kaz x inej#kazzle dazzle#kaz rietveld#soc inej#inej gafha#six of crows inej#inej ghafa#six of crows kaz#six of crows jesper#six of crows wylan#six of crows nina#six of crows matthias#jesper fahey#wylan x jesper#wylan van eck#wylan hendriks#soc wylan#soc kaz#soc nina#soc matthias
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