#i feel like this is one of the AMITA posts lol
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K, Rant post. TW for heavy swearing I guess
My BITCH ASS FRIEND WONT JOIN TUMBLR
IDK WHY. SHE JUST WONT. NO MATTER HOW HARD I TRY. NO MATTER HOW I BEG AND BEG. ON MY KNEES. DAY AND NIGHT. NO AMOUNT OF MONEY. SHE WONT JOIN FUCKING TUMBLR AND IT PISSES ME OFF BECAUSE 1) TUMBLR IS AMAZING 2) IVE SEEN SLIGHT THE EDDSWORLD SIDE OF IT AND ITS GOOD AND 3) THE FNAF SIDE IS PROBABLY GOOD AS WELL LIKE ALL OF TUMBLR. AND SHE SAYS- she says. "Oh, I don't want to see no tits" BITCH WHADDYA MEAN YOU DONT WANT TO SEE TITS?? LIKE I GET YOU DONT WANNA SEE NUDES AND ALL BUT IVE BEEN ON TUMBLR FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS AND IVE NEVER SEEN TITS. ONLY A FEW THINGS THAT MAKE ME UNCOMFORTABLE. AND IF ITS REALLY TOO MUCH YOU CAN 1) BLOCK PEOPLE 2) TURN OFF ANONYMOUS ASKS 3) STAY OFF TUMBLR FOR A WHILE 4) JUST DONT INTERACT?!?! YOU DUMBASS HOE- JUST JOIN FUCKING TUMBLR IT'LL BE GREAT. AND SHE SAYS SHE'S GOING THROUGH AN ART BLOCK. I BET JOINING TUMBLR WILL HELP WITH THAT BECAUSE IT SURE DID FOR ME. I'M NOT SAYING WE' RE THE SAME BUT STILL LIKE ANHDKWHSNDBWBGZKSKWKFNKS. YOU DUMBASS KID WITH YOUR DISGUSTING TYPE. I SWEAR TO GOD YOU BETTER BREAK UP WITH YOUR MANS (okay well don't do that but still you deserve better) AND JUST JOIN TUMBLR?!2?2+#(28#(+$)@ LIKE MY GOD WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO?! RUN OVER TO YOUR HOUSE THAT'S A FOURTY MINUTE DRIVE AWAY AND STEAL YOUR PHONE AND DOWNLOAD IT FOR YOU?! I understand the strict parents thing but uhm IVE SEEN WHAT YOU DO ON CHARACTER AI MATE. AND YOUR PARENTS STILL HAVENT TALKED ABOUT THAT YET?! GAHHHH. THIS DUMBASS THOUGHT TUMBLR WAS A DATING APP I SWEAR TO FUCKING GOD YOU AOEBOWDOWNJSNX JWNSHKAOSBXJANIEKQ RAAHHHHH JUST JOIN TUMBLR MY GUY. ITS NOT THAT BAD.
Rant over. Sheesh
#that was.. something#rant post#long ahh post#i need to calm down#i feel like this is one of the AMITA posts lol#but like still#this is the third time ive ranted TODAY#i finna need to calm down#might as well dye my hair redish orange so i can be jack Merridew#i feel likee im turning into him#with how agitiated ive been getting recently#stay in the box#NO#GET OUT OF MY SKIN#you know its probably the 7+ cups of tea ive been drinking recently#or the heat#its probably both#here i am yapping in tags#okay im done bye
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Ocean's 8 ANALYSIS [1/?] : MET GALA DRESS RANKING
I have watched Ocean's 8 and I have THOUGHTS so letss gooooo This is going to be in a number of parts becuse ahhhh this is gonna be long probably
Let's start with my ranking of the Met Gala looks because AHHHHH i need to get this out of my braiiinnnn (and it's also proabbaly the lightest topic, so!)
(pics taken from here btw which is another dress ranking post lol)
The important thing to remember about our O8 ladies is that a. they slay b. they are pulling a heist, so why they need to be glamerous enough to fit in, they also need to avoid standing out. My ranking will be based upon the very subjective scale of "how pretty i think it is" with notes about how this relates to the heist etc
Going from best to worst, first up ---
1
I mean. Comon.
9Ball aka Rihanna wearing TF out of this simple yet elegetn dress. It's very no nonsense, luxurious but simple.
When I tell you I GASPED when she got out of the van wearing this... Bro. Unmatched. The silluate and fit are perfect and this red was MADE for her, I swear.
Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous.
You can be a party pooper and say that despite its simplicity it's still to fancy and tight for a character like 9Ball who, tbh, didn't need to go to the gala anyway (being the hacker and off site by design). To that I say that we deserve to see Rihanna kill it going down the stairs like she owns the place which, if we're honest, she proabbaly does.
I love this dress so fucking much it's so simple yet such a perfect freaking fit. Love it.
2
Yessssssssssssssssssssssssssss hell yes.
Lou kills it with a suit that perfectly encapsulate her 'muscline' and edgy look throughout the film, just all glammed up. The color, the sparkle, that cheeky cleavage showing the jewl, omg. I want the entire wardrobe of Kate Blanche in this movie and her look was no dissapointment.
The thing that trips me a little bit, though, is that she wasn't filmed in the gala like the rest of the squad, and we only get to see her wearing this on the street, walking to Debbie, and I stg I thoguht she litterally wore this on the street and was like ???? But that was O K. and you know why? Cause she did it for the vibs and the WLWs and that's ok by meee.
3
The woman of the hour, Daphn Klueger aka Anne Hathaway.
It's lovely - I'm actually a little bit obssssed because I love a good cape and this is a GREAT cape, and whil striking it's not overbaring and works weell with th straplss dress to showcase th neckless.
This one is interesting bcausee it was designed, in univrse, to stand out and follow the gala theme (european royalty) and I actually feel that in universe she was proabably one of the 'adaquate, but not wow' persons of the night and the interenet probabaly chewed her off for not going all the way with the theme butttt
This is a movie, not real life, and the purpose of this outfit was to highlight the Necklace aka the target aka the focus point for the movie, which it did (as I say, it frames it perfectly) and it is a decent enough nod to the theme for me to belive this is a legit met gala outfit someone would wear.
My only issue is this color. I DON'T like it, not for this. A rich (royal) blue would have looked much better imo (and might have been a node to princess Diana famous ring if we go all big brain about it). I think the color was chosen to make Daphne stick out over the viewers and grab our focus (which was her role in the plot, tbh), so I get it - even if I don't like it.
4
Ok, love this. Amita - aka Mindy Kaling - suntring down the stairs in a look that is, literally, pure gold.
Love. Love. LOVE the sleeves, the ornament heavy on top, and the way the fabric drapes. She looks fantastic and this is definetally her kind of gold. The golden dress also gets extra points because I think that its good for hiest reasons - if you see her in passing and don't know who she is, you will rememebr the dress more than the person becasue it's so sparkly. I also like her hair in this, It feels nicely done but reasonable, considering she had to move from her kitchen worker costum to this in very short time.
5
A stong yet not overwheleming look from our woman on the inside, Tammy aka Sarah Pualson. She is the event orgnizers and therefore went with the (releteively) modest black on black look which fits in with the servers outfits and I personally really like.
I think it also works for Tammy as a person - it's not revealing, the puff sleeves make gives her broad sholders (cause she's a strong woman, lol) and It does look practicle for a woman who will probabaly be up on her feet all night, making sure things run smoothly - both in the heist and the actual gala.
My only issue? It looks CRUNCHY. It's one of those fabric that would either crumble or cut my hands if I try to squeeze it. Pretty spooky.
6
Debbi Ocean aka Sandra Bullock in this look that I'd call sufficiant - mfancy enough for the gala but underwhelming overall --- which is exactly the point of a heist disguise. She doesn't stand out and most people will probabaly forget she was even there.
The reason it's so low on the list is because I just.... don't like it very much. I think it's the gold-on-black color scheme, which I'm not a huge fan of, personally.
I WILL SAY that it works well with her wig which is practically the color of the embelishments and thus kinda mix the entire look togther in a fitting yet unimpressiv blob, a perfect costume for the heist.
Also I get a kick out of her being the only one wearing a wig, an extra con for our head conwoman.
7
It's not that I don't like this dress - I HATE it. I get that Rose is a once-legendary-now-flop in universe but comon, Helena Boham Carter deserved better than this.
It's doing so much, gives so little, and is just MESSY. The tacky print. THe flower embelishment. The unclear folds (?) around the chest UNDER the tacky print. WHY.
Though the biggest offendrs are the accessories. What in the mid 2010's is those stupid sunglasses - which, now that I look at them, might have been decent if not for that stupid giant hairpeice of mounted crap.
Rose Wile consisently gets the worst costumes in this movie and I just. Don't. Get it. This is the worse one though, by far.
8
Ok, but why do this to my girl Constanse (aka Awkwafina).
I have a personal hatred to those hotdog looking dresses with the nude mesh and those applique looking embelishment. Why not give her a suit, as well? She was wearing shirt+pants street style the entire movie, why torture hr lik this?
I hate it, but I do love the way she's wearing it, with he heels (who gave her HEELS?) in her hands and the IM DONE look on her face.
I do wonder how they glammed up her hair so fast, though. Weren't they on a tight heist schedual? Is this some secret thief trick? If so, where I can I learn it???
And that's it for the MET GALA looks of Ocean 8. It's a fun movie and I have lots more to talk about (good and bad) but it'll have to wait. So, for now, gorgeous gorgous dresses. HAHAH.
#Oceans 8#oceans eight#ocean 8#ocean eight#ocean trilogy#can i tag it as ocean trilogy?#or#ocean franchise#?#IDK
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I know you've already done a blending tutorial but do you have any tips for gifs like #4 and 6 in this set? /post/656705880727912448/amita-suman-as-inej-ghafa-shadow-and-bone-the No matter what I do, I can't get the black and white face gif to show up over skin tones when I set it to screen, it's always way too light :( I feel like there's something obvious I'm missing and it's driving me nuts lol, any help would be appreciated D:
honestly it depends a lot on the lighting of the two scenes you are trying to use. but i'm going to try and share what i know under the cut and hopefully this will help you out anon!
so, when putting a bw overlay on a gif, lighting plays a massive part. it's really helpful to use 'neutral' scenes that have both light and dark patches. looking at my inej set, those gifs work because the lighting is fairly dark, but there are patches of light on the face. if we take gif #6 for example, in the 'base' gif there are so many darker areas which means an overlay is going to pop on it (circled here):
all these dark patches allow for an overlay to show up, but this is partly to do with the natural lighting of the scene. the perfect scene has a balance between darker spots so an overlay shows, but also has lighting on the face so it doesn't get swamped by the scene you're overlaying.
obviously overlays are easier if you pick a scene more on the 'darker' side that has lots of darker patches like this, but the perfect lighted scene rarely exists in tv land. recently i did an overlay set with this gif which as you can see, is very light:
the only darker patches here are in the hair which aren't going to help much for a blend... if i put the overlay on as so we get this:
while you can see a bit of her face where it hits the left hand side of her hair, it's not clear and doesn't look great. this is where i grab my trusty paint tool! between the base gif and the overlay gif, i used a black brush to paint over the left hand side of the gif and then set this to 'soft light’, this darkened it a bit to allow the overlay to stand out a bit more:
but i'm still not quite happy with it as i think her expression in the overlay could stand out even more. so i put another black paint layer and this time just focused over the spot where her face will be. i set this to soft light again and played around a bit with the opacity (this is set to 81%) just to get it where i wanted it:
it's a subtle change but you can slowly see how her face gets more and more 'revealed' during the overlay.
you can also try reducing the curves/brightness a bit on your base gif, but sometimes this takes away from your skin tones or colouring of the gif overall, which is why i tend to rely on brushes and setting it to soft light to try to create 'dark' spaces that allow overlays to pop a bit more.
as a clause, i have to say there are scenes where it just doesn't work. if i'm overlaying a dark scene with one that's quite light, they just aren't compatible. sometimes you have to be flexible - for this set there was a scene that i really wanted to use, but she had a big window behind her and because it was so light it just wasn't going to overlay properly. so if something isn't working it's sometimes a good idea to try a different scene where the lighting is a bit more 'neutral'. but good luck, i hope these tips can at least help you a little bit!
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They did Jesper so good. SO GOOD. His humor, adhd, his secret hiding in plain sight, his friendship with Inej, all of itttttt. I can't wait to see him and Nina flirt with everyone and everything. Inej? Amita was born to perform her. Her beliefs, her attitude, ALL OF IT IS THERE. My only problem with them is Kaz. Everyone else is in prequel- mode while he's in post crooked kingdom- mode. Loved his murder face and his limping, thought. I was afraid they were going to make it not that big of a deal
Details I liked about this Kaz was he correcting that guy who called Grishas witches? Also that moment in the Palace when he had to stop because was without the cane and he was trying to keep walking even while being alone there but Hey Just Please, Stop
YEP!! If anything, his prequel mode should have been MORE evil and cruel. I did really like the scene where he had to stifle his limp and it immobilized him, that was a book thing that was a great reminder that his cane isn’t just an accessory
ooh i totally agree about the kaz and jesper dynamic… i could understand if it felt one sided at this point with jesper being in love and kaz being suspicious of everyone but it really was like boss and subordinate
i feel like that relationship hinges on two big changes:
1- making kaz the boss (and considering how ineffectual his plans seemed most of the time makes even less sense… he’s supposed to be a prodigy)
2- making jesper the dumb
Yyeeeeep... they were the Gang Boss and his funny sidekick which is just. Not Them At All lol.
besides kaz, another character i didn't like the tv show characterization of was zoya ... just because
she was never pining for the darkling at all in the books and it seemed unnecessary because she merely just saw him as a mentor she wanted to impress in the trilogy 😭 While I do love me some good zoyalina, I think they hugged way too soon in the end? I feel so bad for her though and I guess her looking for her family signifies the start of her eventual hatred for kirigan.
other than that, fedyor was a cutie. also genya had her fair share of funny and iconic lines + david in all his awkward and nerdy glory
Zoya didn’t feel like Zoya to me either. I simply didn’t believe her performance as a cruel, cold hearted seductress. Towards the end of the season she acted much better because they made her more vulnerable and scared, but still, that isn’t Zoya’s thing. I do actually appreciate that they cut the Mean Girl Bully BS short, thank GOD I won’t have to witness the Mal/Zoya drama in s2... YAS the side characters were great!!!! It hurt me to see them all betray the leads, I really enjoyed them, can’t wait until we’re all friends again. David was esp great. David I love you
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The S&B Twitter and instagram fandoms are an absolute hellscape.
Apparently they've invented something called Darkling slander sunday, and they keep tagging Ben Barnes in it and in their other anti content to make sure he knows how much they hate him/the Darkling. Because idk they can't separate him from the character he plays.
I'm also baffled by the fact that they keep pointing out that he is old, as if that's a crime, as if 39 is actually old.
And then there's also the fact that a subset of them started calling him a creep/pedo/stalker/predator for being friends/interacting online with Jessie Mei Li, who is 25 years old.
So on top of everything, they're infantilizing an Asian female-aligned person just so they can harass Ben.
And it's not just Ben. Archie Renaux has also been harassed, and sadly, that was probably by Ben/Darkling fans.
I know of at least one time when Archie and Amita Suman were called racist slurs after someone called Ben an old hag and said they were both better actors than him.
People have been horrible and racist to Archie during online Q&As and just generally.
I really can't believe how openly racist these people are. It's so disgusting.
I don't understand how this fandom can be so horrible.
Tumblr is tolerable, though the crosstagging, jumping on posts and anon hate is frustrating.
I used to think certain subsets of the GOT fandom were bad, but all of this just makes me want to cry out of anger and frustration.
I'm so sorry for bothering you with all of this, but I needed to rant, and I didn't know who else to talk to about this.
Wow! That is wild, and I feel sorry for all the actors! People really should learn to differentiate between fiction and reality.
And it is definitely wild.
Some of the things I've seen in the GoT and ASOIAF fandom have been wild though as well. I would remind you of that time, someone actually invented an interview with GRRM to discredit Jonsa and let him say that Jonsa was out of the question (oh, the days of the dramatic rice interview!). Lol. And of the time that Jonsa twitter accounts were hacked (that was far less fun). So every fandom has its really weird corners....
And the cast of S&B is just wonderful and I don't even know why you would compare their acting skills. They all do wonderful jobs. And it is great that they get along. That the actors get harassed over ship wars is ridiculous. And Archie Renoux and Jesse Mei Li and Amita Suran are wonderful and I hope they see many people support them as well. It reminds me of what happened in the SW fandom and I hope they have nerves of steel.
Sometimes I think that the parts of Grishaverse fandom think they get a pass for just about everything just because they like a series that has representation. It's if they think that they've proved to be woke because of that and then proceed as usual....
All *isms are cringeworthy. And I honestly think that they are rooted in a lack of imagination. People lack the imagination to think: This could be me. I could have been born a different gender (aab), a different skin colour, a different sexuality, a different gender identity, with a severe illness that makes me unable to see/walk. Or you might suffer an accident and suddenly nothing is as it was. You know, it doesn't need much imagination to come up with a scenario where things might have been different for you and you might be part of the group that is discriminated against. I'm not saying that you can really imagine how it is to live in someone's else shoes because if you are a privileged person you usually have no idea about all the tiny things where your privilege helps you. It should not be such a stretch to imagine being someone else though and just wonder about what it would mean.
I think that ageism is the most stupid of isms. Because all the other things are imaginative. I can imagine being born somewhere, in another skin, another gender, but that is a "what if" scenario. But age catches up with all of us. There is absolutely no way around that. Adults are often told that they should remember how it was as children (and that is true enough), but young people should also remember that the moment when they turn 29, or 39, or 49, or 59, or 69 will inevitably come (and it's always better than the alternative - which is to die). It will come. And I can assure you that it will come faster than they think. What are they going to do when they turn that age that they somehow have defined as the age where you should a) not interact with fandom any longer b) have no sex c) should stop having fun??? Will they stop having fun at 29, 39, or whenever?
What will their thought process be once they will actually be in the shoes of the people they discriminate against now?
And people should really stop to apply the word 'pedophilia' to age gap. And it's not even as if they are in a relationship.
So, have no worry about ranting in my inbox. That's o.k.!
#anon ask#Shadow and Bone#Just stop harassing actors#fandoms can be so weird#all the *isms#ageism#racism in fandoms#yikes
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overall i really loved the show lmao obviously by my posts. here’s a bit more just to get my thoughts organized:
-loved loved loved when alina didn’t use david’s mirrors because if kaz had seen them he would have called it a trick. like i was annoyed until his conversation with inej and it makes sense they changed it
-every genya and david scene had me crying lol poor genya she’s so composed around literally everyone else but the moment this awkward little ducast shows up she can’t remember how to speak
-also she totally took alina by the library for a glance of him<3
-all i could think about when there were scenes in the darkling’s rooms/his little map room was how that’s going to be zoya’s rooms in kos/where all the planning conversations take place in kos/row and it made me a bit hysterical tbh
-the darklina was like. managable. like i didn’t like it, but i knew it would end at some point and just had to push through all those kisses lmao poor alina
-i am still offended for count kirigan’s sake that the darkling STOLE his name. like the man was effectively ridiculous in kos/row but. he didn’t deserve THAT.
-mal was perfect. no complaints from me, a noted mal stan since i read s&b in 2016<3
-every single man who the crows had to go meet/interact with that we didn’t know...i thought was going to be strumhond. like i knew leigh said no nikolai but it was like my heart wouldn’t accept it.
-i was SO angry after the third episode because of that little line about how nina had ‘no loyalty’ and i was just. SO MAD because her being a soldier was like the whole POINT of her character. but then she was just spying and i felt much better.
-i am still a little upset zoya was interacting with her/the one sent after her. but if the choice was between her going after nina and her getting to be on the fold/fixing her relationship with alina. i mean....one is more important than the other in the now, and not everyone is thinking about rule of wolves like me. so sorry zoya’s open door, you’ll have to wait</3
-freddy carter is hot. he was a good kaz. sadly he did not get to hit the darkling with his cane. But! he did escape the cut so points to kaz i love you buddy
-’we need a demo man’ JESPERRRRRR you wound me. yes, you DO need a demo man. just not yet<3
-i read some spoilers than said jesper was like ‘sterotypically written because he came onto everyone’ and he literally only flirted with that one stablehand. like....bi people are allow to flirt/sleep w one dude. like it’s fine. it’s not sterotypically anything except a bit sterotypically jesper to get distracted on a job lmao
-inej struggling with killing was SOO good. all her religious stuff was good. man she was wonderful thank you amita!!!! also i like she was worried about zoya. not enough people were worried about zoya!!!
-obvious racist zoya was bad. like, obviously. it’s awful she was racist to alina. she shouldn’t have done it. she’s canonically at this point at the story antagonistic to her. she has to make alina feel like she doesn’t belong so the darkling CAN. to build up that bond before baghara destroys it. And with the constant racism alina was getting from other directions it would have felt a bit...underwhelming if zoya had just told alina she smells. like. also zoya’s canonically suli so she was hitting alina where it hurts. obviously it’s a change from the books and i get why people don’t like it but don’t act like zoya’s not going to hit someone with every weapon she has when she feel threatened. especially a zoya at that point in her arc.
-interesting that mal DIDN’T sleep with her this time. i think that helps his character a lot, to be honest, but it’s not like he and alina were together at that point so it’s not really a hit against him in the books. it’s interesting because it (and what happened on the fold) means zoya’s arc with alina is going to change when (if, really) we get season 2. because she’s not going to be in a love triangle with a guy who isn’t interested, and alina literally has no reason to distrust her when she already knows she’s against the darkling. like....that’s her entire S&S arc gone (yes. i did re-read only her bits like two weeks ago lmao). so.....i’m thinking (god, please renew this show) that she’s going to get nikolai stuff instead, do the love triangle from that angle. like nikolai’s still going to be like ‘we should get married for political reasons’ to alina but his heart won’t be into it because he’s going to get a big fat crush on miss nazyalensky.
-obviously by my rants i don’t like the darkling. but i think he was well done. it’s good for the audience to see him as a dude who once did have noble intentions- he wanted to keep the grisha safe! but. obviously he wants to be ~the savior~ of the grisha now and thinks only he can do it. also i refuse to call him anything but the darkling, sorry show. props to mal for saying it to his face. also loved their fight on the fold, really going to echo in the finale battle on the fold if there’s a third season
-jessie was a great alina. i always really liked her but sometimes found her first person perspective exhausting. i loved when she was talking about what she wants :to go across the sea and travel, etc. the dacha in balacirev made me laugh thinking about kos. i personally love her ending in the book and i figure by the time her story’s done in the show she’ll be tired of traveling and that little farm mal wanted will feel much more ideal.
-loved all the political framing during the fete because zoya was literally in the middle of it. all the plotting by the west ravkans was reminding me of kos/row and putting her in the middle of it was great. also her continuingly being alone really stood out to me, especially when she walked through the crowd. similarly when the crows had each other and malina had each other in the finale. she’s missing her prince and man.....i hope we get to see them in season two (please netflix,.....i really want a season two!!!!!)
okay it’s one in the morning. maybe i’ll have more thoughts tomorrow<3
#mindless ramblings of katie#grishaverse#there is anti-darkling stuff in here beware#i think everyone else is in the clear mostly
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My opinion about the confirmed SoC partial cast reveal
(I would like to open with the fact that I have only read SoC, CK, KoS, and the first book of the original trilogy S&B. I am starting S&S tonight lol)
I am doing S&B in a separate post.
SPOILER WARNING FOR NEWCOMERS
Freddy Carter as Kaz Brekker. Had to google him lmao. I’m glad that they picked non-blockbuster actors for these roles. Like, they have some experience, but they’re still climbing the ladder, you know? I think he can pull off a convincing Kaz if they gIve him a Peaky Blinders’ haircut and a suit lol
Amita Suman as Inej Ghafa. This one surprised me because she was rumored to have the role for a while. I try not to look too much into rumors because most of the time... there’s no point lol But, I am surprised this rumor came through. My main hope for Inej was that they would cast someone with an athletic body. Now hear me out, I’m not saying Olympian status, I’m just saying when a character is strong, they need to look strong. Inej isn’t a body builder or anything, she’s learn (a lot of the Dregs seem to be), but you can be lean and have trained muscles. I know there is no instance when Inej has revealed flesh while working for The Dregs, so we would never actually get to see any toned definition in her calves or anything- but you can see in that pic that Amita has some abs lol, and I don’t know... I like when actors go in depth for their characters and commit to their characters to the point where they train their bodies.
Kit Young as Jesper Fahey. This decision is the only one out of both shows that I am hesitant about. I understand Jesper is of more than one ethnic group, so I can bring myself to accept the casting choice through time- however, I know that there is a big Hollywood problem with casting performers who have a darker complexion, even in cases where the characters are supposed to be dark, as Jesper was described, I believe. But who is to say this problem is actually what happened? That’s what makes this iffy. If Kit was the best actor out of everyone that auditioned who embodied Jesper’s spirit, then that’s that. I feel bad for Kit Young, because he must be happy to be a part of this, and I don’t know what he must be thinking about the reception. Physical character depiction is very important to a lot of people who are looking for certain representation, so it’s understandable when there is a reaction to this sensitive arena of choosing a performer who is different in the area that mattered the most.
I know Kit doesn’t fit my vision of Jesper, but I don’t know what to say further. I’m going to still, obviously, give these shows a chance. Final judgement for everyone in both S&B and SoC will be delivered when we see the show. Even after a trailer drops.
#six of crows#six of crows netflix#leigh Bardugo#Kaz Brekker#freddy carter#inej ghafa#amita suman#kit young#jesper fahey#kanej
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Tari’s Top Twenty OTPs - #5
OTP: Charlie/Amita
Fandom: Numb3rs
Charlie: A genius mathematician from a very young age, Charlie is often more comfortable relating to numbers and equations rather than people. He’s idealistic and cares intensely about his family and friends, but can also be a stubborn workaholic who shuts himself off to work obsessively on a problem, especially as an emotional coping mechanism to ignore some pain he’s going through. He’s enthusiastic and excitable, always ready to spew several dozen words of explanations about math theory... though not always to receptive audiences, lol.
Amita: Also a brilliant math genius, we start the series with Amita working under Charlie, who serves as her thesis adviser. Amita is much more extroverted than Charlie, warmer and more emotional, though she shares the same passion and enthusiasm for math. She often functions as a voice of sanity and stability for Charlie and after she graduates becomes one of his closest friends, collaborators, and partners.
Together: Charlie and Amita quite clearly had feelings for each other from the beginning, which pretty much everyone could see, but because of the mentor/student relationship they had at the time they didn’t pursue it. After Amita’s graduation and a good half-chunk of the show with her working alongside Charlie as his friend and companion, however, the two awkwardly worked their way into what eventually became a very stable and happy relationship. Amita is a warm, caring presence in Charlie’s life, often comforting and encouraging him, and Charlie often gave her very helpful advice when she came to him for personal problems. They would frequently work together on Charlie’s brother’s FBI consulting work, putting both their brilliant minds to the task and enjoying every minute of it. Their interactions tend to be playful and lighthearted; they clearly enjoy each other’s company.
How I Got Into The Fandom: Gosh, I don't even remember at this point. I think Numb3rs was just one of the regular shows my family kept up with and I just fell into it.
When I Started Shipping Them: I think I sort of shipped it in the, “Yeah okay they’re totally gonna be a thing.” regard in Season One, but Season Two was when they really started ramping up the Ship Tease and emphasizing how well the two related to each other. And so like a sucker I fell.
Why I Love Them: Aside from having many of the relationship dynamics that appeal to me (Brooding Boy Gentle Girl, Geek Boy Stoic Girl, Playful Banter, etc.) Charlie and Amita do something rather unique: They actually resolve the UST and get together in the middle of the series. This almost never happens for me. Usually I have to go through endless UST and dancing around each other and it is so frustrating because I just want to see to the part where the two can actually be a couple and kiss and cuddle and be adorable together and most shows never reach that place. Charlie and Amita do, and it is wonderful and they are as precious and fun to watch as ever post-hookup.
Three Favorite Moments:
1. "It all turns on a dime...”
Season Five’s finale ends in the most wonderful way possible. Having rescued Amita from being kidnapped by a creepy cultist (who wanted her for her math skills, naturally), Charlie and Amita are walking the CalSci campus, cherishing and treasuring each other’s presence with the full knowledge that they almost lost each other playing at the forefront of their minds. Charlie starts waxing poetical, calling back to the conversation they were having before Amita got unceremoniously grabbed, tying in together some of the underlying themes that had been a constant throughout the season.
And then he kneels down, taking her hand and producing a little velvet box. He looks up at her adoringly and says those classic words, “Will you marry me?”
The episode closes out with the smile that’s tugging at Amita’s face, with a tableau of the two against the archway of the campus as the pop love song filters in and we fade to black.
2. Magic.
Charlie is very much a rationalist, dismissing the supernatural and extrasensory and other things he can’t explain through science and numbers. This extends even to stage magic, which Charlie views with a bit of a sense of cynical skepticism. Nevertheless, after he and Amita have helped solve the case of the week--involving the world of stage magicians, naturally--Amita drags him out to his own private little magic show, with her as the centerpiece. She’s borrowed an air fan, a suspension system, and dozens of rose petals, and tells him she’s going to show him what she finds so special about magic.
And so she turns on the fan and rises up into the air, with flower petals blowing softly all around her, delight shining from her face. And Charlie can’t help but find it in his heart to get wrapped up in her passion, and enjoy how she loves it, even if he can’t understand the appeal himself.
3. Surprise kiss.
Amita comes to Charlie’s office with a personal dilemma, having trouble figuring out how to help a kid in crises she knows. Charlie looks uncomfortably towards his chalkboard, not quite sure how to help her, and just kind of casually throws out the suggestion for Amita to ask her grandmother. Amita lights up, this apparently being just the right thing to say, just the right advice for him to give, and as he’s turning back around she surprises him with a quick, grateful peck right on the lips.
Charlie goes quite braindead, and can only stare after her as she thanks him and rushes from the room. :)
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rEEE writers inbound
hey there! i’m rhys. i am 22, live in the ct, and love ooc chatter! my ooc is pretty lax, but i promise my writing is a helluva lot more formal. i write in third person, past/present tense, and paragraph form. im not a rapid-fire writer, and won’t be able to constantly get replies in every day (i can get responses in anywhere between every couple of days to a week or two). however, i will ALWAYS put tlc into all of my posts and characters! i write anywhere between 300-900 words. it’s definitely alright if you don’t feel up to that amount at any given point, but i do appreciate keeping it somewhere in this range. im very wordy, and can spew out a novel if im excited enough lmao
my limits are pretty general; i will not do beastiality, pedophilia, vore, or scat. i can indulge in a variety of kinks, but if it’s a little much for any average person, i’m less likely to write it out (i.e extreme ddlg or adult babies, furries, extreme pet play, etc.) but i can be persuaded to lightly touch on certain kinks as long as they’re not 10000% filth lmao i cannot, and will not, do seme/uke or top/bottom dynamics. absolutely not. queer relationships shouldn’t be defined by whose taking the D. i dont want to interact with squeamish little femboys, or awful macho men with downright rapey tendencies. versatility is key, and power struggles are what i live for! i will, however, indulge in BDSM dynamics with certain plots— although, domination isn’t always about penetration, you know?
give me characters with aspirations, hopes and dreams, and crushing past experiences that flesh them out into who they are. no one is perfect, and we all have things that rear their ugly heads in the dark. problematic characters, male or female or anything in between, are everything. i love lgbtq+ characters, as i am part of the community myself, and will almost always be more inclined in writing queer characters. not to say i won’t write for strictly straight pairings, m/f, but usually i am iffy when approached with it if i am just meeting you.
i write for all genders, ethnicity, and orientations! you can find a few writings examples of mine here. i am pretty welcoming of most things. smut, of course. some kink a little out there that you want to suggest? let's do it, dude. i am super OOC friendly and i am pretty much a garbled mess when i get to know you! i’m a social person— i feel like a burden if you’re not into chatting with me, so please, if you’re not looking to be both a writing partner as well as a friend, i might not be the gal for you. i am open to crooked relationships, ones that don't function right, dark/morally corrupt characters, unconditional love, etc. my interests fluctuate! i am down, 24/7, guys! i only roleplay over email, but will ooc chat over discord or hangouts! here's a list of fandoms and pairings below that i am looking to write for atm. i do have many more, but these are just the ones off the top of my head!
_________
Borderlands
Handsome Jack/Rhys
Handsome Jack/Rhys/Nisha
Life is Strange
Max Caulfield/Chloe Price
Max Caulfield/Kate Marsh/Victoria Chase
Nathan Prescott/Warren Graham
Rachel Amber/Chloe Price
Frank Bowers/Damon Merrick
DC
Dick Grayson/Jason Todd
Dick Grayson/Slade Wilson
Dick Grayson/Wally West
Harley Quinn/Pamela Isley
Batman: Telltale Series
Bruce Wayne/John Doe
Bruce Wayne/Selina Kyle
Bruce Wayne/Harvey Dent/Selina Kyle
Marvel
Stephen Strange/Tony Stark
Bucky Barnes/Sam Wilson
Thor/Bruce Banner
Peter Parker/Harry Osborn
Peter Parker/Wade Wilson
Wade Wilson/Vanessa Carlysle
Gwen Stacy/Peter Parker/Harry Osborn
Peter Parker/Wade Wilson/Vanessa Carlysle
Uncharted
Nathan Drake/Samuel Drake
Nathan Drake/Harry Flynn
Chloe Frazer/Nadine Ross
TTGOT
Asher Forrester/Gwyn Whitehill
Rodrik Forrester/Arthur Glenmore
Mira Forrester/Margaery Tyrell
Gryff Whitehill/Elaena Glenmore
Gared Tuttle/Finn
Gared Tuttle/Josera Snow
The Walking Dead
Rick Grimes/Negan
TWDG
Javier Garcia/David Garcia
Clementine/Gabriel Garcia
Clementine/Louis
Clementine/Violet
Marlon/Louis
Javier Garcia/Paul “Jesus” Rovia
Far Cry (3-5)
Jason Brody/Vaas Montenegro
Jason Brody/Bambi “Buck” Hughes
Ajay Ghale/Pagan Min
Ajay Ghale/Sabal
Ajay Ghale/Sabal/Amita
Rook/Joseph Seed
Rook/John Seed
Rook/Faith Seed
Punisher
Frank Castle/David Lieberman
Frank Castle/Billy Russo
Mass Effect: Andromeda
Scott Ryder/Reyes Vidal
Scott Ryder/Gil Brodie
Scott Ryder/Peebee
Sara Ryder/Peebee
Sara Ryder/Vetra Nyx
Kill Your Darlings
Lucien Carr/Allen Ginsberg
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Onto original plots!
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Office romances/BDSM/Friends with benefits-turned-lovers
okay, so, i had this type of roleplay with someone a while back. maybe more than two or three years back that i fell out of contact with and i could never really get it out of my head because it was probably one of the best character-building stories i’ve ever taken part of. :’) i don’t remember their name, but i do hope they’ll contact me again if they ever see this. while some of this may seem specific, none of it is concrete and i promise i am very easy to get along with and very accomodating! the plot i remember had three different relationships— completely different people, with different lives and different worlds, with only one common thing between them being that they work in the same building. we can do all three, or we can do a few, or even one! i dont mind.
**pairing A; M/F preferred (lol i know broke my own rule, but i adore femdoms! extra: please come with an open mind. this is not a 50 shades AU, and i do not want it to be.) this one is between a CEO and an intern in their senior year of college. The CEO is a femdom, and freshly out of divorce, takes a liking to the clumsy intern who’d spilled coffee on her more than once. The intern has never been in a relationship with an older woman, let alone one running a multi-million dollar company, but hey, isn’t that the dream for some broke twenty-something down on his luck? She introduces him to BDSM, and while he’s hesitant, the idea is as exciting as it is frightening. He accepts her offer— while it’s difficult at times, he begins to learn more about her. Her ex-spouse, her young child, and her unwillingness to develop a sincere relationship with him. She’s had subs before, and while she tells him he isn’t disposable, he begins to feel it was the truth. He grows to have feelings for her, and while she isn’t too keen on admitting it, the feeling is mutual. I’d love to explore their dynamic in and out of sex, and the conflict between the intern and her ex-spouse. I love age gaps, and think it would be awesome to see them develop over time to find common ground to establish a personal relationship and trying to even out their power imbalances. I don’t mind playing either the CEO or the intern, but I am leaning more towards the CEO. :V**
**pairing B; M/M preferred (this one is waaay more gritty and more dub-con than anything so please beware!) this one is between two higher-ups who have been butting heads for years— and occasionally, sexual tension neither have acted on. A is a snarky, openly gay man, and probably what some would consider shallow and noncommittal. B is a brooding, closeted ‘by the book’ type well into his thirties, and refuses to engage in anything sexual with men despite his obvious attraction; B has younger siblings he takes care of as well as his mother, and being the oldest son and only provider, hasn’t done a thing for himself in twenty years. A lives completely alone, complete with a bachelor pad and, the influx of flings that went nowhere past sex, and has risen to the top with his own sheer will. they have conflicting motives, and while both of them have an intense hatred for each other, they’ve never engaged in physical altercations in fear of losing their jobs. one day, A jabs a little below the belt, and finally, B starts swinging. this fight turns into something way more heavy in the company parking lot. what happens between them in the long run is something desperate, needy, and longing for real affection. it began as a mindless need for sex, angry and mean and formal, with B being especially unwilling to ‘give up’ his masculinity and ever be on the receiving end in fear of losing the control he needs to keep this up. i’d love to see them begin to see each other in a different light, and changing each other for the better. i’d also love to see A showing B that sex doesn’t have to be meaningless, and that he doesn’t need to fear letting A be in control. And B showing A that commitment isn’t as terrifying as it may be, with them gradually going from rivals, to friends with benefits, and eventually lovers. i, again, don’t mind writing for either! **
**pairing C; F/F preferred. (aaa this pairing is way more fluffy and sweet, with hurt/comfort as a stable of their dynamic.) this one is between two small-office employees in the company. A is fairly tame at work in order to support her sibling(s), of which she has adopted from her father’s custody years ago. she is fairly confident with her sexuality, and while not being the type to frequent clubs, is dragged along by a few friends and there, meets B. B is a young woman who just recently got out of a relationship with an abusive ex fiance— B has only ever been with that man, and was never confident in exploring her sexuality due to a religious upbringing and parents who were dead set on traditional values. she’s never strayed from her ex, and while he wasn’t faithful or remotely good to her in return, she was heartbroken with their split. months after, he returns to the city and B’s close friends decide to take her out on a girls’ night to make her feel better— B coincidently sees her ex, and feeling childish and unattractive, heads off to the bar to get a drink. she’s nowhere near a drinker, and just before she does drown her sorrows, is hit on by A. while initially shocked, B is flustered and finds herself immediately attracted to A. they have a one-night stand, and while B believes that A would just leave in the morning, A instead lays with her until she wakes up, and leaves her number. B is too anxious to text her. they bump into each other at the elevator that Monday. they agree to be just friends, until B knows what she wants. A is willing to wait. B might have a crush, and A is intent on building B up to love herself and her body. i would overall prefer to write for A, but if you’re dead set, no prob!**
Serial killer/1960’s/Small town sheriff
no preferred pairing! would love, love, love to see something between a serial killer and a small town sheriff in the mid-to-late sixties. we could make up a new little town, or find one to our liking! A is the sheriff who had been born and raised in this town with a good home life, loving parents, and a steady moral compass, albeit trapped in a loveless marriage. they know everyone, and every nook and cranny of the place like the back of their hand. this is the type of place where people don’t have to lock their doors at night, or constantly watch their kids when they’re out in the yard playing. that is, until people start going missing and horrifyingly mutilated bodies began to pop up around town. B is a well-liked baker in town; known to be genuinely friendly and kind, B has a very corrupt past. both of their parents were heinously abusive, and as a child, B developed sociopathic tendencies. B was inherently spiteful of the town and the people in it, for leaving them to rot in hell for eighteen years, and for never reaching out. B formed a god complex, his intentions to ‘purify the corrupt’. they keep tabs on almost everyone in town, and the victims they do take are put in the soundproof basement of his home to be ‘baptized’; tortured, beaten, and mutilated beyond recognition. A and B are friendly with each other as A comes to the bakery every morning, with B’s motives completely unbeknownst. one night, A, frustrated and pissed from the dead ends of the case of the decade, decides to head to the bar and relax. B is the one face A didn’t mind seeing that night, and one thing lead to another, with A and B in a dark alley getting each other off— i definitely see this as B grooming A to be a complicit pet, and when A gets closer and closer to figuring out who the killer is, he forms a deep connection with B. B develops a possessiveness over A, along with that sense of ownership he’d established between them. B manipulates A, coerces him into a false sense of security, and eventually— A finds out, and while B initially thinks to kill A, A is corrupted by B and forms some kind of stockholm syndrome for B. it’s up to A on whether or not they turn B in, or cover the killer’s tracks. B, despite his very sick and repulsive nature, develops a true infatuation for A, as close to love as they were ever going to get, and A is desperate enough to please B that they’ll do anything to not disappoint them.
Post apocalypse/decades later/immunity
no pairing preferred! the plot I had in mind is loosely based off of a video game called "The Last of Us", which i am sure most of you have a general knowledge of! (definitely check it out if you don’t :O it’s a great game!!) the prompt i was shooting for goes something like this; in a post-apocalyptic world where a pandemic has killed off most living species, character A is a lone wolf with little to do with other people that don't benefit him, except for a select few. A is especially rough around the edges, as he's lived through some sick shit and lived to tell the tale. A had once been part of a group dedicated to finding a cure, but things went south, and a lot of people died. A had a close bond with the leader of said group, and coincidentally they were the only survivors. their past together, having been deeply demented and twisted, caused them to fall out. said leader has rebuilt a new group in the ten years since the last time they'd seen A. character B is the only known immune person alive, and has dedicated their life to being a resource to finding a cure. A and his (current) contact/partner in crime have something taken from them, and are determined to get it back. they do some searching, and are confronted with this group-- they have what they need, but are only willing to give it to them for a favor in return. no one can outrun their past forever. so, this plot isn't concrete. things can be changed, we can do whatever we want, and i am happy to comply to any revisions or suggestions! i'd really enjoy taking on A, if that's alright!
TREASURE HUNTERS/ANCIENT CURSES/LOVE-HATE DYNAMICS/MODERN
treasure hunters!!!! yES!! think Uncharted or Tomb Raider. an architect/treasure hunter is being funded an expedition to find a lost treasure and they are forced to bring along a reporter in order to receive the funds. the reporter and architect certainly dont get along in the beginning— they bicker, and clash on most fronts. the expedition wasnt meant to be dangerous. what was initially thought to be a simple job turned into something treacherous; bandits, a team of hired hitmen and their leader looking to take the treasure for themselves, and some rather supernatural elements that they both couldnt quite put a finger on. the treasure hunter and the reporter have to work together to get out of this alive, and get to the artifact before someone else does. (the “treasure” is definitely up for debate!! we can chose a real life lost treasure, or just make one up!! it can be anywhere around the world, and everything is at our disposal).
DEMON/INHERITANCE/HUNTERS/MODERN
character A has an awful time living in the city— alone, and without mom's guidance, completely lost. one day they receive a call about a deceased relative, one they'd never heard of, one that apparently left their estate and everything in it in their will to A. with nothing but the clothes on their back, A took a shot in the dark and drove out to this presumed "estate" come early summer, only to find that it's a mansion in a tiny little town with an eerie vibe and populated by the typical small town churchgoers and farm folk. living in this town was a hell of a challenge; everyone was nice, too nice, and people started to go missing. character B is an exceptionally charismatic, charming person and the only mechanic/handyman in town. A and B become friends, partially, when A needs to fix up the piping in their estate. A stumbles upon the attic one day, and for once, they start to get why this whole town reeked to the roots in weird shit-- their deceased relative was tracking something here in this town, having to do with all of the MIA townsfolk. DR has a board of possible suspects, and at the center? B. A shrugs it off as their relative having been paranoid, but the longer A stays in this town, the more apparent it becomes that DR wasnt crazy. B is, in fact, not the murderer, instead a supernatural being (open for debate! im on the fence with demons, vampires, etc.) on a mission to track down the monster, same as DR. i am so down for internal struggles, sweet gestures, and overall, two people just trying to make it work! i could also see A being hella paranoid that B is the monster, and maybe tries to throw cloves of garlic at them only to realize thats not exactly how this monster hunter business works lmao
DEPRESSED WRITER/YOUNG MUSE/between 1920’s-1960’s/sex, drugs, & the american dream
m/m preferred! A is a severely depressed middle-aged man believing his life has been wasted. his wife left him with their child at her hip, his career was in a rut, and he had nothing left to live for. opting for suicide, he goes out one evening to purchase a bottle of gin to down with a handful of prescription sleeping pills when he returned to his apartment. instead of going directly home, he’s swept in by the music in an underground club for queers. there he meets B; all encompassing, angel faced, and the only person A didn’t know how to look away from. B is a former US Navy Seal, aspiring musician, and avid indulger of the human body— A stays a little too long, owlish and red, and after the show, B approaches him with a cattish smile. they spark a friendship, and A is thrown down the rabbit hole when B introduces him to his social circle, filled to the brim with drag queens, junkies, queers, and the overall unusual— he integrates into this community, his contemplation of suicide only a distant memory, and begins to find himself extremely attracted to B. he lights a fire in A, something dangerous and unquenchable, and A finds himself drawn in by the unpredictability. A embarks with B on a journey of self exploration, passion, and inevitable love in a world that scorned the oddities of human attraction and anyone who dared to be free.
thanks for your time! if you've read through, please contact me at [email protected] on email or rhys#3615 on discord and mention kiwi somewhere in your initial message. n_n
Rhys xoxo
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can i just say that i always got the feeling that if ben would go for a co-star on shadow and bone it would be amita, bc i noticed in interviews that hes always smiling or laughing at her or with her and he also always comments under her pictures and likes her pictures.. which cant really be said about jessie
Jessie has 29 posts total and Benny liked 25/24 of those... never checked comments cuz I don't care lol
I was thinking the other lady, the one who deactivated her account on ig recently and who is slightly older (closer to Benny's age it is lol)? can't remember her name but she was one of the gregverse airbenders I think xd
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okay, now that i have finished season 1, my lengthy thoughts:
(i feel bad for my fiance who has not read the books but had to listen to my scene by scene comparison to them, lol)
I want to start by pointing out that as a stand-alone television show, Shadow and Bone is quite good. The production value is impressive compared to most Netflix shows, with great cinematography, scene direction, and decent effects. It felt comparable to the big screen. Some of the actors were perfectly cast and the acting overall was positive. The plot was engaging. The set designs were adequate considering the limited budget.
But ultimately, this show is a book adaptation. So of course there will be comparison to the original novel. That's where I begin to have issues that casual viewers or those who have not read the books would not have. And disclaimer -- I am NOT involved in the online fandom at all, so I have no idea whether these opinions are popular or not.
ONE: THE CASTING
The casting was really hit-or-miss for me. I'll divide it into three categories: actors who were good but just did not seem to fit the character; actors whose actual skill felt lacking for the role; and those who were both skilled and fit.
My favorite was Jesper. Kit Young did a fantastic job emulating Jesper's iconic cocky, somewhat neurotic, happy-go-lucky personality and ADHD mannerisms. Nailed the character. Ben Barnes also did a great job as the Darkling, as did Daisy Head with Genya. Calahan Skogman as Matthias was also an excellent choice, A+ exactly as I imagined Matthias. Danielle Galligan as Nina worked, too (although personally I imagined her a little curvier).
Everyone else was. Well. I had mixed feelings.
Zoya and Inej's actresses just did not feel like Inej and Zoya to me-- a fault of the script and direction, not a judgement of skill. Zoya is supposed to be this outrageously beautiful, young, hot-headed squaller; her actress (Sujaya Dagupta) looked 30 and not particularly striking. Inej is Suli (we also find out later that Zoya is at least partially Suli, too), which based on the nomadic or itinerant culture, history of mistreatment, and Orthodoxy mostly strongly hints an imitation of Romani and Turkish peoples. So I was very surprised that they cast an ethically Indian actress (Amita Suman) for the role. It's a fantasy world of made-up countries and races so I suppose it doesn't matter that much, but it was odd.
Mal's actor (Archie Renaux) was perfectly adequate, but.... well, potentially very controversial opinions ... I did not find him obectively attractive, like Zoya's actress, despite his handsomeness being a key quality. It's the reason why girls hated Alina. It's why Mal had an easier time post-Keramzin socially. It's why Zoya took an interest in him. He was a bit of a flirt. And Alina by contrast was this scrawny, malnourished, plain girl. It made for a more compelling relationship, imo.
Speaking of Alina -- I'm sorry, but I was not a fan of the actress' skill. Maybe she (Jesse Mei Li) just had bad scene direction, idk, but her consistently bad acting/character interpretation kept distracting me from the story. Her line deliveries fell flat for me. They felt slightly monotone or apathetic. She wasn't very expressive in general and it made me feel :/, especially when she's in scenes with Ben Barnes or Archie Renaux who excel at microexpressions. Very confused why she was picked as the lead actress.
Kaz was miscast. There, I said it. Freddy Carter is a fine actor. He just doesn't give Bastard of the Barrel vibes for me. Kaz is supposed to be a former farm boy turned criminal. He's worn from over a decade living on the streets and in gangs. He has a "rock salt rasp" from a past trauma and pronounced limp, the latter of which is barely shown and the former is absent completely in the show. They don't even hint at his unnatural aversion to skin-on-skin touch (also from his trauma). Freddy is just too aristocratic looking. He has a very dramatic face and is finely-boned, delicate, boyish, fresh-faced. In contrast to Jesse, Freddy is too expressive for the stoic and apathetic Kaz (whose key trait is his inability to express emotion due to PTSD). There's not a lick of savagery or roughness in the actor's physical figure. This was a major miss for me.
TWO: CULTURE
I'm. Very disappointed with how little the show explored the fantastic cultural backdrop of the story. They explain enough to inform new fans of what's going on so they understand the context, but it remains superficial. They mentioned that Fjerdans hunt Grisha as witches (druska/druskelle) without any exploration of what that means for characters like Matthias (Djel, isenulf, Hringkälla??). It glosses over the intricacies of life at the Little Palace, how the Fabrikators work, the lavishness between training and Small Army assignments, the delicate balance with the Grand Palace. Or how every Ravkan adult is drafted into the army at a young age. How Ravkan technology is severely behind the rest of the world due to the Shadow Fold. The intensity of Ketterdam gang life. This lack of exploration is probably linked to the pacing issue (discussed later).
Most especially, they do not expand on Grisha culture. How children regularly are examined once a year at age 7 to determine if they are Grisha, and if so are taken to the Little Palace regardless of the family's wants and compensated handsomely by the crown. The distinction between the different orders (Materialki, Etheralki, Corporalki) and their respective classes, and what it actually means to live as a Grisha in the Second Army. The political tensions between the First Army and Second Army, or strained diplomacy in general, aren't touched on.
One other thing: I think the physical locations they chose for the Little Palace and Grand palace were kinda lacking, not nearly as grand and lavish as described in the books, but I can forgive that due to budget.
THREE: PORTRAYALS
My biggest complaint here is -- dare I say it? -- the Darkling. (An opinion that will probably have me shot on sight by the fandom).
Ben Barnes is a phenomenal actor, but the production's characterization of the Darkling was far too sympathetic, in what I suspect was major fan service to the overwhelming popularity of the Darklina ship. They emphasized his loneliness and "all I want to do is help Grisha" too much, and not enough focus on his cruel, power-hungry, possessive, and manipulative character.
A few scenes in particular stood out to me. The show portrays their initial snog as sorta sweet and romantic, passionate, emotionally motivated. In the book, when the Darkling kisses Alina for the first time, his actions and motivations are described as wild, rough, possessive, desperate without passion, and he even says that it's just about getting over her as a physical distraction, demanding to come to her room later. It's the furthest thing from sweet and romantic. Novel Baghra goes into detail about the Darkling's past and willingly admits that she continually pushed him toward power and to fear weakness -- Netflix Baghra does not mention this.
The show additionally added in a sympathetic backstory to explain his creation of the Shadow Fold -- that his pregnant wife (girlfriend?) was murdered in coldblood by otkazat'sya soldiers for no reason!! he just wanted revenge and justice!! The Darkling has no such excuse in the book, lmao, he was just power hungry and wanted to terrify his enemies and Ravka by tapping into a power he couldn't ultimately control.
So I am overall displeased with how they've made the Darkling into this sorta misguided anti-hero rather than a true antagonist.
Most of my other complaints are minor:
Why didn't they portray Alina's scraggly appearance? A key part of Grisha power is that forceful repression wears out the body. Book Alina is initially described as scrawny, malnourished-looking, always tired and weak, all of which is reversed for the first time in her life when she begins using her summoning power. This wouldn't be that hard to explain or to depict with makeup. Actually, there's a scene later in the season where Mal says Alina "looks health(ier)", which is laughable because she looks exactly the same the whole show.
David!! is supposed to be!! too engrossed with his work!! to notice Genya!! Like that's the WHOLE reason she likes him! He's this plain-looking, unkempt Fabrikator who doesn't give the most beautiful Grisha woman the time of day or notice her beauty because he's ~busy~. He doesn't start to notice Genya until like the third book. Yet in the show, they had this shy back-and-forth look exchanging between the two to indicate mutual attraction.
Speaking of Genya -- we didn't see her nearly enough. And they barely explained what a Tailor is or what they do. (A rare combination of Materialki and Corpornalki powers that can bleed physical properties from objects/materials to human figures in order to change their looks).
Baghra was softened. She is much more brutal and bitter in the books. Constantly calls Alina stupid and berates her insistently. And Zoe Wanamaker is not nearly ancient enough for the role.
Zoya!! They made her kinda cringy! She's supposed to be this gorgeous, hot-headed, effortlessly smooth but sorta bratty squaller. The scene where she tells Mal "I usually like a nice tumble before a fight" or whatever made me laugh out loud from the embarrassment. It was so out-of-character. Stop that.
FOUR: PACING AND PLOT
Besides the Darkling, my biggest issue with the show was the creative liberties they took. Combining the Grisha Trilogy and Six of Crows duology into one mashed-up timeline was a big mistake, imo.
The huge cast of characters made individual investment and proper development nearly impossible. As my fiance mentioned to me, it frequently felt like we were missing an episode or a few scenes because relationships often felt established "off-screen". We have like, three scenes of Genya and Alina interacting, but then they pass off Genya's siding with the Darkling as a major friendship betrayal. Nina and Matthias go from "I actually don't hate you" to suddenly deciding to run away together??
Individual characterizations also suffer. Genya's unwilling position as the King's mistress is barely hinted at and the Queen's abuse unmentioned. Kaz, Jesper, and Inej show up and look cool and do cool stuff but you don't really find out much about them besides vague suggestions that Kaz wants revenge, Jesper is gay and gambles, and Inej is religious. (Is Inej ever called "the Wraith"? Or Kaz's nickname of "dirtyhands" mentioned? Jesper's failed stint at University? What about the story of how the three met and came to work together?). Much like Genya, Inej's trauma from prostitution is barely explored beyond immediate plot convenience despite its essential framing of her character.
Some characters just get glossed over. King Alexander III and Queen Tatiana are barely there. Vasily is shown (?) but never speaks. Nobody even mentions Nikolai as the Sobachka prince.
And weirdly, instead of giving the main cast and supporting characters more screen development, the show decides to focus on very minor characters like Fyodor.
All of these problems can be traced back to one thing: pacing and time restrictions. Had the show only focused on either the Grisha series or the SoC duology, there would be ample time to flesh out the main cast. But cramming the two together necessitated very little time for character development or relationships. I'm not saying the end product is bad or that the pacing isn't sufficiently enjoyable, but compared to the books, a lot was lost in translation.
The overall choice regarding which scenes to focus on was odd, too. The entire last episode was only like a 15 page scene in the book. But then they spent almost no time on Alina's gradual immersion into Little Palace life, or her navigating the politics of becoming a public figure. They invented scenes of her and the Darkling yet breezed over the history of amplifiers and Morozova's three legendary beasts. The whole first episode embellishes how Mal and Alina end up going into the Unsea when in reality, the military made the dangerous crossing all the time, and they just happened to be assigned that time. Or the whole story the show concocted about West Ravka seeking independence (not a bad plot idea, just totally unnecessary in an already bloated storyload).
Then there were the details they changed for seemingly no reason. For instance, novel Alina is born at Dva Stolba on the Shu Han border (a plot significant location in later books), which would actually seamlessly explain why show Alina is half-Shu. But they changed it so her parents were destroyed by the Shadow Fold? This change doesn't affect the plot, so I can't see why they bothered. Or in the scene where Zoya and Alina are sparring -- Botkin (the instructor) is not mad at Zoya because she "dared attack the Sun Summoner", but because she disregarded Botkin's essential rule that no Grisha powers were allowed in his sessions. And in the show, the court is suspicious of Alina because she's Shu. But in the books, non-Ravkan Grisha (Shu, Fjerdan, Suli, etc) were quite common in the Second Army, as Ravka was known as the one place Grisha weren't persecuted. So a half-Shu Sun Summoner wouldn't have been that big of a deal. These are subtle changes that don't really affect the show, but they are nonetheless unnecessary and/or slightly change the tone of a given scene.
CONCLUSION:
Imo, Shadow and Bone is decent TV, but not as faithful of an adaption as I wanted. People are still free to enjoy it. And my opinion is probably an unpopular one. But between the casting choices, plot changes, and timeline destruction, I'm sort of disappointed. The first book alone had plenty of interesting material for an 8-episode Netflix show, so IDK why they felt the need to shoehorn the Six of Crows cast into the mix (actually, yes I do: fanservice).
I'll probably watch season 2. But I admit, I'm kinda frustrated how well the show is being received on a purely personal level. The books are vastly better -- and I'm sure the show will introduce people to the books, and it remained mostly faithful to the overall story, but many will open the cover expecting a subtly different tale than the one they will get.
All I can say is that they better not butcher Nikolai Lantsov or I will riot.
hmm. as an original fan of the Grisha book trilogy i have some. thoughts. about the adaptation into Shadow and Bone but i will wait until we finish the whole season before articulating them.
#shadow and bone#the grisha trilogy#mea#just my own personal review#the books are soooooo much richer in both character and cultural immersion
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