#in favor of something that maybe was more palatable to more people but was doomed by being hollow and boring

[daydreamerdrew]

I know it’s been a bit since this all happened but seeing people say, after having watched the second Shazam movie, that they wanted a Mary spin-off, and then finally actually watching the movie myself was so strange for me.

because I would have assumed that, as someone that’s already really invested in Mary but was also not expecting much of anything too substantial from these movies and was excited to see her depiction anyway, I would be the easiest person possible to please with her portrayal as long as she wasn’t characterized in a way that actively contradicted how I view her, which would then really bother me. but then I really didn’t care about her at all in the movie. it wasn’t that her usage in the story bothered me so much as that it didn’t really prompt a response from me in the first place.

because her problems exist in the beginning of the movie and then nothing specific happens with her regarding them for the rest of it, they only serve to prompt a specific reaction from Billy as a part of his arc, and for me that’s a situation that inherently cannot make her compelling as a character.

I know that part of this is that people went into the movie with specific expectations about how her character would be used from how she was used in the first movie, as well as that the existence of The New Champion of Shazam! (2022) has provided essentially evidence not much of that a spin-off where she goes to college is going to happen but of that it would be a good idea for it to happen, because that something happened in a comic book is often used to mean ergo it should be used in the live-action adaptation because it would be satisfying to see it made into live-action, regardless of how what’s already been done in live-action has or hasn’t set it up for that to be a satisfying direction for that story as a stand-alone work without the context of the comics.

and I do personally really want to see Mary’s life when she’s away at college actually fully realized in a story, but that’s because New Champion convinced me of the potential in that concept and then didn’t fully deliver on it, not the movies, and I don’t necessarily want to see that happen in the live-action format. I’d actually rather see it in the comic book format. which is all to say that I’m not bothered at all that it’s looking like we’re not going to be getting any more of these movies.

[awolfinyourbed]

For both Suptober (#8 ‘heartless’) and Whumptober (#8 ‘abandoned’)! Both? Both is good... Fable of the Monkey’s Paw (under cut, and on AO3) Dean and Cas need time alone. They get it.

The windows of the Impala were hazy with steam; the October air clung chilly and damp to the outside, but inside, two bodies were doing their level best to create heat. Most of it was emanating from Dean, honestly—as angels didn't generate a lot of bodily functions unless done with willfully deliberation—and Cas was too busy giving Dean a hummer in the backseat to bother with such trivialities.

Dean howled, rough and giddy, as he came down the back of Cas' throat. And though Cas struggled a bit with the physicality of arousal (almost certainly a side-effect of his vessel having been rebuilt a thousand times), the intricate feelings of that sound did things to him he'd have never expected. Couldn't explain. Wouldn't deny or disown on his worst days.

He swallowed Dean down around a grin and smugness that curled Cas' toes. Which, if Cas took a moment to ponder, was the strangest expression of his love for Dean that his body autonomically did. Some days, his toes practically cramped with curling, but he wouldn't trade it for the world.

In the sweaty afterglow, Cas snugged himself tightly up under Dean's arm, just barely hanging on the edge of the bench seat. They'd rolled down a window, and Dean's skin bristled with gooseflesh under Cas' fingertips. The night sky was freckled with stars overhead. Some sort of nightbird trilled in the distance.

It was, no irony intended, divine.

“Think Doordash delivers out this far?” Dean's voice rumbled against Cas' cheek.

“I really don't,” Cas said on a chuckle.

“Well, shit. The HoHos in the glovebox are getting a little long in the tooth for my refined palate.”

“Sam probably stashed some granola bars in the trunk?” Cas drummed his fingers on Dean's chest, pondering. “Maybe we should order Doordash for Sam... ”

“Eh, Sam's a big boy. He told us to “Get a room, you two”, remember? Tired of being the ol' third wheel? Besides, he's got his dog and all that on-line collegeboy stuff to keep him busy. Excuse me, collegeMAN.”

“Too busy to eat, is my theory.”

“Yeah, well, maybe. Hey, we could send him fries and a Baconator—”

“Dean. He doesn't eat bacon.”

Dean snickered. He knew.

They'd been gone five days. The news had been nothing but doom and gloom and the president of the United States acting more the fool than usual, so this was a very welcomed respite. Even hunts had ebbed, what with the coronavirus keeping so many people indoors. They muted the phones and hit the road. Sam didn't need them making out on the war table when he was suffering through his virtual poly-sci class.

Eventually, sleep overcame Dean's hunger and his eyes drifted closed, lashes dark against the fairness of his face. Cas watched him for what must've been an hour. He could will his vessel to sleep if need be, but the night was peaceful and in this slender moment, Cas' world was untouchable. This is what he'd always wanted, but couldn't put a name to it until Dean finally … finally … acted on the energy that'd been percolating between them for years. After that, it was full steam ahead, as the saying went. Oh-so-much steam.

Cas stared out the window until the stars faded and dawn bleached the sky, and the rhythm of Dean's soft snoring coaxed Cas into daydreams of gentle retirement and maybe, just maybe, Cas could convince God to make him human. His hair could get gray and he could grow old with Dean.

Hey, an angel could dream.

He must've drifted into earnest sleep because he found his eyes snapping open at the escalation in Dean's voice, distant enough to be outside the car. From the color of the light, it was still early.

“Kansas City General, got it. No, no, you did good, kid. It's not you. It's … never mind. Cas and I are heading back now.”

Cas levered himself out of the car, buttoning his shirt. The wind was kicking up and Dean had his free hand shoved into a pocket of his jeans as he grimaced into the phone. Cas canted his head in question, settling a hand on Dean's shoulder, but Dean pivoted away. He pushed a button then winged the phone across the prairie.

“Sam had a heart attack.”

“What? I thought you just said Sam had—”

“I did. He had a heart attack. He's 38 fucking years old and Jack says he had a heart attack. Jesus Christ, we've been fucking our way across the midwest and Sam has been in the hospital since, I dunno, Wednesday?”

The words froze on Cas' tongue. He had no clue what to say and even if he did, Dean wasn't in a place to hear it.

“For year, YEARS, we've been giving Sam shit for his 'delicate constitution' and his fussy eating habits and his indigestion and all this time it's been, I dunno, heart disease?”

He stomped back to the car, Cas on his tail. They were going to break the sound barrier heading to Kansas City, of this Cas was sure. There were precious few stops for food or gas, hardly a word exchanged between them, but Dean begrudgingly let Cas drive through the night when Dean was nodding off at the wheel and a hair's breadth from rear-ending a semi. Cas was fairly certain he wouldn't be able to repair them from that level of trauma.

They were roughly an hour out when Cas decided to break the silence. Foolish, but this had to be aired before they reached the hospital. “We didn't know. We couldn't have known.”

“How did you not know, Cas?” Dean said, dead-eyed. Which was far more stinging than any shout. “You've healed him. Did you miss something again, like when you dragged him back soulless?”

Cas forced a sigh. “You're mad. Go ahead, yell at me. If it makes you feel better.”

“Whose great idea was it to turn off the phones, huh?”

It was Cas'. Because he'd wanted Dean to himself, uninterrupted. Because if Sam weren't around, it would be the two of them, together, without Dean's mind wandering or Sam dodging out of a room awkwardly. No cause to be covert. There was no use in denying it, and the realization burned like a thousand tiny cuts from a holy blade.

“I'll heal him when we get to the hospital.”

“You sure you can?” Dean bites out. “What's 'angel radio' saying?”

“You know I can't talk to Heaven anymore, or ask favors of them.”

“Then you'd better fucking hope we get to Sam in time.”

They were rounding the corner to the triage entrance of the hospital when Cas felt a wash of excitement from the aether, something he hadn't felt in a very long time. He couldn't tell one celestial voice from the next, or whether it was joy or fury, but he knew this much: that was Death walking through the sliding glass doors to the Emergency Room. She turned and gave them a rueful smile, a shake of her head. Cas could almost hear her clucking her tongue at them. She wanted to be seen.

Dean's eyes were as wide as silver dollars.

And Cas thought to himself: maybe begging for eventual humanity wasn't such a brilliant endgame after all.

[pupa-cinema]

Happy Go Lucky Heads - 哀紫電一閃 (Sorrow Like Lightning) - English Translation

何ちょっと　泣いちゃって Wait chill out what’s this all about, all the crying 滅入っちゃって　生きちゃって The doom and glooming, the living on, 逢魔が時に遠くに The witching hour takes us far away イっちゃって Excited by its insanity 縁も　上っ面見りゃ　ドヤってる Fate, is putting on airs and smirking confidently 優劣決めやと　ドヤってる "Which is superior, take your choice", it smirks so confidently

所詮・有象・無象 In the end, everyone here and there, everything the world has to offer 理想の姿　走馬灯の様 Like a horse race running laps in circles they go, chasing their ideal selfs 誰ガ為に削り　桶屋の微笑 For whom do you sacrifice so, the undertakers are scoffers 絶命の確率　カオス理論 Chance of survival, chaos' theology

今　万感の思い込める　拳鳴る C’mon now, I’m gonna pour my heart into it, my punches echo 嗚呼　もう　武者震わせてる　髑髏 Ahh, let’s go already, the warriors are itching to go, skulls in a brawl 今　万感の思い込めて　願い成る C’mon now, pour my heart into it, my wishes a go-go 阿修羅道　明記　さらば少年の日よ Follow in Asura’s barbaric footsteps, loud and clear, farewell to my youth and all

愛　曇華一現は　違うって　悲嘆防止 Love, like a blue moon; it seldom comes around. But I don't think that’s true. No more pain and suffering. 余命　変わりゃんせ　今日　誓って　悲嘆防止 Just bring change! The rest of our days will be different. From today on I vow. No more pain and suffering. 哀　紫電一閃　人間は　誓うって　悲嘆防止 Sorrow, like lightning; it strikes. People will vow they say... No more pain and suffering. 余命　変わりゃんせ　今日　誓って　悲嘆防止 Just bring change! The rest of my days will be different. From today on. 生　変わりゃんせ　今日 Life, it’s gonna change, from today on

火事と喧嘩は江戸の華　(柄！) The beauty of Edo was its dazzling fights and fires (Hey!) 会稽の恥を雪ぐのなら　(柄！) If one plans on redeeming themselves of the shame they've been made to suffer so dire (Hey!) 七転八倒　刻んだ性　(柄！) Never back down, it’s in my nature to be a defier (Hey!) 火傷火に懲りず進むただ　(柄！) Even burns won’t stop my blazing desires (Hey!)

鼓動は加速　限界へ挑む Heartbeat going fast, the limits are far past 牙を研ぐ者　十鬼は来た They who bear their teeth: the ten demons have come 今　万感の思い込めて　願い成る C’mon now, pour my heart into it, my wishes a go-go 阿修羅道　明記　されど　饒舌の心臓 Follow in Asura’s barbaric footsteps, loud and clear, but nevertheless a verbose spirit peps on

Instrumental solo background rap official lyrics: [Come on, don’t be shy Everybody wants life Coming now, yeah One, two, three, four, put it on Coming now]

愛　曇華一現は　違うって　悲嘆防止 Love like a blue moon; it seldom comes around. But I don't think that’s true. No more pain and suffering. 余命　変わりゃんせ　今日 Just bring change! The rest of my days will be different. From today on. 哀　紫電一閃　人間は　誓うって　悲嘆防止 Sorrow, like lightning; it strikes. People will vow they say... No more pain and suffering. 余命　変わりゃんせ Just bring change! The rest of my days will be different.

愛　曇華一現は　違うって　悲嘆防止 Love like a blue moon; it seldom comes around. But I don't think that’s true. No more pain and suffering. 余命　変わりゃんせ　今日　誓って　悲嘆防止 Just bring change! The rest of our days will be different. From today on I vow. No more pain and suffering. 哀　紫電一閃　人間は　誓うって　悲嘆防止 Sorrow, like lightning; it strikes. People will vow they say... No more pain and suffering. 余命　変わりゃんせ　今日　誓って　悲嘆防止 Just bring change! The rest of our days will be different. From today on I vow. No more pain and suffering. 今日せんのかい　狂信のダイブ Is today the day? The lunatics dive in ready to die 猛然向かう理由 There’s a reason we rage on y'know 知り　生　変わりゃんせ　今日 Learn, live, and bring change, today we go

Keynotes

● It’s speculated that they chose set English phrases, then supplemented in Japanese words to suit the pronunciations of the Engrish. The Japanese phrases are abnormal, and Sekihan sings them with a super vague accent!!

@tamagotoji-time​'s whirl at solving the puzzle, of as to what English phrases they're aiming for:    “~    ~    Oh mama, talk to me talk to me    Anythin' mo' what's meanin' do ya ってる    You let kill me yah と　ドヤってる

   I should xxx make it satisfied and no 日よ

   I don't care things what you go to hit damn bullshit    (You) make our dance and shake you (you go to hit damn bullshit)    I'm shit damn insane in xxxx what you go to hit damn bullshit    (You) make our dance and shake you  (you go to hit damn bullshit)    Shake our dance and shake you

   I should xxx make it satisfied 饒舌の心臓

   今日せんのかい　狂信のダイブ    猛然向 carry you    Silly, shake our dance and shake you"

● Opening for the anime adaption of Kengan Ashura. Thus the references to Asura and to the name of the main character: 十鬼蛇王馬. The kanji in his name literally mean "Ten demons snake king horse", thus the words in the song are surely references to him! The premise seems to be based off the Edo era as well.

● Asura are fellows of buddhist mythology, with violent prepositions and life in a realm with non-stop fighting.

● 曇華一現: this too is a word with Buddhist origin - figuratively it alludes to a very rare occasion, but literally it is referencing the (lotus) flower named 'Udumbara’ which blooms only once every 3000 years or upon the manifestation of a something special.

● 火事と喧嘩は江戸の華 is an idiom which references the culture of the Edo era (similar to the "ザンギリ頭を叩いてゴーン文明開化の音までゴーン!" idiom reference in Omedeta’s Tai Toru).

● 桶屋: word from Meiji/Edo era for the people who held funerals…. tte it’s in "風が吹けば桶屋が儲かる”… proverb similar to “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction” or “Always somewhere someone is dying.” All lives end up in the same place,,,,

● 七転八倒：inspirational idiom used since olden times especially in caligraphy. Often attributed to darumas as well, because darumas have a round bottom and balance back upright even when pushed.

● りゃんせ: archaic speak for “Go do it,” added after a verb.

Related Interview quotes:

Interviewer: In regards to noisy songs, your song ’Sorrow like lightning’ is intense too. Ponikingdom: We wrote this song upon accepting a tie-up deal, so the lyrics are leaning towards the contents of the deal. For the instrumentals we called upon neko-kun. The music is metal with a bit of a ‘Insolence’ style reggae tinge to it, so we wanted to the same sort of thing with the singing style as well. Sekihan: Then once he sent the instrumentals over to us, we used it to inspire our melody, thus the rest spiraled from there. The chorus may be in Japanese but, I was keen on making it also conceivable as Western music. Interviewer: Such as The “Ai donge ichigen” lyric being heard as “I don’t care” for example.

Sekihan: That’s right.

324: A lot of time and effort went into the arrangement of this song. Especially the chorus, which I think turned out pretty damn awesome.

Interviewer: The melody is very pop, isn’t it.

324: I wanted to make use of Sekihan’s addition of the melody as well as possible, and when I finally tinkered the arrangement to match it just right, I felt enlightment.

Sekihan: You put a lot of care and attention into the way the chords tie together also, right?

324: Yeah.

Interviewer: Sekihan has a background of loving pop music to extreme measures, could play a part in Omedeta's music; a reason why is has such a unique panache? Ponikingdom: Maybe so. Interview: After all, he does have every number of Onyanko’s club member memorized. Yet he stills love noisy screamo music, it’s a pretty unique palette (laughs).

Sekihan: The fuck (laughs).

Ponikingdom: Though if you ask me I’d say bands like ‘Linkin Park’ and ’Slipknot’ are actually quite pop. They leave a tingle in your ears, and they make people burst into sing-alongs. Sekihan: The melody is definitely pop but, there’s reason they mantain that tinge of screamo... It’s because they put a sort of edge on their voice. So we avail that same type of glamour in ’Sorrow Like Lightning’.

mao: Recently I’m really starting to understand the skill range of Sekihan voice.

Sekihan: He praised me! Yay! Yay!

Interviewer: The skilled meditators of screamo and pop: that’s Omedetai.

324: But, if you asked this band to do hardcore serious screamo, we could not. We love screamo but, everything we do doesn’t revolve around it. And that’s one of our strengths, we don’t revolve around anything. So that’s why we’re capable of leaning towards pop too.

Sekihan: We grew up listening to screamo music, so now it’s our turn bring screamo to other people who never had the chance to learn about it. In a way, it’s like we’re returning the favor to the screamo community. We add the essence of screamo to more palatable music, make people go “Woah. So this is what screamo is all about.”, and hope it serves as a gateway into more. Listen to more screamo, that would make me happy!

Bonus Romaji Lyrics: Nani chotto　naichatte Meicchatte　ikichatte Oumagatoki ni tooku ni Icchatte En mo　uwassura mirya　doyatteru yuretsu kime ya to　doyatteru Shousen・muzou・yuuzou Risou no sugata　soumatou no you Dare ga tame ni kezuri　Okeya no bishou Zetsumei no kakuritsu　kaosu riron Ima　bankan no omoi komeru　Kobushi naru Aa　mou　Musha furuwaseteru　Sharekoube Ima bankan no omoi komete　Negai naru Ashura-dou　Meiki　Saraba shounen no hi yo Ai　donge-ichigen wa　chigau tte　Hitan boushi Yomei　kawaryanse　kyou　chikatte　Hitan boushi Ai　shidenissen　Ningen wa chikau tte　Hitan boushi Yomei　kawaryanse　kyou chikatte　Hitan boushi Sei　kawaryanse　kyou Kaji to kenka wa Edo no hana (Hei!) Kaikei no haji wo sosogu no nara (Hei!) Shichiten battou　kizanda sei (Hei!) Yakedo-hi ni korizu susumu tada (Hei!) Kodou wa kasoku　genkai he idomu Kiba wo togu mono　toki wa kita Ima　bankan no omoi komete　Negai naru Ashura-dou　Meiki　saredo　jouzetsu no shinzou Ai　donge-ichigen wa　chigau tte　Hitan boushi Yomei　kawaryanse　kyou　chikatte　Hitan boushi Ai　shidenissen　Ningen wa chikau tte　Hitan boushi Yomei　kawaryanse Ai　donge-ichigen wa　chigau tte　Hitan boushi Yomei　kawaryanse　kyou　chikatte　Hitan boushi Ai　shidenissen　Ningen wa chikau tte　Hitan boushi Yomei　kawaryanse　kyou chikatte　Hitan boushi Kyou sen no kai　Kyoushin no daibu Mouzen mukau riyuu Shiri　sei　kawaryanse　kyou

[typewriterwitch]

When the Forced Marriage Trope is Given Depth

The forced marriage plot is a venerated tradition in romance novels. So much so that today’s romance writers are twisting plots around like pretzels to try to make this trope plausible—and palatable—for the modern age. Usually, this involves business arrangments and marriages of convenience. The old school romance novels of my adolescence were more about king’s edicts and unbreakable betrothals to the last man on earth the heroine ever wants to marry—but with a sly wink toward lust to undercut her early hate.

The appeal of the forced marriage plot is the belligerent sexual tension for a start. Then it’s the softening. The something there that wasn’t there before. The hero becomes less of an ass. The heroine admits her initial impression was harsh. It’s classic Pride & Prejudiceor Beauty & the Beast. Gold standard stuff. From a practical point of the view, the forced marriage plot is a way for historical romance writers to have their Pride & Prejudice or Beauty & the Beast plot, give a nod toward social norms, and still include sex scenes.

But the forced marriage trope has a crucial difference—in both Pride & Prejudice and Beauty & the Beast examples, the narrative question is, “Will the heroine consent to marry the hero?” Her choice is centered. Elizabeth throwing Darcy’s proposal back in his face is one of the best examples of agency in all of romance (my personal favorite comes from North & South). We want to see the heroine stand up for herself because then it’s crystal clear that, by the end, she’s marrying for love. In the case of the forced marriage trope, the choice has been made for her, so her agency is compromised.

What does that do to the appeal of the trope? It messes it right up, that’s what it does.

For fans of messy romance—romance with stakes and grit and depth—this is can be a very interesting thing. If the author treads carefully. Treading carefully means hitting a few major beats:

Acknowledging the messed up nature of the situation. The hero especially needs to understand how getting a wife against her will is, you know, bad. Even if he starts out conceited or oblivious, it’s crucial that he learns to value consent above all else.

Giving the heroine a free and clear means of escape. Readers seem to swoon over the whole, ‘You’re too good for me! But I’m a selfish bastard so I’ll never let you go’ angle. In this trope, the alpha possessiveness vibe is more uncomfortable than usual. Tone it way down. Even Disney gets it right: When the Beast asks Belle if she can be happy with him in the 2017 version, she responds, “Can anyone be happy if they aren’t free?” The only answer is no and the Beast promptly lets her go.

Making the character change crystal clear. The reason the heroine decides to stay with the hero is make-or-break for this trope. Quivering thighs aren’t enough. Genuine, authentic change in the hero’s actions and the heroine’s understanding is a must. This cannot be lip service. It has to feel authentic and earned.

Why are these three beats so crucial? Because the very last thing we need is forced marriage itself romanticized as an institution. Forced marriage is and has been a source of pervasive evil in the lives of women. Google ‘forced marriage’ without the ‘romance’ at the end and you get a lifeline number to stop human trafficking. This trope emerged from a dark and dangerous place, as a lot of storytelling tropes do. No number of happy fictional endings will change that.

Most premises for this trope I’ve seen skirt the trope’s heart of darkness, ignoring the uncomfortable implications in favor of a few thrills. Which begs the question—does the popularity of the trope mean its readers are regressing or resisting progress? Are readers thinking that choice is too hard and wouldn’t it be nicer if someone chose a husband for them and it all worked out in the happily-ever-after? Maybe. Romance is escapism, after all. This trope and the soulmates trope are like the benevolent dictator theories of romance novels. Easy and unrealistic are what some readers are looking for when they pick up a romance novel.

As a champion for romance with stakes and grit and depth, that’s so not me. I want a happy ending, I do. But I also what to use the forced marriage trope to, like, explore my anxieties about the long line of forced marriages from which I’m likely descended. That’s why I need the heroine to continuously stand up for herself and the hero to completely understand her situation by the end. Those three beats I laid out above allow that arc to happen. They’re a formula for catharsis and that’s damn good drama. But the right to choose one’s life partner is a cornerstone of feminism for a damn good reason. For me, the story isn’t satisfying unless it actively tackles that issue.

One of the best examples of the forced marriage trope given depth comes from a movie almost no one saw called Child 44. Tom Hardy and Noomi Rapace star as Leo and Raisa Demidov a married couple in 1950s Russia. Leo is a WWII hero turned Captain in the Ministry of State Security. The plot focuses on Leo searching for a serial killer who targets young boys. His investigation is complicated because he’s going against the will of the government. Leo’s colleagues actively want to silence any evidence that their society—a paradise—could produce a murderer. But, as the reviews on Rotten Tomatoes will tell you, the thriller aspect is a bit of a letdown. The real meaty storyline is the evolving relationship between Leo and Raisa.

The first scene to introduce Leo and Raisa as a couple is a phenomenal piece of character work. Leo is telling the story of how he fell in love and married Raisa at a dinner party. The story is a common one: love at first sight. Leo saw Raisa, waxed poetic, and asked for her name. When he tracks her down again, she admits that she gave him a false one. The two tell the story in tandem, but the audience is clued into the fact that Raisa is telling her parts dutifully. It’s Leo who finds this story romantic as he confesses his devotion to his wife. The women of the group are touched. Raisa is cool and contained. She remains cool and contained when the couple has sex in their apartment. It’s a classic framing of marital discord. Leo is kissing her neck, clearly overcome by passion. And Raisa is turned away from him, frowning into middle-distance. In a few short scenes, the audience comes to understand that Raisa does not share her husband’s blind obedience to the Soviet Union. We wonder if she might be a spy or a traitor in some way. When Leo comes home after a hard day where a subordinate murdered a mother and father in front of their two young children, he seeks comfort from Raisa. She accepts that she should do this for him, but she does not actively comfort him.

The turn comes when Leo is handed a folder and told to investigate his own wife for treason. He knows that no matter what he finds over the course of his investigation there will be no mercy. The implication alone is damning. Leo follows Raisa, seeing her lose a fellow school teacher to soldiers. She seems too close to her principal, but nothing implicates her except that he loses her in the crowd. Leo talks to his adopted father, who cautions him that it’s better to give up his wife than to go down with her. Raisa shows up for dinner then and announces where she’d gone—to the doctor. She’s pregnant. Leo tears apart their apartment but finds nothing damning. Neither do his colleagues. The scene where Leo confronts Raisa about the investigation is heartbreaking. You can see on her face that she expects to be given up. You can see on his face how much this is tearing him up inside. In the end, he submits her innocence knowing that he is dooming them both. Sure enough, they are dragged from their beds. The character work here is that Raisa lets her husband hold her, she screams for him in terror. She clings to him when she thinks they will be killed.

But they are spared somewhat. They are able to leave Moscow with their lives and sent to a village in the middle of nowhere. Gone are the luxuries that her husband’s career afforded them. In exchange for her life, he has to give up everything. Raisa is cooler than ever. It’s fascinating. She tells him that it was all a test of loyalty—he should have denounced because “that’s what wives are for.” His show of love hardens rather than softens her toward him. But she does not betray him, even when his most evil coworker offers for her to return to Moscow as his mistress. She tries to leave him, but Leo stops her and brings her back home. He forbids her from leaving again.

It’s then that we learn that Raisa resents him for how much he loves her because, as we find out, she never had a say in it. That charming story he likes to tell? She remembers it very differently. She “cried for one week” when he proposed and then accepted out fear for what would happen to her if she declined a man of his stature. She was forced into this marriage, and now she’s bound to him even tighter because of his sacrifice. Hearing this breaks Leo’s heart into a million pieces. Honestly, the angst of this scene is everything I want in this trope. Her confession rocks Leo’s world. He has tears in his eyes because he’s realizing how much of a monster he has been in the eyes of the woman he loves but has never known. We also find out that Raisa lied about being pregnant to save her own life. She’s a survivor. She’s a complex thinker and feeler. It’s heartwrenching, deep stuff, people. Sign me the fuck up twice.

That’s the first of the major beats. Acknowledging the messed up nature of the situation.

Then the murder investigation starts in earnest. Leo has to go to Moscow and he’s afraid if he leaves Raisa he won’t be able to protect her. She doesn’t want to go anywhere with him. He tells her that if she comes to Moscow with him, she can stay there. He won’t make her return, and she never has to see him again.

There’s beat number two. Giving the heroine a free and clear means of escape.

But in Moscow, things change for Raisa. She is drawn into the investigation and sees how honorable it is. She comes to realize that the man she assumed to be the honest Russian sticking up for his countrywomen against the brutal government was an ideologue all along. The monsters of her world are becoming much less black and white. By the time we get to the moment when Raisa chooses to come back with Leo, we understand why she’s making that choice.

And then boy are we ever rewarded. We get to see Raisa stand up for her husband, soothe and comfort him. We see her protect him from would-be murdererstwice and Leo turn around and do the same thing for her. She is an equal partner in his investigation and his life. The events of the movie bring them together in a way that their sham marriage never could—and it’s a messy, complicated, harrowing thing to watch. In the end, this is a true romance because the couple gets a happy ending. So happy. I won’t spoil the last bit, but there is definitely a romance novel-worthy moment when Leo turns those puppy dog eyes on Raisa to ask her if she thinks he is a monster. And of course she no longer thinks that. Her understanding of him has changed. And his actions have changed—no longer does he presume her love and ignore her true feelings. No longer does he go along with the state mindlessly and play up the war hero bit. He’s a better man and she loves him for it. That’s a transformational love story.

Final beat nailed. Making the character change crystal clear.

Again, not going to say Child 44 is a perfect movie. But the love story? Is a perfect example of a thoughtful use of the forced marriage trope. More romance novels could stand to use it as a template.