#it would add an interesting layer of guilt to his motivation as a character I suppose

[pushing500]

Ah, Xina. I see you have chosen... DEATH (we didn't kill her this time, but I was sorely tempted to).

The Empire is still under the impression that we're working together or something, and since we don't feel like breaking the illusion yet, Mechi reluctantly agreed to look after four paralysed prisoners who are (allegedly) from ancient cryptosleep caskets. I find that a bit tricky to believe because...

Paul? I recognise that name...

It seems that XiaoLiang's granddad from a similar prisoner quest has somehow re-contracted paralytic abasia, and also convinced The Empire that he's from an ancient cryptosleep vault. I am now weirdly curious about what strange shenanigans this grandpa must get up to.

The more I play this game, the less convinced I am that Mechi and Kwahu are the main characters... 🤔

First | Next | Previous

[fumifooms]

Hello! Anon Asker again here. Recently got through the latest volume on Kindle with the Dungeon Master arc.

(Spoilers ahead for others...?) Now that we got most of the characters' backstories, I feel the earlier black magic ritual they did for Falin makes a lot more sense.

Marcille is desperate to keep the people she loves alive given her sense of loss and persisting dread about outliving everyone she knows.

Laios (apart from loving his sister) has lingering guilt from having left Falin behind before, exacerbated by her sacrifice and the way she always puts him first.

Then there's Senshi and Chilchuck who have on more than one occasion shown a distaste for magic.

Yet Senshi didn't fight it much and stood by them, because he himself is not a stranger to loss, especially when it comes to loved ones who have sacrificed for others so that one might survive.

But Chilchuck I'm not so sure. He was the most vocal in how against black/ancient magic he was, but also didn't really stop it. Maybe we can attribute it to his own abandonment issues by his wife, or just that he could imagine what it might be like if it was one of his daughters (as we saw in a small chapter art where he had a nightmare of his daughters dead). But I wanted to hear your take on this if in case you do.

Sorry for taking so long to get back to this ask! It’s a layered topic so I procrastinated on polishing my answer.

I think this is super interesting! Especially because we’re coming at this from totally different angles, since reading the manga I never thought that using dark magic didn’t make sense considering the situation or was weird. You’re coming at this at an angle of what personal reasons would make a character do this, while I looked at it in an angle of what social reasons would make a character let it happen. Post gonna be a lil long so I put it under cut! Tldr with your angle though, I think you’ve pretty much got it spot on and I don’t have much to add, I think your take it’s very interesting, and true.

So, why not do dark magic?

Throughout the whole manga, very early on too, we see our characters testing their society’s perception on morality in ways that we see that the moral wall was pretty baseless in the first place, mainly the disgust towards eating monsters for instance. Or sometimes, the morality of characters is lacking to our standards, having a perception we’d see as twisted, like in the kobold extra. Like Marcille talks about in the barometz/direwolves chapter, eating something "filthy" will make you filthy too and that’s why Marcille was innately so opposed to eating monsters. We also see it with the orcs’ chapter for example, Kui tackles a lot of difficult themes with nuance like racism, both the orcs and the elves have their perspective and their big faults in their part in their conflict, but in the end who’s right and who’s wrong isn’t spelled out for the readers. The point is that morality in the manga isn’t set in stone, it’s something that as the reader you draw the line on yourself, and we see that our characters aren’t infallible moral compasses either. The use of magic, too, is left up in the air on how good and moral it is to use, "unnatural" vs efficent vs cheap cop-out vs harmless or harmful.

So for me, when Marcille explained dark magic, how it works and why it’s forbidden, ‘yeah there’s probably a hidden catch in there’ I thought but I was super on board with it. To me, not using dark magic because it’s different and less known would be like not wanting to eat monsters for the same reason: more born out of fear and ignorance than reasonable and rational.

So we’re coming at this from different angles like I said, while you focused on character motivations for being fine with such an unholy act of magic I thought of it in an ambiguous morality and consequences way. So instead of "why should/would they do it?" to me it’s "why not?". And to me it’s a bit like "Well, no one should steal! But if the person really needs to for food, well I could let it go" for the characters’ thought process, though of course the instinctive revulsion and the stakes are much higher. They have all worked really hard to get there, and if there’s a chance it’ll go well then they would try it. Senshi and Chilchuck are much more reticent than the others like you said, but they’re able in the end to either rationalize doing it enough, or just prefer to listen to the directives and see how it goes by taking a more passive role. Not unlike how peer pressure can get you to participate in something you don’t want to do. But to me it’s a lot about growing accustomed to the unknown, hearing about it from Marcille who researches dark magic instead of the half-foot anecdotes about "dark elves" and "dark magic" used to nefarious ends. Which, presumably dark elves don’t even exist, we don’t know exactly what the half-foot definition of dark elves is, it’s a misconception and it’s a boogeyman, which is part of my point.

Where does Chilchuck’s distaste of magic come from? Elves. But by then Marcille, by being an elf herself and being trustworthy and friendly thus far, has started to chip away at these preconceived notions. Maybe what he heard wasn’t foolproof, after all. Under pressure and stakes like they were, people with even an usually very rigid morality may bend a little, steal, etc. To me, even if Chilchuck brought it up later, still very uneasy with it, it didn’t mean that him doing it was unrealistic or weird. People do things half-heartedly or unsure on if it’s the right thing to do sometimes, especially under pressure. Their will wavered while Laios and Marcille’s didn’t, and ultimately that’s what decided what they would do. What’s the other option? Marcille and Laios weren’t going to back down, so what, fight them so they don’t do it? Otherwise they’ll do it anyways with or without you, and then is there even a point to putting up a fight about it or even leaving? You can see the raationalization being done in real time, if you reverse engineer it.

Ironically enough I think this scene set after they do it depicts it perfectly: Chil lays out why he doesn’t like the thought of it, she responds on why dark magic being bad is up for debate, and he goes to argue but ultimately chooses not to and goes along with the group.

But yes it’s an interesting topic! Marcille researches positive uses for ancient magic so of course she’d be ready to use it to revive Falin, Laios has normalized reviving and magic a lot and overly relies on it, and Senshi doesn’t want to do it, but it’s because of his ideal- because of his instinctive recoil at anything that is magical or "unnatural"… Except for the golems. Because of how he sees himself as part of a larger ecosystem and cycle of life that humans shouldn’t have control over, that should know how to sustainably live with nature without getting greedy or cocky… Except for when he idealized Anne the kelpie as his best friend that even though is a monster would never hurt him. He tends to pull away from others socially needlessly, not letting himself grow too close to people or a community, too. Point is, Senshi has his pitfalls and isn’t as inflexible as we might think, and not everything he does is rational or even consistent with his own beliefs under his normal circumstances, though I do think he’s the one who was/should be the most opposed to the reviving character wise.

And I said that Chilchuck’s reason for not liking dark magic is rooted in superstitions and elves and history- and that’s certainly true but it isn’t the full story either. While Senshi’s preoccupied about morals and his world view, Chilchuck is SCARED of it, he thinks of the CONSEQUENCES, not the act itself (though it also def doesn’t charm him either). And not just the direct consequences of what a dark magic resurrection means either, it comes up a lot that Chilchuck is worried for others and for himself, about careers or the law and generally the future, and tends to micromanage them or be on their case because of it. Made a lil compilation below, notice the trend, he’s very focused on what others will do if they learn that they did dark magic, he’s focused on hiding that they did, not grappling with the morality of it as much. He’s very worried about the legality of it. He sees it as a crime but not something that shatters his worldview y’know. And even after Marcille did it and uncovered that she researched dark magic, he still trusts her and her judgement, is only wary of her a but for a bit before going right back to being thick as thieves together.

I was gonna talk about racism as a plot point and through arcs in the series here but I think I made my point without it, so that’ll be a topic for another day. But yeah… Spoilers for the last volume stop here and skip to the last paragraph if you still haven’t read ut all (bless your Kindle reader soul, good luck waiting for the next chapters). Is the winged lion bad? He’s harmful, certainly, but he’s not evil, and at its base it’s an entity without a sense of morality. Dunmeshi tackles morality in a really interesting, typical of seinens way, and unity is another big theme, as much as racism is a narrative tool and plot point the lesson is that putting efforts into befriending people you don’t understand is good. And with some, like the winged lion, that’s not gonna pay off, but everyone deserves to be understood regardless. Narratively that’s why Laios is the character he is, and why we get to learn about Kabru, the orcs, the canaries, Thistle, even the demon, and see it under new lights. Kui is big on critical race theory and sociopolitical issues used in/for storytelling, and it shows. During canon Chilchuck is growing closer to an elf coworker and tentatively giving her his trust, which pays off, and that is enough to make him reconsider wether dark magic is that bad, and think of how much risk he’s willing to get into for the party. Whew got sidetracked by the narrative genius of Dunmeshi and Kui but, the point is that in the story, characters changing their mind on issues and having their viewpoints challenged is very much common and important.

Sooo yeah! As I said I do enjoy your perspective as well, I’d never thought of it that way so it was interesting. Hopefully this is an insightful post and not just a load of nothing that wasn’t relevant to your question haha. But yeah, while reading I truly approached it from a "why not" angle, instead of a "why yes". They don’t like the method but they do want Falin to live, which makes it easier to dirty their hands for. Wash your hands of it and don’t think about it too much afterwards. (Top 10 reasons why it’ll backfire! none of them will surprise you 🌟)

[mermaidsirennikita]

besides everything you have brilliantly pointed out, there are also the underlying implications of fran theoretically not being attracted to john but having sex with him. i know they could potentially have a sexless marriage and skip the miscarriage, focusing the future struggle on the grief and guilt of moving on with someone new but... if fran doesn't really love John that would mostly be a michaela pov and we know the show isn't good at exploring the love interests (of color) trauma and motivations. also john has been presented as a sweet man that sees francesca, it would be highly unbelievable if he didn't realize she wasn't into the sex. and it seems ooc for him to keep going with it too even if at the time it happened. so if they do follow the miscarriage/pregnancy route... that could be problematic. not that they care considering what daphne did to simon but still.

First off, thank you!

Second, I've been thinking about my thoughts on this (lol thinking about my thoughts) because I want to be very careful about expressing my opinion on this subject. I know it's very sensitive and I get that, and I don't want anyone to feel dismissed or unheard (and I don't want to at all validate people who are being so homophobic and vile about this).

But yes, I thought about this as well. It seems like we really don't know where Fran and John's relationship is at all at the end of the season, even though enough time has passed for them to forge some kind of physical relationship. And I just feel like... If John was a real character in the script, if his sweet and sensitive nature was honored, then I would IMAGINE that he'd notice something, unless Fran was really good at putting on a good face (and maybe she is).

When you're with someone you care about, though.... if they held off on intimacy, he'd notice that. If Fran didn't like it, I think he'd notice that, too? Which adds some messiness to tacking this on at the end of the season. This needed TIME. It adds to this idea, too, that John isn't a character, because like? He's gonna have feelings too? Not just Fran. There's more to this than FRAN'S feelings.

I would find it really sad if they did keep the miscarriage plot, tbh, if Fran truly isn't physically attracted to him. I don't want to think of her having to put up with or frankly be traumatized by that, and I don't want to think of John being framed as this source of trauma. Besides, that's Sir Philip's thing. And yeah, him being a Black man also MATTERS, and this is something (I say this as a white woman who doesn't identify as straight these days) I really dislike seeing white viewers just sort of dismiss. This is not just a queer love story. This is an interracial queer love story, and frankly, a love triangle that involves two people of color (who happen to be related... again.... And it is interesting how that's happening again, and it does kind of say something in that these show is like "two love interests of color? MUST BE FROM THE SAME FAMILY!". Like, yeah, Kate and Edwina and Michael and John are related in the books, but those aren't actual full-blown love triangles in the books).

I think I'm just so burned by the way s2 handled Edwina and Kate that the idea of them doing a GOOD job with Michaela, especially with her added layer of her being queer in the world the show constructed, is like... I'm skeptical. And maybe that's unfair. Maybe I shouldn't be skeptical. But in general, the Btons' love interests of color have really been notably sidelined in favor of their lovers' arcs, and it was bigger for Kate than it was for Simon. Hey, Simon got a backstory.... Even if his trauma was ultimately subsumed by Daphne's story after she assaulted him.

But hey, I'm happy to be proven wrong. I really hope I will be.

I'll also say, however--I just really think that people need to understand that we can support the gesture while critiquing the writing and the way it's coming together. There are a lot of people who simply hate that they aren't getting Michael, or that there is queerness on the show at all. A LOT. Some people, however, have valid critiques. Some of them are queer people; some of them are people of color; some are both. Critique isn't JUST coming from straight women who want to see Michael.

And I mean, I've already seen a historical romance author who does identify as bi on her Twitter profile and does write actively queer books get dogged out for critiquing it, so.

[aquariusdeanw]

The ending of monster is perfect.

(My thoughts on the finale, the series, Johan’s character; and why I think it fits so well)

Before watching the last episode I thought “oh it’s the finale they’re only gonna wrap things up and tie some loose ends” but it’s done beautifully.

I know that everyone says that monster is a show about humans and their inner monster and how society creates monsters, and I agree.

But when they show you that, it’s not a way to excuse people of their bad actions, it’s to show that even in their “villainous” acts, they’re still pretty much human, you never think “oh this is something that couldn’t happen in real life”.

Eva, Roberto, Rosso, Bonaparta and so many more, they’re so different from each other, but at the core they’re still painted in the same way. They’ve done despicable acts, some more than others, but in the end they’re just people who made their choices based on their beliefs.

As I said, all human.

All presented as human except for Johan.

While the writer tries and succeeds to humanize all the other characters, giving them many layers, he dehumanizes Johan from the very early episodes. Not only he attaches to him a very “supernatural” evil presence;

«you mustn’t look at him doctor, you’ll die» / «we were hired by a monster» (in the very early episodes)

«he said that he shot something with seven heads and many horns» (in the penultimate episode).

But also the way Johan is shown doing terrible things, is very “simplified”. In his scenes they don’t really dwell a lot on the why he does what he does. Sure, they give you enough insight to keep you interested in the character and to not make him bland. It’s the viewer that with the very few lines and appearances that he has, tries to decipher his personality and his motivations. And yeah, one of the reasons for the lack of his physical presence is to add to the sense of dread that fills the viewer when he really appears. However, during the journey that Tenma has, even if Johan is not physically there, his presence is. We feel it in the tales that fall from people’s mouths and the dead bodies that Tenma encounters and the hundreds of people he corrupted. And while Tenma meets these people the show always gives a glimpse of their humanity; but with Johan it’s the opposite, it seems that every tale about him it’s evil and eviler.

You keep asking yourself why? Why? Why?

Does this kid really feel nothing?

Is it because what happened at the orphanage? But in its destruction we see him smiling, delighted by the events that unfold in front of him. Why does he keep killing the people that show him the good in humanity, the people that treat him and his sister well? What kind of kid (that is already capable of orchestrating human feelings) kills people that helped him and tells his sister to shoot him in the head, with the calm of someone that’s asking the most trivial thing?

The most beautiful thing about Johan is the complete juxtaposition of his character. Yeah he doesn’t have any morals or ethicality, whether it is to accomplish something or just to mess with the psyche of a child,

(«you can’t kill a human being!» — tenma

«why not?» —johan)

but at the same time he feels emotions. He feels sadness, he feels rage, gratification, fear, guilt

(«I wonder if I had forgiven him from the beginning what would have happened» — Nina

«Johan are you crying for me?» — Karl

«While he was seeing the drawings of us as happy kids, he was crying just like me.» — Nina

«the thing I’m most afraid of is...forgetting Anna» — Johan

«Did she try to save me or did she confuse me for my sister?» — Johan)

For the whole series, Tenma’s ideology and Johan’s are (as we all know) in contrast. I won’t make a long post about Johan’s nihilistic view of the world, because there are already tons of them. But I’d like to say this: in one episode there is a scene that involves two characters that are neither Johan or Tenma; but it sums up Johan’s character very well. This guy says something along these lines to Lunge:

«you won’t believe that Tenma is not guilty, because all your life you have been an investigator that’s never been wrong, not once, and besides that you have nothing; no hobbies or family. If you’re wrong about this case, then you won’t know who you really are, and that would break you.»

That’s why johan kills people and wants Tenma to kill him.

If someone tries to give him a name he kills them, (he believes that his mother never gave him a name.) if someone is kind to him he kills them, (he has a nihilist view of the world), if someone tries to separate him from Anna, his other half, he kills them. («it’s just me and Anna in this whole world»)

Him being wrong would break him, and that’s why we see that desperate expression on his face when in the penultimate episode he almost begs Tenma to shoot him; because if what he believed all life is true (and to him it’s the truth because people kept demonstrating that he was right) “that not all lives are created equal”, then Tenma had to shoot him. Johan had no doubt in his mind, it was logical to him: even the most benevolent man, put in the right situation, can kill a person.

Tenma doesn’t shoot. He doesn’t kill him. Chance comes in play, and that’s something that even Johan couldn’t predict.

The finale gives you an answer to your “but WHY does he think the way he thinks!” question and as a viewer I find that very satisfying.

In the last episode we find ourself in a metaphorical mexican standoff of ideologies.

«Humans are equal only in death» Johan’s ideology, because if that wasn’t true, then why was his mother capable of making a choice between her two twins. Her children, that should be equal in the eyes of a mother. But when forced to make a decision, she choses one over the other, and what messes Johan up even more is that he doesn’t know if his mother choosing him was her choice or a mistake; but there certainly was an “unwanted child”. (as he puts it)

On the other side there is Tenma, that made one choice many years before, thinking it was a difficult, but fair one. A child over a privileged adult. The child that he saved though, was a monster, and he brought it back to life unknowingly of that fact. It caused the death of so many people. If Tenma had a time machine, would he save the kid again? Or would he just let him die?

There’s no need for a time machine, because the choice presents itself to him one more time. This time he knows the true nature of the person that he has to save. And he saves him. It’s hard, but he does it not only because it’s the right thing to do according to his ideology, but if he didn’t, he’d only prove Johan that he was right. It’d be like he had shot him himself.

That’s why he goes to Johan to prove him wrong once more, when he tells him that he does have a name, that his mother did give him a name.

Is it enough to convince Johan?

(Will he unlearn the hatred that humans are capable of, like Dieter? Will he accept that he has a name, like Nina did with hers? Does he, like Lunge, discover that the simple things in life do matter and are a part of why we live? Does he forget about what he was before, because like Eva says «we only remember the good things; because otherwise humans wouldn’t be able to keep on living»? Does he “turn human” again, discovering the peace that Grimmer found in his death?)

We don’t know.

We only know that the nameless monster isn’t there anymore.

It’s like he never existed in the first place.

[army-of-mai-lovers]

in which I get progressively angrier at the various tropes of atla fandom misogyny

tbh I think it would serve all of us to have a larger conversation about the specific ways misogyny manifests in this fandom, because I’ve seen a lot of people who characterize themselves as feminists, many of whom are women themselves, discuss the female characters of atla/lok in misogynistic ways, and people don’t talk about it enough. 

disclaimer before I start: I’m not a woman, I’m an afab nonbinary person who is semi-closeted and thus often read as a woman. I’m speaking to things that I’ve seen that have made me uncomfy, but if any women (esp women existing along other axes of oppression, e.g. trans women, women of color, disabled women, etc) want to add onto this post, please do!

“This female character is a total badass but I’m not even a little bit interested in exploring her as a human being.” 

I’ve seen a lot of people say of various female characters in atla/lok, “I love her! She’s such a badass!” now, this statement on its own isn’t misogynistic, but it represents a pretty pervasive form of misogyny that I’ve seen leveled in large part toward the canon female love interests of one or both of the members of a popular gay ship (*cough* zukka *cough*) I’m going to use Suki as an example of this because I see it with her most often, but it can honestly be applied to nearly every female character in atla/lok. Basically, people will say that they stan Suki, but when it comes time to engage with her as an actual character, they refuse to do it. I’ve seen meta after meta about Zuko’s redemption arc, but I so rarely see people engage with Suki on any level beyond “look at this cool fight scene!” and yeah, I love a cool Suki fight scene as much as anybody else, but I’m also interested in meta and headcanons and fics about who she is as a person, when she isn’t an accessory to Sokka’s development or doing something cool. of course, the material for this kind of engagement with Suki is scant considering she doesn’t have a canon backstory (yet) (don’t let me down Faith Erin Hicks counting on you girl) but with the way I’ve seen people in this fandom expand upon canon to flesh out male characters, I know y’all have it in you to do more with Suki, and with all the female characters, than you currently do. frankly, the most engagement I’ve seen with Suki in mainstream fandom is justifying either zukki (which again, is characterizing her in relation to male characters, one of whom she barely interacts with in canon) or one of the Suki wlw pairings. which brings me to--

“I conveniently ship this female character whose canon love interest is one of the members of my favorite non-canon ship with another female character! gay rights!” 

now, I will admit, two of my favorite atla ships are yueki and mailee, and so I totally understand being interested in these characters’ dynamics, even if, as is the case with yueki, they’ve never interacted canonically. however, it becomes a problem for me when these ships are always in the background of a zukka fic. at some point, it becomes obvious that you like this ship because it gets either Zuko or Sokka’s female love interests out of the way, not because you actually think the characters would mesh well together. It’s bad form to dislike a female character because she gets in the way of your gay ship, so instead, you find another girl to pair her off with and call it a day. to be clear, I’m not saying that everybody who ships either mailee or yueki (or tysuki or maisuki or yumai or whatever other wlw rarepair involving Zuko or Sokka’s canon love interests) is nefariously trying to sideline a female character while acting publicly as if she’s is one of their faves--far from it--but it is noteworthy to me how difficult it is to find content that centers wlw ships, while it’s incredibly easy to find content that centers zukka in which mailee and/or yueki plays a background role. 

also, notice how little traction wlw Katara ships gain in this fandom. when’s the last time you saw yuetara on your dash? there’s no reason for wlw Katara ships to gain traction in a fandom that is so focused on Zuko and Sokka getting together, bc she doesn’t present an immediate obstacle to that goal (at least, not an obstacle that can be overcome by pairing her up with a woman). if you are primarily interested in Zuko and Sokka’s relationship, and your queer readings of other female characters are motivated by a desire to get them out of the way for zukka, then Katara’s canon m/f relationship isn’t a threat to you, and thus, there’s no reason to read her as potentially queer. Or even, really, to think about her at all. 

“Katara’s here but she’s not actually going to do anything, because deep down, I’m not interested in her as a person.” 

the show has an enormous amount of textual evidence to support the claim that Sokka and Katara are integral parts of each other’s lives. so, she typically makes some kind of appearance in zukka content. sometimes, her presence in the story is as an actual character with layers and nuance, someone whom Sokka cares about and who cares about Sokka in return, but also has her own life and goals outside of her brother (or other male characters, for that matter.) sometimes, however, she’s just there because halfway through writing the author remembered that Sokka actually has a sister who’s a huge part of the show they’re writing fanfiction for, and then they proceed to show her having a meetcute with Aang or helping Sokka through an emotional problem, without expressing wants or desires outside of those characters. I’m honestly really surprised that I haven’t seen more people calling out the fact that so much of Katara’s personality in fanon revolves around her connections to men? she’s Aang’s girlfriend, she’s Sokka’s sister, she’s Zuko’s bestie. never mind that in canon she spends an enormous amount of time fighting against (anachronistic, Westernized) sexism to establish herself as a person in her own right, outside of these connections. and that in canon she has such interesting complex relationships with other female characters (e.g. Toph, Kanna, Hama, Korra if you want to write lok content) or that there are a plethora of characters with whom she could have interesting relationships with in fanon (Mai, Suki, Ty Lee, Yue, Smellerbee, and if you want to write lok content, Kya II, Lin, Asami, Senna, etc). to me, the lack of fandom material exploring Katara’s relationships with other women or with herself speak to a profound indifference to Katara as a character. I’m not saying you have to like Katara or include her in everything you write, but I am asking you to consider why you don’t find her interesting outside of her relationships with men.

“I hate Katara because she talks about her mother dying too often.” 

this is something I’ve seen addressed by people far more qualified than I to address it, but I want to mention it here in part because when I asked people which fandom tropes they wanted me to talk about, this came up often, but also because I find it really disgusting that this is a thing that needs to be addressed at all. Y’all see a little girl who watched her mother be killed by the forces of an imperialist nation and say that she talks about it too much??? That is a formational, foundational event in a child’s life. Of course she’s going to talk about it. I’ve seen people say that she doesn’t talk about it that often, or that she only talks about it to connect with other victims of fn imperialism e.g. Jet and Haru, but frankly, she could speak about it every episode for no plot-significant reason whatsoever and I would still be angry to see people say she talks about it too much. And before you even bring up the Sokka comparison, people deal with grief in different ways. Sokka  repressed a lot of his grief/channeled it into being the “man” of his village because he knew that they would come for Katara next if he gave them the opportunity. he probably would talk about his mother more if a) he didn’t feel massive guilt at not being able to remember what she looked like, and b) he was allowed to be a child processing the loss of his mother instead of having to become a tiny adult when Hakoda had to leave to help fight the fn. And this gets into an intersection with fandom racism, in that white fans (esp white American fans) are incapable of relating to the structural trauma that both Sokka and Katara experience and thus can’t see the ways in which structural trauma colors every single aspect of both of their characters, leading them to flatten nuance and to have some really bad takes. And you know what, speaking of bad fandom takes--   

“Shitting on Mai because she gets in the way of my favorite Zuko ship is actually totally okay because she’s ~abusive~” 

y’all WHAT. 

ok listen, I get not liking maiko. I didn’t like it when I first got into fandom, and later I realized that while bryke cannot write romance to save their lives, fans who like maiko sure can, so I changed my tune. but if you still don’t like it, that’s fine. no skin off my back. 

what IS skin off my back is taking instances in which Mai had justified anger toward Zuko, and turning it into “Mai abused Zuko.” do you not realize how ridiculous you sound? this is another thing where I get so angry about it that I don’t know how useful my analysis is actually going to be, but I’ll do my best. numerous people have noted how analysis of Mai and Zuko’s breakup in “The Beach” or Mai being justifiably angry with him at Boiling Rock or her asking for FUCKING FRUIT in “Nightmares and Daydreams” that says that all of these events were her trying to gain control over him is....ahhh...lacking in reading comprehension, but I’d like to go a step further and talk about why y’all are so intent on taking down a girl who doesn’t show emotion in normative ways. obviously, there’s a “Zuko can do no wrong” aspect to Mai criticism (which is super weird considering how his whole arc is about how he can do lots of wrong and he has to atone for the wrong that he’s done--but that’s a separate post.) But I also see slandering Mai for not expressing her emotions normatively and not putting up with Zuko’s shit and slandering Katara for “talking about her mother too often” as two sides of the same coin. In both cases, a female character expresses emotions that make you, the viewer, uncomfortable, and so instead of attempting to understand where those emotions may have come from and why they might be manifesting the way they are, y’all just throw the whole character away. this is another instance of people in the fandom being fundamentally disinterested in engaging with the female characters of atla in a real way, except instead of shallowly “stanning” Mai, y’all hate her. so we get to this point where female characters are flattened into one of two things: perfect queens who can do no wrong, or bitches. and that’s not who they are. that’s not who anyone is. but while we as a fandom are pretty good at understanding b1 Zuko’s actions as layered and multifaceted even though he’s essentially an asshole then, few are willing to lend the same grace to any female character, least of all Mai. 

and what’s funny is sometimes this trope will intersect with “I conveniently ship this female character whose canon love interest is one of the members of my favorite non-canon ship with another female character! gay rights!”, so you’ll have someone actively calling Mai toxic/problematic/abusive, and at the same time ship her with Ty Lee? make it make sense! but then again, maybe that’s happening because y’all are fundamentally disinterested in Ty Lee as a character too. 

“I love Ty Lee so much that I’m going to treat her like an infantilized hypersexual airhead!” 

there are so many things happening in y’alls characterization of Ty Lee that I struggled to synthesize it into one quippy section header. on one hand, you have the hypersexualization, and on the other hand, you have the infantilization, which just makes the hypersexualization that much worse. 

(of course, sexualizing or hypersexualizing ANY atla character is really not the move, considering that these are child characters in a children’s show, but then again, that’s a separate post.) 

now, I understand how, from a very, very surface reading of the text, you could come to the conclusion that Ty Lee is an uncomplicated bimbo. if you grew up on Western media the way I did, you’ll know that Ty Lee has a lot of the character traits we associate with bimbos: the form-fitting pink crop top, the general conventional attractiveness, the ditzy dialogue. but if you think about it for more than three seconds, you’ll understand that Ty Lee has spent her whole life walking a tightrope, trying to please Azula and the rest of the royal family while also staying true to herself. Ty Lee and Azula’s relationship is a really complex and interesting topic that I don’t really have time to explore at the moment given how long this post is, but I’d argue that Ty Lee’s constant, vocal  adulation is at least partially a product of learning to survive at court at an early age. Like Mai, she has been forced to regulate her emotions as a member of fn nobility, but unlike Mai, she also has six sisters who look exactly like her, so she has a motivation to be more peppy and more affectionate to stand out. 

fandom does not do the work to understand Ty Lee. as is a theme with this post, fandom is actively disinterested in investigating female characters beyond a very surface level reading of them. Thus, fandom takes Ty Lee’s surface level qualities--her love of the color pink, her revealing standard outfit, and the fact that once she found a boy attractive and also once a lot of boys found her attractive--and they stretch this into “Ty Lee is basically Karen Smith from Mean Girls.” thus, Ty Lee is painted as a bimbo, or more specifically, as not smart, uncritically adoring of Azula (did y’all forget all the non-zukka bits of Boiling Rock?), and attractive to the point of hypersexualization. I saw somebody make a post that was like “I wish mailee was more popular but I’m also glad it isn’t because otherwise people would write it as Mai having to put up with her dumb gf” and honestly I have to agree!! this is one instance in which I’m glad that fandom doesn’t discuss one of my favorite characters that often because I hate the fanon interpretation of Ty Lee, I think it’s rooted in misogyny (particularly misogyny against East Asian women, which often takes the form of fetishizing them and viewing them only through a Western white male gaze)  

(side note: here at army-of-mai-lovers, we stan bimbos. bimbos are fucking awesome. I personally don’t read Ty Lee as a bimbo, but if that’s you, that’s fucking awesome. keep doing what you’re doing, queen <3 or king or monarch, it’s 2021, anyone can be a bimbo, bitches <3)

“Toph can and will destroy everyone here with her bare hands because she’s a meathead who likes to murder people and that’s it!”  

Toph is, and always has been, one of my favorite ATLA characters. My very first fic in fandom was about her, and she appears prominently in a lot of my other work as well. One thing that I am always struck by with Toph is how big a heart she has. She’s independent, yes, snarky, yes, but she cares about people--even the family that forced her to make herself smaller because they didn’t believe that their blind daughter could be powerful and strong. Her storyline is powerful and emotionally resonant, her bending is cool precisely because it’s based in a “wait and listen” approach instead of just smashing things indiscriminately, she’s great disabled rep, and overall one of the best characters in the show. 

And in fandom, she gets flattened into “snarky murder child.” 

So where does this come from? Well, as we all know, Toph was originally conceived of as a male character, and retained a lot of androgyny (or as the kids call it, Gender) when she was rewritten as a female character. There are a lot of cultural ideas about androgynous/butch women being violent, and people in fandom seem to connect that larger cultural narrative with some of Toph’s more violent moments in the show to create the meathead murder child trope, erasing her canon emotionality, softness, heart, and femininity in the process. 

This is not to say that you shouldn’t write or characterize Toph as being violent or snarky at all ever, because yeah, Toph definitely did do Earth Rumbles a lot before joining the gaang, and yeah, Toph is definitely a sarcastic person who makes fun of her friends a lot. What I am saying is that people take these traits, sans the emotional logic, marry them to their conception of androgynous/butch women as violent/unemotional/uncaring, and thus create a caricature of Toph that is not at all up to snuff. When I see Toph as a side character in a fic (because yeah, Toph never gets to be a main character, because why would a fandom obsessed with one male character in particular ever make Toph a protagonist in her own right?) she’s making fun of people, killing people, pranking people, etc, etc. She’s never talking to people about her emotions, or palling around with her found family, or showing that she cares about her friends. Everything about her relationship with her parents, her disability, her relationship to Gender, and her love of her friends is shoved aside to focus on a version of Toph that is mean and uncaring because people have gotten it into their heads that androgynous/butch women are mean and uncaring. 

again, we see a female character who does not emote normatively or in a way that makes you, the viewer, comfortable, and so you warp her character until she’s completely unrecognizable and flat. and for what? 

Azula

no, I didn’t come up with a snappy name for this section, mainly because fanon interpretations of Azula and my own feelings toward the character are...complicated. I know there were some people who wanted me to write about Azula and the intersection of misogyny and ableism in fanon interpretations of her character, but I don’t think I can deliver on that because I personally am in a period of transition with how I see Azula. that is to say, while I still like her and believe that she can be redeemed, there is a lot of merit to disliking her. the whole point of this post is that the female characters of ATLA are complex people whom the fandom flattens into stereotypes that don’t hold up to scrutiny, or dislike for reasons that don’t make sense. Azula, however, is a different case. the rise of Azula defenders and Azula stans has led to this sentiment that Azula is a 14 y/o abuse victim who shouldn’t be held accountable for her actions. it seems to me that people are reacting to a long, horrible legacy of male ATLA fans armchair diagnosing Azula with various personality disorders (and suggesting that people with those personality disorders are inherently monstrous and unlovable which ahhhh....yikes) and then saying that those personality disorders make her unlovable, which is quite obviously bad. and hey, I get loving a character that everyone else hates and maybe getting so swept up in that love that you forget that your fave is complicated and has made some unsavory choices. it sucks that fanon takes these well-written, complex villains/antiheroes and turns them into monsters with no critical thought whatsoever. but the attitude among Azula stans that her redemption shouldn’t be hard, that her being a child excuses all of the bad things that she’s done, that she is owed redemption....all of that rubs me the wrong way. I might make another post about this in the future that discusses this in more depth, but as it stands now: while I understand that there is a legacy of misogynistic, ableist, unnuanced takes on Azula, the backlash to that does not take into account the people she hurt or the fact that in ATLA she does not make the choice to pursue redemption. and yes, Zuko had help in making that choice that Azula didn’t, and yes, Azula is a victim of abuse, but in a show about children who have gone through untold horrors and still work to better the lives of the people around them, that is not enough for me to uncritically stan her. 

Conclusion    

misogyny in this fandom runs rampant. while there are some tropes of fandom misogyny that are well-documented and have been debunked numerous times, there are other, subtler forms of misogyny that as far as I know have gone completely unchecked. 

what I find so interesting about misogyny in atla fandom is that it’s clear that it’s perpetrated by people who are aware of fandom misogyny who are actively trying not to be misogynistic. when I first joined atla fandom last summer, memes about how zukka fandom was better than every other fandom because they didn’t hate the female characters who got in the way of their gay ship were extremely prevalent, and there was this sense that *this* fandom was going to model respectful, fun, feminist online fandom. not all of the topes I’ve outlined are exclusive to or even largely utilized in zukka fandom, but a lot of them are. I’ve been in and out of fandom since I was eleven years old, and most of the fandom spaces I’ve been in have been majority-female, and all of them have been incredibly misogynistic. and I always want to know why. why, in these communities created in large part by women, in large part for women, does misogyny run wild? what I realize now is that there’s never going to be a one-size fits all answer to that question. what’s true for 1D fandom on Wattpad in 2012 is absolutely not true for atla fandom on tumblr in 2021. the answers that I’ve cobbled together for previous fandoms don’t work here. 

so, why is atla fandom like this? why did the dream of a feminist fandom almost entirely focused on the romantic relationship between two male characters fall apart? honestly, I think the notion that zukka fandom ever was this way was horrifically ignorant to begin with. from my very first moment in the fandom, I was seeing racism, widespread sexualization of minors, and yes, misogyny. these aspects of the fandom weren’t talked about as much as the crocverse or other, much more fun aspects. further, atla (specifically zukka) fandom misogyny often doesn’t look like the fandom misogyny we’ve become familiar with from like, Sherlock fandom or what have you. for the most part, people don’t actively hate Suki, they just “stan” without actually caring about her. they hate Mai because they believe in treating male victims of abuse equally. they’re not characterizing Toph poorly, they’re writing her as a “strong woman.” in short, people are misogynistic, and then invoke a shallow, incomplete interpretation of feminist theory to shield themselves from accusations of misogyny. it’s not unlike the way some people will invoke a shallow, incomplete interpretation of critical race theory to shield themselves from accusations of racism, or how they’ll talk about “freedom of speech” and “the suppression of women’s sexuality” to justify sexualizing minors. the performance of feminism and antiracism is what’s important, not the actual practice. 

if you’ve made it this far, first off, hi, thanks so much for reading, I know this was a lot. second, I would seriously encourage you to be aware of these fandom tropes and to call them out when you see them. elevate the voices of fans who do the work of bringing the female characters of atla to life. invest in the wlw ships in this fandom. drop a kudos and a comment on a rangshi fic (please, drop a kudos and a comment on a rangshi fic). read some yuetara. let’s all be honest about where we are now, and try to do better in the future. I believe in us. 

[highladyluck]

Thoughts on WoT on Prime!Mat

I promised I would write it! Spoilers for episodes 1-3 but only the vaguest of spoilers for books 1-3, should probably be safe for show-only people.

So, the Mat backstory changes all made sense to me in terms of revealing up front what kind of person Mat is and what his motivations are. I think the writers have a really good grasp on what makes book!Mat tick, and are basically presenting us with their findings in these first few episodes, and working backwards from those to add motivations and backstory that make those character traits obvious and logical.

For one thing, Mat’s inner anxiety is a lot more obvious now, but you do not have the advantage of hearing his inner monologue (plus Mat lies to himself even in his head) so it kind of had to be more obvious. In the opening scene where Mat's playing dice you are essentially watching him have fun, and then you realize he lost with high stakes. Then you see him fail to shrug it off convincingly, be humiliated in front of his friends, and pragmatically switch to plan B (stealing with an implied side of attempted-seduction-as-method). It's such a great look into how Mat's mind works and his somewhat ruthless pursuit of self-interest (or really, the interest of others who are his responsibility). He shrugs aside the cost, either to him or to others he cares about less.

It also helps you see a clear picture of what kind of person he is and what his many-layered motivations are. Immediately, you see Mat identifying with and also protecting children, which is something he does in the books. His face when he realizes he's going to have to go through an active battlefield to get to his sisters is just "Oh boy, can't believe I'm gonna do this, but I'm definitely doing this." It clearly demonstrates his heroism and how it's just an outgrowth of his strong sense of responsibility, and also not a trait he particularly enjoys having.

His issues with his parents also set up his fear of unconsciously channeling the habits of his ancestry (although in the books it's a much earlier relative and/or past life that freaks him out, not a deadbeat dad or drunk mom.) The poverty also gives him an actual concrete reason to be chasing after shiny things and pricing everything in his head. Like, in the books he just spent a lot of time with traders and merchants' guards, and you see he's got a relationship with Padan Fain, but the poverty gives him a more obvious reason to be obsessed with money and also extremely defensive about his social status. Book!Mat grew up comfortably middle class and is just annoyed at abuses of power/non-egalitarian treatment, but I don't mind 'obviously has a chip on his shoulder about status and finances' Mat, it will make his later opinions about spoiled nobles more understandable.

Also, when Natti just straight-up savaged Mat with "you're just like your father, a prick", it's immediately providing groundwork for Mat's complicated feelings towards older and/or powerful women. In the books, one of Mat's whole shticks is that he does a lot of self-destructive things to prove to women in power that a) he doesn't care what they think about his choices and b) he will save them from themselves. The books have the leisure to do this slowly and subtly, but ultimately the root causes are the same: Mat chafes against other's expectations and yet also desperately wants their approval, and Mat has suffered trauma at the hands of women and those with power over him.

I do miss the boys' personal innocence, which was sacrificed in the ageing up (they are very naive 20-year-olds in the books!) and in the quest to make them more immediately identifiable. In the show, every one of them is carrying guilt when they leave the Two Rivers. Their home is not a safe haven for them even before the Trolloc attacks, which is a bit of a change from the books (not so much for Rand- he was already at the point of 'my life is not what I thought it would be' even in the books- but for everyone else.)

The closest thing to the boyishness they lack here is Mat's too-overt, too-desperate attempts to pretend nothing is wrong or to pursue a goal, which is better viewed as inexperience. (This also ties into the disconnect between how he thinks he's doing and how he's actually doing.) He makes more friends with sincerity, or at least a sort of 'we're all in this together' complaining. It's clear he has a gift for reading people and situations, and a lot of compassion, as well as generosity. He gave Perrin more than just a fancy knife; he gave him Leila's (very wise and thematic) words and memory. And Perrin recognizes the gift and gives Mat what he needs in turn- reassurance that he didn't abandon his sisters and that they'll be taken care of in his absence.

I also think I miss Mat’s playfulness; he's more sardonic in this iteration, and you only catch a glimpse of it at the very beginning, or when he's flirting easily with the barmaid in episode 3. In the show it’s always framed as something he assumes to achieve his goals, though, not really something intrinsic that bubbles up from him irrepressibly. Again, show Mat has mostly lost his innocence already, even pre-dagger.

But if we've lost the innocence and playfulness, Mat is now better at reading the room (at least where his friends are involved) and still great at getting people to feel better. In every episode, you see Mat trying to raise people's spirits and make them feel like they're all in this together. The stealing in episode 1 is to buy lanterns for his family so they don't get left out of the village celebration. In episode 2, he notices everyone is stressed out and sad and in their own little worlds (I think Rand is literally like wiping away tears?) and he starts singing a song all the Two Rivers kids will know, to help them feel better and remind them that they're not alone. He plays peacemaker with Rand to get him on board with taking Moiraine's orders. He supports Perrin in Shadar Logoth. In episode 3, he's clearly a little fucked up (for... reasons...) but knows when to cut the bullshit with Thom, and they end up having a nice bonding moment while they bury the corpse Mat just robbed. Basically, "nice social skills you got there, shame you got them from coping with childhood trauma."

I'm very excited to see where show!Mat goes- this all just feels like a speedrun to get to the Mat book readers know from his POVs, and I suspect that by the time we get to that point in the show, Mat will be having a much better time and be a bit less angsty. I think they've done a good job of softening how annoying book 1-2 Mat can be, and setting him up for success in future installations, which is when he really comes into his own. (Also, for personal reasons, I cannot *wait* for Mat's childhood trauma to meet a certain problematic fave's childhood trauma. It's gonna be a hot and entertaining mess and I mean that in all senses of the phrase.)

I love the original Cauthon fam (despite my jokes about used car salesman Abell) and I’m a bit sad that Bode got de-aged, but like Mat, I concede that sometimes the ends justify the means. I too would die for tiny Bode and Eldrin!

[anonymouslyangsty]

Idea: Escape Room AU. Making a loose interpretation of that one horror movie. Some of the Danganronpa characters are invited to play in an escape room, but find that if they don't solve the puzzles in time the consequences are deadly. Not only that, but each of the rooms are deliberately designed to invoke past traumas of each of the characters. My main motivation? High stress Ishimondo.

YES. 100% yes. You don't know how much I crave action/adventure Ishimondo. Yes domestic fluff is sweet, yes the death game can be intense. But there's something special about people having to actively fight for their lives together, and solving murders just doesn't hit the same.

So yeah I like the idea, it almost gives me YTTD vibes (for those who don't know, Your Turn To Die is like DR but you win puzzles or die. I love it)

(If you're interested, there's a fic that kinda fits this idea. It's Beyond Despair. It's basically "everyone who dies comes back and now they have to do puzzles to survive. I'll try not to take too much inspiration from it for this concept)

But yeah I love this idea. I think things like this do best with smaller groups, so here's an idea: Leon, Hiro, Chihiro, Mondo, and Taka go to an Escape Room over the summer for Mondo's birthday. Then surprise! It's all death trap filled.

Just trying to think of potential rooms on the spot...I warn you that I've only gone heavily into the backstories of Taka and Mondo when it comes to DR1, so I might be missing out on some good ideas.

Hiro has to make a bunch of predictions to stop the others from getting harmed, perhaps a form of Russian Roulette. If he predicts where the bullet is incorrectly, he ends up shooting someone. He's probably not aiming for anything vital just in case, but it would still suck.

Not sure how this relates to trauma. Maybe he messed up an important prediction, and that led to someone getting seriously hurt?

Chihiro's great issue is weakness, which he tries to overcome. So maybe his room is having to hack something with a timer, where failing to do so in time leads to everyone burning alive. It would test his mental fortitude.

Or we could go the physical strength path. Like a situation where the solution is in an area so small that only Chi can enter, but something inside has to be forcefully pulled open. So Chi has to find the strength to do it, either by outsmarting the trap, or pure strength.

Or maybe it's both? Chi has to show both mental and physical strength to pass the trial.

Mondo has his own issues with strength, not to mention his guilt for the whole Daiya thing. Maybe he gets put into a situation where he alone can solve the puzzle, but cannot act. Instead, he has to tell the others what to do.

Think something like the game Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes. The basic premise of that game is: there are two players, one with a manual, and another with a bomb. The player with the manual has to instruct the other player on how to defuse the bomb. The player with the bomb cannot see the manual.

And that would be pretty stressful for Mondo. He isn't confident in his intelligence, so having to solve the puzzle alone would already be a problem. Plus there's the fear that he'll fail his friends, that he'll mess up and get them all killed.

For Leon...I'll admit that I don't have a solid idea for him. He wants to leave baseball and become a musician, right? So I'm not really sure how to infuse that desire into his room.

Plus I don't want to make his room just "hit this target to escape" because he can probably do that really easily...But it still needs to be involved with his talent in some way.

Here's an idea. It's not ideal because I'm not sure how well it fits into his character, but at least it includes his talent in a way that won't be horribly easy for him.

The group has to play a game of baseball, Leon vs everyone else (sure the teams are uneven, but Leon's the best baseball player around, so it's fair).

The game has to end with 12 home runs (why 12? there's a dumb reason.). For each point the enemy team gets, the other team is punished somehow. Each punishment is worse than the last.

Leon is a way better player than all of them combined, so it's not about him winning. It's about him deciding who gets hurt. Does he save himself, or save the others? It's a game of selfishness vs selflessness. Not to mention a delicate balance of ensuring nobody's too hurt to keep going.

As for the punishments, we could add another layer of selfish vs selfless actions. Maybe the losing team has to decide among themselves who takes the punishment, or they can all agree to take a slightly less harmful version of it.

And Taka. I'm...not sure? His character is all about morality, but Leon's trial kind of has that covered. There's also his role as a leader, but Mondo's trial covers that. Whatever the case, I'm just going to throw out ideas.

First thought is to focus on Taka's passion and strong work ethic. Think of it as kinda the opposite of Mondo's proposed trial. Taka's placed on some kind of pedestal that leaves him about 8 inches from the ceiling. On top of the ceiling is some kind of button, just far enough away that he has to reach to touch it.

While he's up there, everyone has...some kind of puzzle to solve. I don't know what honestly, probably some moral dilemma or something to keep on theme.

Now here's the point of this trial. Around the beginning of the room, Taka's shot with like half a dose of sedative. Not enough to knock him out, but enough to make the process of reaching up to hold a button pretty hard. Whenever he isn't pressing the button, water starts filling the room. If he passes out, they all drown.

This trial places him in a position of power, as everyone is relying on him to stay strong despite the struggle he's facing. And it's the opposite of Mondo's trial because he has no agency. He can't really help solve the puzzle, all he can do is keep that button held. But it's also similar to Mondo's trial because, if he falters, everyone dies.

The downside to this option is that it has nothing to do with morality. Mondo could just as easily have this trial, since it's more about hard work and strength.

Another option is something that focuses far more on morality. I'm not sure of the details, but perhaps it's a situation where he has to decide who of his friends to hurt to help everyone escape. And he wants to find a solution that leaves everyone unharmed, but that very well might not be possible.

Or maybe something like the prisoner's dilemma? (In very basic terms, you have prisoners A and B. If A and B trust each other, they both escape. If one betrays the other, the one who betrayed escapes with some extra benefit. If both betray, both get nothing.)

In this hypothetical situation, perhaps this is the last trial, just long enough for little resentments within the group to build. For the stress of the situation to make friendship become overshadowed by self preservation. Can they really trust one another to do the right thing, or will they get betrayed?

This is more morality related, but it's also not specific to Taka. Taka doesn't play a lead role, they all do, since they all have to face the dilemma.

Final idea, and admittedly the least formed one. They’re in...some kind of puzzle, with a timer of course because we need the pressure to be one. In the room with them is someone none of them know, bound and gagged.

They can spend time trying to solve the puzzle the hard way, or they can do it the easy way. But the easy way means killing the captive (Maybe they have a key in their stomach or something). And you want to do the right thing, but there's a timer and the moral option takes so much longer.

Taka continues his role as moral compass for this trial. He has to be the one to declare if they go the easy option. If he choose it, he personality has to get the key. There's a knife provided for the task

It could feed on Taka's fears of corruption and morality. Is it better to sacrifice one to save the group? Is he being selfish for trying to save a stranger rather than his friends? Taka has a very black and white view on morality, and this trial would force him to shatter that.

It could also lead into a fear that he'll become just as corrupt as Toranosuke. After all, if he can't solve this trial without any deaths, how can he be a good man?

Honestly? While I called this one the least formed, I think I like it the most. It's a real moral dilemma.

[fannishcodex]

So I love @revasnaslan 's Where One Fell Verse, a SPOP AU. :D (Will add a link to the fic series in a comment or reblog below after remembering that tumblr sometimes has issues with embedded links, I think.)

Like, I really love it a lot, it borders on self-conscious "am I being too much, will this for some reason bother the fic writer??" And really, I’ve realized, no way, it won’t, especially since I write fic too and know I would be delighted if my fic got that reaction; but I think this may be more part of my self-consciousness and shyness. In any case, my affection for these fics is on hyperfixation level. I'm in the WOF Verse fandom. It's a thing I've been thinking about in some way since I found it late last year via @cirusthecitrus, it's one of the things that cheers me up these days. I struggle to articulate my pleasure with this fic, but I want to try to do it more.

This fic is a wonderfully character-driven story.

Fic spoilers under the cut, so recommend reading Where One Fell (fic 1) and Everything But A Door (fic 2) before this--and also, just, this fic has my deepest rec and everyone should check it out:

But, another different note first, even more self-conscious on my part: me writing about this fic more feels long overdue, but I really do struggle to sometimes articulate even my positive feelings about a thing because I want to get it across well--but I'm trying to more just spill it out now instead of trying to refine it more; and just also other things have been...a lot, there's been a lot (good and less good) that's pulled my attention in other directions too. So, long overdue, I wish I could've done more earlier, but I still just want to...gush about the fic; but I get self-conscious and worry about, like, "I don't want to end up pestering/pressuring and asking for immediate gratification for a new chapter/I don't want to guilt-trip for an update especially since I feel like I understand because I write fic too and I write slow and it's hard"...but I still want to gush about WOF verse, especially since it's like any other story I enjoy. I like gushing about the stories I enjoy.

So, again, this fic is wonderfully character-driven, which I love.

I'll bring up some canon for obvious reasons, but mostly in terms of contrast. One of the ways WOF Verse felt refreshing and drew me in was that after SPOP canon--well, in some ways SPOP canon feels like a wasted ensemble show; like many other things SPOP doesn't pull off, it doesn't pull off an ensemble show (especially when it ends up sidelining a bunch of characters that should've been prioritized more instead of a very mishandled character), and it kinda feels like it ends up having too many characters/like it starts feeling like too many characters if some are sort of just there and not really used (and I have my thoughts on who should've been prioritized, but that's another post; though granted I think my interest in this fic really indicates some of the characters I would've prioritized more).

So, I enjoyed how WOF Verse focuses on a smaller cast, giving them more attention and exploring them more. The general summary of the fic immediately drew me in, because I'm a sucker for family themes and dysfunctional families and familial love getting messy and complicated in fiction, and I hadn't realized I needed clone Hordak and his genetic template/progenitor Horde Prime shifted to them being literally brothers, plus the added twist of having Horde Prime actually care for his brother, but Prime's become thoroughly twisted in how he shows that affection and protectiveness--didn't know I needed that until I found this fic. And oh do I enjoy how this fic opened up the original '80s She-Ra/MOTU up to me more, because I just thought "wow, Hec-Tor Kur is a good made-up alt name/'real-ish' name with a last name for Hordak in this AU, and Anillis Kur just sounds cool and it just feels like it fits as an alt name/real name for Horde Prime when he's not always using that title," and I thought making them literally blood brothers was just a neat twist on them being clone and genetic template/progenitor. But nope, apparently Hec-Tor Kur and Anillis Kur are their real alt names from the original '80s canon which also heavily implies they're brothers, and that's really cool. (And I think it would've been really interesting if spop/the latest reboot had actually just explored that more, explored them more as brothers and siblings.)

Again, WOF is very character-driven, and I love that. And I enjoy how this feels like it also fits the story and world of the fic, which involves Anillis Kur/Horde Prime going into Extremely Overprotective Brother Mode and confining his sickly younger brother Hec-Tor (Hordak) to the Velvet Glove because he's that paranoid about anything happening to his brother due to a lot of family trauma that happened before Hec-Tor was even born/when he was just a baby (and baby Hec-Tor himself almost succumbing to illness and dying did not help with Anillis's issues), not to mention that controlling; so much of the fic so far is in a closed world, it adds to the hyper focus on the characters in that closed world. I appreciate how at times the fic really does have this claustrophobic feeling. I like how it sometimes makes me think of like a one-setting/limited setting play on a multi-chapter scale.

And of course, I like the specific characters getting this sort of hyper focus, and WOF makes me enjoy them even more. I love Hordak, his character, his voice, his design, etc. Horde Prime also has such a cool design and again that same cool voice, I adore Keston John's voice acting and his range in it. Canon S5 doesn't give him enough internal depth or character though, and ultimately makes him too much of just an obstacle and symbol/too much of a plot device in the show and a wasted opportunity for a more interesting character. That becomes even more apparent in contrast to WOF Verse, because Anillis Kur/Horde Prime is so much more interesting!!! Like Anillis/WOF!Prime is so much more interesting, it makes me realize how canon Prime is lacking in character/interest.

Ohman, this Prime. Prime has a great design and a great voice, and WOF has an interesting personality to match those elements in quality. There's so much fascinating contrast with him in WOF, and it makes him feel like a more unsettling villain. We've seen him care, and so it feels more frightening when he turns more aggressive and ruthless and cold. WOF's opening scene really effectively sets that contrast with him; it starts with him exhausted but having a really sweet moment with a very young Hec-Tor, and then not long after that when Hec-Tor's asleep in his arms it's a very unsettling mood whiplash with how Anillis coldly treats the clone attendant; it's even very effectively distilled and crystalized even further with the image of Anillis holding a sleeping Hec-Tor in his arms while glaring daggers at the clone attendant, that contrast of love and threat. Like, definitely a character that can do Both and I love that. And contrast adds layers to Anillis, it renders him in even more emotional dimensions, he can be multiple things at once.

And I rather love that he's far less...touchy, with everyone; it more finally struck me that he's rarely negatively touched anyone until a pivotal scene, and it being a rarity made the scene pack more of a punch, and then I looked back and realized he just doesn't do that often, there's another earlier scene that also feels shocking because it's another rare use of explicit touch, his touch is more targeted--he doesn't need to constantly do it to feel threatening at all, and is in fact much more threatening and unsettling without it. (I literally had to pause some instances because I was nervous about what Anillis would do next.) It's so fascinating to watch Anillis steadily grow worse and to watch Hec-Tor gradually have the dawning realization of what Anillis is really doing and the truth of his situation. It's interesting to see Hec-Tor gradually realizing that what he's lived with his whole life and what has felt normal isn't a good thing, it's not acceptable.

And I really do like that familial love is such a motivating factor for Anillis, and that it's something that feeds into a lot of his ruthlessness and villainy; and it feels like something I still don't see enough in fiction. And it just feels more believable, more consistent. Anillis acts horribly, is abusive, but it still feels like what he does is out of love for his brother and he really is blind to what he's actually doing to his brother, that it's the opposite of what he wants, it's not protecting him like he believes. I like that level of character believability/consistency, and part of that also involves how it's overall framed, and it's still framed as pretty terrifying; Anillis cares about his brother, but his methods are twisted.

And my gut feeling does...well, feel connections between canon and this AU--and that may be obvious as source material and fic based on it, but I mean--it's as if canon were the very rough first sketch/draft, and WOF is the fully realized version of the character, plus the change of shifting his brotherly status into a brother that actually does care but goes about it in a horribly twisted way. WOF takes parts and pieces and little details from canon and fleshes them out into something more fully dimensional and more interesting. Like the trace of canon Prime's collection with plants/other things and even arguably the imagery at the end with his ship the Velvet Glove becoming a tree feel connected to a more fleshed out version in WOF where Anillis keeps a garden. And there's so much meaning that can be pulled from his garden--it's another reflection of his controlling behavior with the way he controls/manages the garden; on the flip side, it feels like it further reflects the contrast/dichotomy in his character, as gardens can still have positive connotations too--it can reflect the potential Anillis had (may still have?) for genuine good/for genuinely nurturing care. And it also does more explicitly point to Anillis's affection for family since his late father had kept a garden too and Anillis's own garden on the Velvet Glove still has his father's plants. There's so much done with Anillis's garden.

And with his backstory and the contrast in his character, just his...everything, I also want to know more about Anillis, I'm curious for even more of his backstory, even going more into "why are you like this?" Like this is a genuinely fascinating, charismatic, threatening, multi-faceted antagonist right here.  

And I can go on about Anillis, but I love Hec-Tor/Hordak in this too. I love Hordak, and I enjoy how this still feels so much like Hordak, but with a different life; I feel like there are commonalities that remain from canon within him combined with differences based on the AU he's in and the different experiences he's lived with. Like, there's such an interesting detail with Hec-Tor's growing anger issues that remind me of Hordak--it's there, but different because of their different lives, Hec-Tor's developing because of his isolation but still quieter, simmering, because his brother only has his best interests at heart, he shouldn't act like this... And then it’s so nice to see Hec-Tor be even more talkative about SCIENCE because he does have more space to be a bit more open about his passions in this AU/different life situation. And it's all like another AU I didn't realize I wanted until I saw it--I really dig seeing Hordak/Hec-Tor as a baby, as a little kid, getting to have a childhood and get to have more typical developmental stages and to have more familial experiences, albeit twisted ones. And I love how the story has shifted to Hec-Tor more, love his POV and following him on his journey.

And the clones! The clones are great in WOF and give me feels too. I love how more of them are focused on as individuals, and that we get to see more of their characters and glimpse their differing views. And when Etherian characters join in, they're as well written and interesting too (the Entrapdak is so good). I just like WOF's cast, and the line-up plucked from canon and how they adjust to the AU; this ensemble just feels better, and it's utilized and treated better than canon.

And the worldbuilding with Anillis & Hec-Tor’s race and the clones and their world is so good and seamlessly interwoven with story and character, enhancing the whole thing even more and making things even more interesting.

I just...really love these characters and this story. They have a lot of heart and intrigue.

(Disclaimer: I definitely ended up having trouble figuring out tags for this. Especially since I think only the first five tags actually show up at first? And I think last I checked tumblr freaks out over dashes within a tag so while “hec-tor kur” probably fits better, I don’t think tumblr can handle that for some reason so just going with “hordak,” which also really still just fits.)

[vaguely-concerned]

Any tips for a TF POV fic? I want to write one because I too went through a time in my life when I let feelings bounce off cuz that was easier, but I feel like that's not quite on point for him 🤔

God I have SO MANY THOUGHTS about this and they’re all so wordless and frustratingly evasive to me yet (I am in the process of writing a looooooong T.F. POV fic and it gives me much more trouble than Graves POV, probably because as a person I’m quite a lot more like the T.F. Type in real life lol). But yes, here we go, let me try to express some of what I personally try to have as my hm ‘anchor points’ for his perspective. (Heavy disclaimer that these are just my personal & disorganized little musings and by no means the only or ‘correct’ way to read the character!)

- First of all I agree, the image of ‘bouncing off’ doesn’t feel quiteright -- it’s in the right neighbourhood but the wrong address sort of thing, but it’s really hard to come up with a way to explain how I feel the nuance here.

*insert three hours later spongebob meme here* Okay, so the metaphor I came up with is: T.F.’s relationship to emotions is a direct parallel to his relationship to water/the ocean: it’s scary down there, it’s dark, it’s dangerous, and if he should ever be dumb enough to try to go in too deep it’ll kill him dead because boy oh boy on so many levels this man just did not learn how to swim. As far as he’s concerned any sensible person would simply bob along on the surface in a sturdily built boat and try not to think too much about the weird shit that lives down there in the depths. (In this metaphor the layer of artifice and performance so habitual it’s basically integrated into the fabric of his soul is the boat. Y’know, the part that’s Twisted Fate and not just plain ol’ Tobias. I’ll hasten to add that I think both parts of his identity are equally ‘real’ and equally him, but the Twisted Fate part is like… protecting the Tobias part. Keeping him from drowning, as it were. I’m not sure he’d think of it like that himself for the longest time, though, I suspect he has more of a ‘that man is dead’ attitude towards the Tobias part after Graves is gone)

I think what I’m trying to get at is the idea that to him, raw emotion is as hostile and unknowable and unnavigable an ‘environment’ as the deep ocean. (And the only time we see him willingly go there, physically and otherwise, is for Graves, so you know let’s jot that down first of all lol.)

- He seems to genuinely quite like and be interested in people – how they think, what moves and motivates them, their secrets and foibles. So I tend to try to keep the uh ‘detail work’ in his POV focused in that direction. Priority going like 1) people 2) people’s valuables 3) the relative availability of people’s valuables at this moment if you have clever hands and a very charming smile haha

- One of my favourite things about T.F. is that he seems, I don’t know… quite genuinely good-natured beneath it all? If you back him into a corner some sharp and dangerous things peek out (he has survived in his line of heh ‘business’ for like thirty years, and a lot of it on his own), but for the most part and when unthreatened he has a sort of mildly amused and intrigued live-and-let-live attitude to the world even as he’s conning it that I find deeply charming. Which to me ties in with:

- T.F.’s first instinctive reaction to danger (perceived or real) the majority of the time seems to be ‘Flight’. Confrontation and violence are basically his ‘when literally everything else has failed’ options. (As seen prominently in Burning Tides, where he just keeps running and running and the only time he actually starts throwing punches is when he has to because Graves is in immediate danger and they’re backed into a corner. Which feels like it means something huh lol, I often think about what could actually make T.F. angry enough that he would openly express it and that seems to be the most likely angle for it in my eyes.)

- My take on one of the fundamental differences between Graves and T.F. is that Graves has A LOT of feelings but doesn’t quite know it (or more like can’t quite conceptualize it I should say) – he has a hard time identifying or finding vocabulary for feelings that aren’t some shade of anger. Meanwhile T.F. KNOWS he has feelings, he just doesn’t like it, ardently wishes he didn’t, and will do pretty much anything to run away and not have to engage with them haha.

Another important difference: when brought out of equilibrium Graves gets angry, and T.F. gets scared. I have the feeling that beneath it all he’s scared a lot, and it’s why his persona is so oriented towards gaining control in ways where people don’t realize it enough to even think try to take that control away from him until he’s already long gone. Misdirection as a way of life babEY

- This might be too deep in the ‘my WIP/process specific’ territory to really count as general analysis, but I think it’s there in canon too – there’s almost a feeling that he implicitly feels like he has to make up for some fundamental flaw or lack he has at the core? (Not a weird thing for him to end up feeling, considering what happened to him as a kid.) All the rest of him, all the cleverness and style and charm, is there to ‘make up’ for how at the end of the day he’s… wrong somehow. As Graves, who knows him better than anyone, focuses right in on, a coward. And that is CERTAINLY not the whole truth and even Graves in a full rage relents when he sees the effect the accusation has on him and once he gets the actual facts of what happened. But I think that sense of deep unworthiness is what’s stuck with him emotionally. His people left him because there’s something fundamentally lacking and immoral about him. He lost Graves because he’s not good enough, because he’s a coward who leaves people behind. He deserves to be alone. Mix in a ton of survivor’s guilt to taste, and I think you have the like… core emotional wound he’s constructed around.

There’s also something here about fear of profound powerlessness specifically in situations where words, generally his strongest card that’s not a literal card (har har har oh we do have fun here), simply don’t work right at the moment when he needs them to the most – he tried to beg for his people not to leave him behind, he tried to convince Graves to get the hell out with the rest of the crew… and it didn’t work. (In Burning Tides you see he’s given up even trying to explain himself, he just wants Out in whatever way leaves both him and Graves tolerably in one piece, even if he won’t be understood or heard or less alone afterwards. It takes him until like half way through the entire chase to even THINK about just telling Graves the truth. In all fairness to T.F. it probably wouldn’t have worked at that moment, but it does vaguely crack me up that he didn’t even consider it until all of Bilgewater harbor was already burning merrily behind them fhsajkfa)

- He has a little bit of a (perfectly justified considering his background honestly) chip on his shoulder, especially when it comes to powerful or arrogant people. There seems to be a special satisfaction in outsmarting and robbing specifically rich assholes (which would also be the people who have the most to steal, so y’know good times all round). From his short stories and few places in his bio you almost get the feeling that he has a funny sort of Robin Hood-esque sense of lopsided justice about it. (Robin Hood-esque only so far as to define ‘the poor’ as the eternally hard-strapped ‘T.F. & Graves Waistcoats and Cigars Fund’, of course lol)

I think T.F. both has a mind that tends more towards analyzing the big picture and also has more direct experience with like… structural/systemic powerlessness and oppression. So the cons they pull are probably partly how he channels the emotions that arise out of that (and the rest he just represses, like the relatable guy he is haha)

- Graves being back would cause some IMMENSE internal conflict in him, I feel – of course all the feelings of relief and attachment and love, but also… so much of who he is now came about specifically to find a way to deal with Graves being gone, with seemingly just shutting down the entirety of his need for real human companionship or closeness for like a decade, things that are suddenly starting to be brought online again and must be tremendously stressful to deal with when you’ve had it completely suppressed and deadened for so long. He’s put so much into trying to be fundamentally unattached to anything, anywhere, anyone (and there are some things here about perpetually being an outsider his whole life that I can’t quite put into words, but that’s a dimension too.) That sort of psychological self defense mechanism doesn’t just contentedly nod its head and go away just because something good happened one time haha. Probably a work in progress there huh (at least he’s not alone in it now <3)

PLUS some bonus Graves POV observations because man. I love writing him, he’s just a marvel of a man

- I know I call him a dumbass all the time, but in a street smart way I think he’s actually quite clever haha, he just has a bad tendency to get hung up on an idea and get tunnel sight. (I’ve based this a lot on the short stories but see also more recently his Sentinel skin voice lines for good examples: he’s incredibly straightforward in that ‘well obviously if it doesn’t affect me personally I ain’t gonna give it that much thought’ way, but you also have glimpses of surprising insight/shrewdness and… I don’t quite know how to put it, but something like an ability to get to the bottom line of something without getting caught up in the details. (I suspect T.F. does find himself lost in the details quite frequently, he’s much more attached to the decorative curlicues of the world.) Graves clearly & frequently has no idea what’s going on, but he strips things down to the essentials very quick: Lucian’s story as a direct thematic mirror to Viego’s, Is There A Sun Lady – Oh, I See, all of this is weird and creepy and needs shooting, and maybe most crucial of all: Isolde doesn’t want to be with her husband anymore so what he’s doing is just like. Extra shitty. He gets what he needs to get and then just barges ahead heedlessly with that. Icon.)

- He’s actually pretty darn eloquent in a gruff sort of way and uses some quite sophisticated vocabulary! And the way this is contrasted with the tendency to slip into blunter coarser language just as readily -- like when he takes the time to describe the monster that takes down the Prince’s ship in such poetic terms as ‘gargantuan’ and ‘the behemoth’s immense, distended jaw’ and it having ‘pallid dead eyes the size of the moon’, and meanwhile during his swim at the beginning of the story we get bastard cold and bastard dark and full of bastard jellyfish and crabs – brings me such immense and unending delight

- He’s more eloquent in his internal voice than he is when speaking (especially noticeable in Destiny and Fate; he does have a tendency to fumble his words when talking lol), and he gets quite easily lost in his own meandering reflective musings in a way I find incredibly endearing. I’d almost call it whimsical at times, honestly, hilarious as that is? Like when he’s literally so absorbed in a line of thought he forgets which way they’re rowing and T.F. has to remind him. (I think T.F. generally has more of a grip of what’s going on around them than Graves does lol)

- There’s an important distinction to be made that Graves actually does, by and large, read T.F: very closely and seemingly also pretty damn accurately. He’s good at (and clearly very interested in) reading his moods, spotting what tactics he’s using interpersonally, when he’s being genuine and when he’s being dissembling.

What Graves is actually bad at is understanding his own emotions, and to not bleed those emotions into other people’s motivations and behavior, especially when he’s upset or in heightened states of feeling, like he is all the way through Burning Tides. He can only name his own feelings in a vocabulary of anger, when it’s pretty clear from the subtext that there’s a whole bunch of other stuff going on there, and he has incredible trouble divorcing those feelings from what other people’s got going on with them right then. He feels hurt, betrayed, and undone by everything that’s happened to him, so the intention to hurt, betray and undo must live in the other person who he feels caused it. In less drastic cases you see him do this a bit when he feels like T.F. is being evasive with him – taking it as a form of rejection rather than realizing T.F. is just lost in his own thoughts, sort of thing. There’s a real improvement in this one between Burning Tides and Destiny and Fate, though, so maybe he’ll have an easier time of it with some time and practice.

Sorry it took so long to get back to you on this and that it’s a bit of a rambling mess, words have been real hard recently. Or rather I have too many words, all the time, left and right, I just can’t put them into the right orders to make any sense hahaha, I hope there’s some useful point in this somewhere for you at least!

[jakegardiner]

I haven't read war and peace so take this with a grain of salt BUT I think helene being a villain is more vital to natasha's characterization than pierre's - I really love the way Natasha is written because she IS a typical ingenue type, but everything she does makes sense for her and she's so much more fleshed out than someone like Cosette or Johanna, without losing any of the "traits" that they share. The audience watches her get manipulated by Anatole & Helene, and if Helene hadn't set the example of being with Dolokhov publicly, Natasha would never have been willing to even entertain the idea of talking to Anatole; it's only when he kisses her that she begins to rationalize that her breaking faith with Andre means she MUST love Anatole, and they MUST be together - if not, her guilt would destroy her completely (as it does at the end of the show). If Helene hadn't manipulated her in The Opera & Charming, the audience probably wouldn't be willing to understand her motivations and this would make her much more unlikeable.

So first of all hello I love you. And you are absolutely right— in the context of the musical! Adding the duel for context and making the affair legit definitely allowed for Natasha (and Pierre) to be more sympathetic and likeable characters, which is needed much more in a modern musical than a philosophical tirade or whatever Tolstoy called it. I’ve actually lost track of the number of times I’ve scribbled “Natasha you dumb bitch” in the margins of my copy just she’s just like that in the book. But somewhere on this site (i think it’s buried under thousands of ducks in my likes) someone wrote a beautiful beautiful post on why the Rostovs and Kuragins (and the Bolkonskys and Pierre) are the way they are because of the way their parents showed them love and it’s just *chefs kiss*. I think it was either andryushas or officialleotolstoy I will try to find it to link here. But that’s basically where all of Natasha’s motivations come from— she expects to be loved. And with Andrei away and only her father and Sonya in Moscow with her, it makes sense that she accepts Anatole’s love. It’s just like. She’s completely naïve to even the upper class society she was born into because of her parents’ approach to raising her.

But enough about Natasha I am here for my girl Helene because Tolstoy and Dave (and Carpi) did her dirty. Musical Helene is characterized as a villain because the show was already so long without devolving into her motivations.

I really feel for Helene because she’s just chilling with some guy when her father bursts out and congratulates the two of them on their engagement, like what? Not to mention everything Helene had heard about Pierre was about how he was a bastard, he was unable to conduct himself in society, but suddenly he becomes the most eligible bachelor in Russia? Press x to doubt. 

And Pierre’s always off being depressed or doing cult stuff with the Masons, and I think it’s fair to say someone who grew up closely with her brother would need more close companionship then you could get from chatting with guests at parties. And Boris might have brought companionship and interesting conversations to the table, but it’s fairly obvious his only intent is to climb the social ladder. Dolokhov also wants some of the social capital that comes with being well acquainted with the queen of society, though it’s plain to see he only wants enough to ensure his mother and sister will be taken care of should something happen to him. And Dolokhov is a friend of Anatole’s, and Pierre clearly finds him a decent enough man to open his home to him. I certainly understand Dave’s purpose in making the affair legitimate, but it simply being a figment of Pierre’s imagination adds another layer to his character I think.

Anyways this is a hot mess but I love Helene and stan this catholic icon. /j

Also here is a link to zip file of War and Peace (1965-1967) with subtitles because Irina Skobtseva did an AMAZING performance as Helene

[thisisthepartwhereyou]

STAR WARS-SPECULATION #2: Rebel or Lost Cause? *May Contain Spoilers*

--- During the course of human history there has been many cases of overwhelming tyranny and opression. It can be as small as the dominion of a single creature, or as vast as an entire world. But as they say, even the cornered rat will bite the cat, and give birth to struggle and resistance. Under these circumstances, a rebellion rises to resist and challenge the rule of the oppressors, despite facing unlikely odds. David against Goliath, the Spartans in the battle of Thermopylae, and when speaking of the Star Wars-sequel trilogy, the Resistance and the First Order.

While one can go on to say that the conflict between the First Order and the Resistance is basically a carbon-copy of the Empire versus the Rebellion from the original trilogy, as we don't go deep enough into the history or political aspects of either group to really nail down their differences to their older counterparts. Though from what I gather, the First Order is composed of the remnants of the empire, who by the time of The Force Awakens (2015) is recognized as an extremist following, though not generally seen as a major danger in the eyes of the government (like a space-equivelent to North Korea?). The Resistance is a countergroup acting outside of the galactic government who sees the threath of the First Order and keeps an eye on their acitivties.

Either way, that is not what I am here to talk about today, as my focus will be directed at one of the most principal characters within the Resistance: Poe Dameron.

Played by the very likable Guetamalan-American actor Oscar Isaac, Poe Dameron is an ace X-wing pilot, an agent of the Resistance and the original owner of the droid BB-8. His actions in the first movie, where he stores important information within his droid, is what starts the whole chain of events for the trilogy, an act which rhymes with the actions of princess Leia in A New Hope (1977). Over the trilogy he is portrayed as a brave, cocky and hotheaded brother in arms. He is a generally well-received character, especially in regards to his bromantic (and apparently quasi-romantic) relationship with Finn, but has over the progression of the last two films been the subject for critique. Not as red-hot of a critique as some other aspects of the sequels, but enough to make you raise your eyebrowns a bit. The main critique being, is he REALLY neccesary?

Don't get me wrong, new members of the Resistance are vital for new movies, otherwise the Resistance might have looked like an old folks home. Poe Dameron should have all the ingredients neccesary to be the posterboy of the the Resistance: he is the member with the most screentime, his actions set off, he is played by a very likable actor and he is a great pilot. But the issue is, while it is all there, it is not really utilized well. The further one goes with these movies, the more one realizes that he is the least developed of the main characters. His role in TFA is minor, he acts as an agressor in a generally disliked sideplot in The Last Jedi (2017), and his part in The Rise of Skywalker (2019), while the richest in content, feels un-earned because the direction of the character is neither clear or given enough development.

So considering that his role doesn't add a whole lot in the trilogy after the first part, was Poe Dameron's continuous role in the sequel-trilogy REALLY neccesary? Objectively, I would have to say no. I mean if a character doesn't have a clear purpose, you either give him one, scale him back or kill him off, so that you can give more room for the other characters. I believe the therm is “kill your darlings.“ With that said, I can understand why one would be reluctant to kill him off to begin with; Oscar Isaacs is the most likable actor ever, something that translates into his performance, and in turn, the character. While Poe Dameron is pretty pointless, he is still hard to completely dislike. This illustrates the power of a talented actor, that he or she can someimes overwin bland or nonsensical writing.

So we have a character that is perfectly likable and who could have been a great addition to the franchise. There certainly was potencial in him, so what could have been done to make the most of it? Well, below are some of the directions I think could have been taken:  

A) Poe Dameron dying in TFA: This one feels appropriate, considering it was the original intent of the moviemakers. As stated by Oscar Isaac's in Business Insider (https://www.businessinsider.com/star-wars-poe-was-supposed-to-die-2016-3?r=US&IR=T), his character was originally supposed to die. While it would be a shame to see a likable character go so fast, it might have solved a couple of issues and added something more to the first part of the trilogy. Besides the fact that it could have added an extra layer of danger to the plot, in that any character could die at any point, it would have also put all of our eggs in the basket of a deserting stormtrooper and a random scavenger. Plus, killing him off wouldn't have made his role in TFA much smaller anyway. Poe not being in the two following movies could have also left much bigger room for the development Rey, Finn and several other characters. Also, to see how the heroism and sacrifice of a single Resistance-member would affect Finn would be really interesting, considering that Finn would have owed his freedom and life to a complete stranger (who was just recently his enemy) that would have died before he could have even had a chance to thank him. How does that make a person who is trying to flee from the battlefield, feel? I can't help but to think of a similar situation in the Green Lantern-comics (DC), where veteran member of the Green Lantern Corps, Abin-sur, crashlands on Earth and gives his power ring to Hal Jordan, a human pilot, before dying. Abin-sur's death had a considerable effect on Hal Jordan, in that besides becoming a new corps member, but became one by taking over the ring of the corp's most beloved and respected members. That is a hell of legacy to live up to, not to mention a massive responsibility. Something like THAT would have been a pretty thought-provoking storyline for Finn.

B) His carelessness has personal consequences in TLJ: In the beginning of TLJ, Poe Dameron disobeys an order to evacuate and instead engages a First Order fleet. This is a foolhardy act, as even though they take down a Stardestroyer, a lot of Resistance pilots die in the process. While it has several consequences within the movie, such as barely having any pilots left for the remainder of it, he himself do not seem overly affected by it, dismissing it as the casualties of war. But if you really think about it, should there not be some resentment aimed at him besides from his superiors, and shouldn’t he feel more guilt? I mean, Rose Tico's sister died in that battle. Wouldn't it have been more interesting Rose and others resent him for his careless actions? This could've been a more likable struggle for him, as he should have been the one to learn that war is not just about defeating the enemy, but saving the ones you love. If he had done this and in the process displayed a sense of leadership in a time of great need, maybe his transformation into a commander in TROS would have felt more organic?

C) Poe goes with Finn to Canto Bight instead of Rose Tico: This one could have worked as a continuation to B. Canto Bight isn't exactly a favorite moment in TLJ, even for the ones who like TLJ. The main criticism being that it is not that interesting of a planetary environment; basically just feeling like a casino with aliens. Another critique is that it felt like a detour that was too disconnected and did ultimately not add that much to the other parts of the movie. One way of making the movie less fragmented, as well as give Poe something better to do, could have been to give him more or less the same role as Rose Tico. Besides further developing his and Finn's friendship, it could have even been a way of putting that awkward kiss in the third act to better use, and confirm some legitimacy to the whole Finn X Poe-ship. While I am not staunch supporter of the ship, I have to admit that it would have been interesting. With that said, I don't think it would have made everyone happy. I mean lets face it, if people get upset about a black dude in a stormtrooper-uniform, one can only assume how they would have reacted to an openly gay or bi character in Star Wars. But at the same time, if people were pissed off at even the good bits in TLJ, why not go all the way and piss off every stuck up parent sitting in the theaters worldwide while you're at it? Certainly would have been ballsiest move ever, especially considering it’s a Disney-film.

D) Poe staying at Leia's side in TROS: As I have written before, the main issues with TROS is messy storytelling and a rushed pace. One of many things that adds to this is by suddenly providing Poe with a backstory while simultenously trying to give him a bigger role than before by having him travel with Rey and Finn. What if they had scaled him down a little, let him stay with Leia as they plan for the upcoming attack? Not only would it have been more powerful for him to be there with her as she passes away, but also motivate him to step into the role of a mature leader more. I realize that this is a little sensitive, as it may have required additional footage of Leia in order to work. Though to be fair, being respectful is one thing, making a good movie is another. And also, if they can remake young Leia for a flashback, why can't they just remake old Leia a bit for some extra material?

Could any of these alternatives have added something good to the movie, or subtracted from the main story? You tell me. No, seriously, tell me what you think, I would love to hear your thoughts on the matter in the comments. Do you have any ideas of your own that could have helped make Poe Dameron the most iconic pilot of the sequel era? Feel free to discuss this with me :) ---

[that-thing-that-feeling]

S3 won't address any of the problems of S2, Nancy will miraculously be over her guilt about Barb which is unrealistic and I think that Jonathan won't really do much other than follow her lead. Which is fine, I mean his story and motivation are over and Nancy is the more pro-active and stronger personality in getting what she wants. They didn't really integrate Jonathan very well with any other character (they don't know what to do with Joyce and his relationship with Will seems unexplored)

Why would it be the case that “his story and motivation are over”? Jonathan can have a story and motivation if the writers write one for him. The point is they didn’t in s2 and it remains to be seen if they will in s3. But there would be a lot of potential options to explore with him precisely because he is integrated with the other characters in an unforced way. He’s a member of the Byers family, so any plotline that happens to them, theoretically would involve him. For instance, if Jopper actually happens, I really hope they’d also show both Jonathan and Will dealing with a potential father figure, and tackle some of Jonathan’s trust issues, which would involve him actually talking to, most importantly, Joyce, and also Hopper. Jonathan is still in a caretaker role with Will in the end of s2, and so you’d imagine they’d be interacting/close/possibly still dealing with the after effects of s2 on Will, or, perhaps if we ever see the show more directly have Will discuss his sexuality, you can easily see how Jonathan would be an amazingly supportive older brother to him, as he has been the whole time. Another plausible option would be seeing Jonathan dealing with the guilt of being away the two times bad things happened to Will and how that weighs on if he’s considering leaving Hawkins to go to college, what he wants to do with his life, and also if photography can be a career for him (so the Hawkins Post stuff) etc. Because Jonathan is a caretaker to Will, it also could make sense to have him interact more with the kids, because he’s naturally been in that caretaker role for a long time, and has a history of interacting with Will’s friend group. If Jopper were to happen, there could be interesting ways to have him be perhaps a brother figure to El, as well. Also, because Jonathan is a character who has experienced abuse, there are interesting ways to parallel him/connect him with El, Max, and Billy–I mean Billy and Jonathan have reacted to abuse at the hands of their fathers in opposite ways. Those characters seem like flip sides of each other. 

So, yeah, those are some of the potential stories that could make sense for Jonathan that the writers could choose to write. There would be lots to explore with Jancy (their actual relationship since we haven’t rlly seen them talk, Hawkins Post, career/school future plans, interacting with their families and/or the kids via their siblings, and honestly just seeing what they are like in a relationship, etc.). I’d hope they can find a way to write Jancy that allows both to be fully realized individual characters with individual arcs. Neither of them should be placed in the role of quiet sidekick, and Jonathan pretty much was in s2. 

But to add on to @beef-a-ronie‘s great post; it’s just not the case in s1 that Jonathan was, or is, a passive character. He’s a character who provides and takes care of/checks in with his family and in s1 he, for instance, goes to a funeral home alone to purchase a coffin for his brother, confronts Lonnie at his home even though Hopper told him not to and continually stands up to Lonnie and tells him how awful he is; comes up with the plan to kill the demogorgon; will do pretty much anything to defend his family (from the stealing a gun from his father’s car to the fight scene to idk almost lighting his house on fire to get the demogorgon, lol). Jonathan as written in s1 is soft, introverted, sometimes shy/awk, capable, super loyal and unconditionally has the back of those he loves, and he knows himself and stands up for what he believes in, questions authority. he also makes mistakes, is stubborn, judgy, can get pretty annoyed and also angry sometimes, etc. In s1, he’s a full, layered character with flaws. i still don’t see why the writers kinda forgot about all that; but it would be really great if they could remember the character they wrote. Idk if they will, of course. 

[bbclesmis]

How giving Jean Valjean a Yorkshire accent helped Dominic West understand Les Miserables

BBC One’s new six-part series Les Miserables promises to be unlike any previous adaptation we’ve seen of the classic, epic novel. Georgia Humphreys speaks to its stars.

Chances are you’ll know the gut-wrenching story of Les Miserables. Whether you’ve seen the 2012 film, watched the musical on stage, or read the historical novel by Victor Hugo, it’s a depiction of the struggles of France’s underclass, and how far they must go to survive.

Now, six-part BBC One mini-series Les Miserables promises to delve deep into the layers of the classic story, which is set against the epic backdrop of 1845 France – a time of civil unrest.

It could barely be more timely given the ‘yellow vests’ protests that have erupted across modern-day France in recent weeks in anger at fuel tax rises and growing living costs.

Here, cast members Dominic West, Lily Collins and David Oyelowo tell us more about what to expect from the adaptation, which will air over the Christmas period.

The protagonist of the story is Jean Valjean, who is struggling to lead a normal life after serving a prison sentence for stealing bread to feed his sister’s children.

And for Sheffield-born West, star of The Wire and The Affair, the appeal of playing him is simple.

“He’s the best superhero that’s ever been written about,” says the 49-year-old Yorkshireman, who went to Eton after his father George made his fortune from manufacturing plastic vandal-resistant bus shelters.

Meanwhile, it’s a dream come true for Collins, 29 – who is the daughter of musician Phil Collins – to play orphaned, working-class Fantine, as she grew up loving musicals like Les Mis.

However, the actress, who played Snow White in the film Mirror Mirror, loves the fact that the BBC version doesn’t feature any singing.

“It’s really fun to play the part that people have played before, but in a way no one’s seen before,” say the Guilford-born star, who moved to LA as a child with her mother.

“We get to see her meet her friends, meet her lover, be wooed, and go out on dates and actually fall in love and have the child,” adds Collins.

“And then she goes on the journey that everyone mostly knows.”                         

Oyelowo, who was born in Oxford to Nigerian parents, takes on the role of Javert, a police inspector who becomes obsessed with the pursuit and punishment of convict Valjean.

And the 42-year-old admits he was pleasantly surprised when he was offered the part.

“It’s the kind of role that growing up in the UK you just accept, ‘Well, I love watching that, but that’s never going to be me’,” confides the actor, known for films such as Selma and A United Kingdom.

“I’m elated that we are in a time and a world where it’s not any sort of big move on the BBC’s part or Tom’s [Shankland, director] part or the producer’s part to approach me with a role like this.

“I’m just so glad that 12-year-olds that look like me are going to get to see images that I didn’t get to see when I was their age, and would have been formative for me.”

Much of the drama in Les Mis revolves around the cat-and-mouse relationship between the characters of Jean Valjean and Javert.

“Javert sees Jean Valjean as a mirror to himself,” explains Oyelowo.

“Javert was born in a prison, he was born to gypsy parents, he was born in and around criminality.

“And that is the thing he is pushing away from obsessively for all of his life.”

Both actors enjoyed scrutinising the text to develop their characters.

“We’ve spent a lot of time just trying to nail down what makes this feel real, because the book itself relies heavily on coincidence,” notes Oyelowo.

On exploring the motivations of their characters, West says his roots in Yorkshire helped with understanding the part.

“We had a bit of trouble at first, thinking, ‘What’s Javert’s problem? Why is he so obsessed with this dude?’

“But it all became easier when David starting doing Javert in a London accent, and I started doing Jean Valjean in a Yorkshire accent!”

Collins’ preparation, meanwhile, saw her speak to Anne Hathaway, who won an Oscar for her role as Fantine in the film.

She was told: “Good luck, and do your own thing.”

“I was heavily inspired by that movie,” she shares.

“But Tom also wanted it to be about the literature, not basing it on someone else’s work.”

She adds: “In any role I do there is a little bit of pressure to do my best because I’m my own harshest critic, let alone when you’re playing a literary character that people love.”

West says that because the book – which he calls “the best book” he’s ever read – is a lot less known than the musical, it takes the pressure off a bit.

“It’s huge, epic, magic, romantic, heroic, incredibly morally challenging and morally interesting.

“People will play this part forever because it’s a great classic part, and the reason is there’s so many ways to come at it.”

What also makes the tale timeless is its themes, such as guilt and revenge. And West also points out that there are parallels with today’s society in terms of the class struggle depicted in the show.

“Les Miserables is about the poor people and their fight against injustice and plutocrats running over them,” he says.

“It’s all pretty relevant.”

West admits he’s been “in tears all day” on set (the series was filmed in Brussels and northern France).

“I can’t stop crying,” he says. “I just love this man.

“It’s quite hard to make a good guy interesting, and really care about a good guy, but he’s just strong and courageous.”

He continues: “I’ve got loads of kids, and I’ve played a lot of villains and I don’t want to be a villain, I don’t find them interesting any more. So I love playing this hero.”

Collins agrees she’s been affected by filming the sadness in Fantine’s story.

“I obviously feel what my character’s feeling, but I also try at the end of the day to leave some of that at work.

“Even though I’m alone here in Brussels, I’m going out and spending time with people and also being able to see friends in London, and FaceTime ... I don’t have to live in a bubble.”

Filming away from home does of course poses its challenges, as Oyelowo, who now lives in LA, candidly reveals.

“I have four kids and a wife who I miss so terribly,” admits the star.

“But she and I have a two-week rule – we’re never apart for more than two weeks. So, a lot of flying back and forth. You make it work.

“But that’s partly why this is the first time I’ve done anything of this nature since I did Spooks, because it takes up so much time and I have young children. But this was one I couldn’t say no to.”

Script ‘demanded best actors’

Screenwriter Andrew Davies says the roles in Les Miserables called for the “finest available actors”.

“We were thrilled to be able to cast Dominic West as Valjean and David Oyelowo as Javert,” he told the Radio Times about his adaptation of Victor Hugo’s 19th century classic.

“That casting reflects the often ignored fact that France, like Britain, has a multicultural history going back to Napoleon’s time and beyond.”

Davies, known for acclaimed previous adaptations including Vanity Fair, Pride And Prejudice and War And Peace, added: “I have a reputation for bringing out, and (some say) even inventing the sexual element in the great classics.

“It is there in Les Miserables, too, but deeply buried.”

Watch Les Miserables on BBC One over the Christmas period. (x)

[wondereads]

Personal Review (10/31/22)

Shades of Rust and Ruin by A. G. Howard

Summary

After her twin sister, Lark, died on Halloween night, Nix has been terrified of the holiday. She finds solace in her drawings of the Mystiquiel, a magical place where faerie lore and steampunk come to life. Years later, her fears manifest as her uncle is stolen away to the land of her drawings, leaving her and her best friend to save him and escape Mystiquiel, all before the clock strikes midnight.

Plot 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10

I enjoyed this plot, but I have one major gripe with it. As someone who is a huge A. G. Howard fan, this book is shockingly similar to one of my favorites, Splintered. They're both about a teenage girl with a morbidly artistic touch who ends up in another world (alongside a childhood friend she has feelings for) because of a curse stemming from a classic piece of literature passed down through the family. Now, does that mean this story was unenjoyable? Absolutely not, I eat this up every time. Does it mean it's unoriginal? Unfortunately, yes. I can appreciate this story for the entertainment it brought me, but the similarities are a little too obvious to ignore.

On the bright side, I did love the worldbuilding. This book takes traditional faerie folklore and mashes it together with machinery and an industrial style, and it's really interesting to think about. I loved that it played off things the reader will be familiar with without rehashing the same characters again and again that would have made it a bit more dull. Also, Nix's powers of creation as an artist were very cool, and I hope to see more of how they work in the next book. This book is inspired by The Goblin Market by Christina Rosetti; the influences are clear beyond just Nix's obsession with the piece. As a side effect, other works inspired by it echo in this book, particularly the cult classic movie Labyrinth—there's even a ballroom scene. I love the callbacks to both the poem and the movie. Finally, as a forewarning, this book does end on a cliffhanger!

Characters 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10

Nix was a very interesting character. She is very apparently flawed, and the narrative preys off of that. I do wish she weren't so aware of those flaws, but seeing things like jealousy, a thirst for control, and extreme guilt in a character makes them a lot more compelling. It also opens her up to manipulation, so it's easier for the different forces in Mystiquiel to get their claws into her. However, I wish she'd been a bit more aware; she wrote some of these characters and yet she doesn't seem to notice the inconsistencies in their motivations.

Clarey is Nix's best friend, and he's also the love interest. In terms of how love interests are represented in YA, Clarey is pretty unique. He's a bit more delicate and feminine than male love interests tend to be, which is a breath of fresh air. His relationship to Nix is quite interesting considering he's also Lark's ex-boyfriend (the dead twin). It's been a while since Lark's death, but it's hard for either of them to move past it. It adds a layer of tension; neither of them want to endanger their friendship, and they also don't want to disrespect Lark's memory.

The Goblin King, who is sort of the antagonist but also kind of not, doesn't really get much attention this time around. I am hoping to see more of him in the second book, especially to see how Nix and him will interact. Finally, even though she's dead, Lark is a pretty major character through flashbacks and such. And I hate her guts. It's a good kind of hate, the kind that will make me care and root for Nix, but I just cannot find any sort of sympathy within me for her.

Writing Style 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10

This is the third book by Howard I've reviewed, and the writing is as good as ever! As always, it isn't for everyone. It's quite flowery and detailed, which some people don't enjoy, but I do! The descriptions are absolutely gorgeous, which plays into the atmosphere of the book. It's so easy to get an amazing picture of what the creatures and the world look like, and it truly feels like the story is being told through the eyes of an artist.

However, I have to bring up the pacing. It takes over 100 pages before Nix is even in the Mystiquiel, so the ending feels rushed while the beginning drags. Establishing Nix's normal life and her state of mind is important, but it just took way too long.

Overall 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10

I am so excited to get more A. G. Howard retellings! Although this book has its flaws, the writing is amazing, as usual, and I love the characters. It's a great Halloween read, and I'll most definitely be reading the second book when it comes out. This book has quite a few similarities to Howard's previous books; I found it pretty noticeable, but it doesn't directly detract from the reader's enjoyment, especially if you've never read the others. While I don't think it tops anything else by this author, it was still a fun, holiday-appropriate read!

The Author

A. G. Howard: American, 51, also wrote Stain, Splintered, and Roseblood

Check out my review of Stain here

Check out my review of Splintered here

The Reviewer

My name is Wonderose; I try to post a review every week, and I do themed recommendations every once in a while. I take suggestions! Check out my about me post for more!

[themosleyreview]

The Mosley Review: Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi

There was an idea, a concept and a possibility for something magical to happen. The hope that one day that arguably the most beloved Star Wars character would once more grace our screens during a period of his life that hasn't been explored yet. First it was conceived as a theatrical release and then it was reconstructed into a mini series. Either way, the dream of seeing Obi-Wan Kenobi's story being revisited in the time of his personal exile and mission to protect a 10 year old Luke Skywalker was on its way. We all had our theories of how it would play out or a vision of what his life would look like. We all wanted to see the psychological strain, emotional turmoil and guilt he felt after the events of Revenge of the Sith. This was the most anticipated show to ever to be announced and shaping up to possibly be the greatest dramatic Star Wars story ever to be told. For the most part we got the vary beats I described, but it came at a serious price that ultimate ripped away the emotional depth that was ripe for the plucking. Instead we received an unfocused, plot hole centric and weak story that keeps the titular character almost completely secondary to the main focus of his own series. Don't get me wrong, this series had some amazing moments of character depth, fan pleasing sequences of action and story beats, but it clearly lies to you in making you think that we were gonna get a singular story. This show was 2 different series slammed together and you feel them ripping and tearing at each other as both the titular character and the new one battle for story dominance. What a disappointing mess this was.

Ewan McGregor returns as the fan favorite Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi and he brought his A game. Ben at this point of his life is filled with pain, guilt and torment from the events of Revenge of the Sith and I loved it. Ewan nails all of those aspects of the character and brings to life that emotional turmoil and broken spirit of Ben. The Jedi Master we knew is gone and that was painful to see and throughout the series you see him struggle with that trauma, but his motivation to comeback is thrust forward and it was an epic return to form. Vivien Lyra Blair was wonderful as young Princess Leia Organa. She truly captured the adventurous, feisty, pure of heart and strong willed nature of the character and she was truly a surprise. Her chemistry with Ewan was a true highlight of the series and you feel the warmth she brings out of him. Jimmy Smits returns as her adoptive father Bail Organa and this was his best performance yet. He was so warm, caring and just down right perfection. One of my favorite scenes of the series is his interaction with Leia as seen in the image above. Joel Edgerton and Bonnie Piesse both return as Uncle Owen Lars and Aunt Beru Lars and they both get great moments to shine and deliver a new layer to each character. Kumail Nanjiani was great as Haja Estree and delivers the right amount of comedy mixed with his dramatic skills to keep the character interesting. O’Shea Jackson Jr. was great as the refugee leader Roken and I loved his determination help others. He has a character decision that was so quick and I wished it was drawn out more to add tension. Indira Varma was excellent and heartwarming as Tala. She has some fun being a spy for the people trying to escape the Empire and I loved her emotional connection to her loader droid NED-B. She adds to the emotional core of the show in such a quick expertly acted moment in the show.

Hayden Christensen returns as Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader and what a performance. He finally gets to take the character he crafted in the Prequel Trilogy and delivers a stirring and heartbreaking performance as the friend that Ben lost and the monster he became. When he is full on Vader, it was terrifying and brutal. You get to see the emotional side of Vader this time around once news of Ben being alive reaches him and that trauma, rage and pain resonates through the suit. James Earl Jones returns as the voice of the Darth Vader and he delivers yet another master class vocal performance. With the aid of Hayden's physical performance, the 2 of them complete this fresh take on the iconic villain and they deliver a version of the Sith Lord we've always wanted to see. Rupert Friend delivers an excellent performance as the live action version of The Grand Inquisitor. He was calm, sinister and creepy at times and I loved every bit of his commanding presence. Sung Kang also delivers a good performance as the live action version of Fifth Brother. He was stubborn and yet somewhat childish as he constantly bickered with another Inquisitor for Vader's prestige. Moses Ingram delivered a great performances as the Inquisitor Reva. She consistently highlights her rage, impatience and determination as she hunts for Kenobi. The actress was not the problem for me, but the way the character was written was the problem. She has a goal and she does eventually reach it, but she ends up taking away from the titular Kenobi's story by having her be the main antagonist when you already have Vader. You get to her motivation behind her story, but by the end she becomes a character whose arc ends an episode early and then she ends having yet another predictable outcome and becomes nothing but dead weight. Her whole story was strong enough to be its own mini series or actual film, but it is completely tact on this show.

The greatest maestro of all cinema, John Williams, once again graces us with another masterful composition and gives Obi-Wan Kenobi a theme. It is filled with sorrow, pain, heroism and it completely captures the soul of the character. Natalie Holt did an amazing job composing the score for the series and it was great in the first 2 episodes as she wonderfully weaves in Kenobi's theme with her own work. The rest of the score was sadly to say, forgettable, but the real magic of her work comes in the last 2 episodes of the series as she nails the raw emotional beats of the story and finally delivers the familiar Star Wars themes we know and love. Visually the show is stunning as it ranges from the rough and dry plains of Tatooine to the lush planet life of Alderaan. The one thing that bothers me the most is that the choice to use shakey cam during a lightsaber fight. Lightsaber duels tell stories themselves and don’t need the help from unstable camera work. It is most effective when it dances along with duelists in the scene. It would've been more poetic if it was only done once in the first duel and not the second. There are some serious plot holes that are either forgotten about, left up to interpretation or never explained for the ones that are uninitiated with the lore. As a whole, this was a messy, unfocused and strained series that really deserved better care and it is unfortunate that such love was put into the performances and they were soured by a broken story. Director Deborah Chow did an excellent job with what she had and I hope to see more from her in something that is not held under so much scrutiny. This show should've stayed as a film because then it would've been focused on the idea that was promised years ago. Let me know what you thought of the series or my review in comments below. Thanks for reading!

[hypeathon]

RWBY & Meaning in Cinematic Techniques, Part 2 - Volume 5′s Merits

If there was anything to take away from part one of this blog article series, it would hopefully be that RWBY has more going on with its visuals than just being prettier through an upgrade in animation software. Since volume 3, various scenes centered on various characters have used a combination of stage direction, camera framing, and even interesting use of transitioning shots to better depict the subtext behind one’s thoughts and intentions or at the very least be left open to interpretation. But so far, only examples through volume 4 of the long-running web series have been referred to. This then brings into question what about the cinematography of volume 5?

To say that the fifth volume of RWBY’s story had faced a large number of criticisms within its fanbase would be an understatement. Since even before it ended and the hiatus started, more people have poured out their frustrations and disappointments on a regular basis through Youtube videos and threads on forums and the RWBY sub-reddit. It’s gotten to the point that after lots of back-and-forth flinging of arguments regarding whether the director and writer, Kerry Shawcross and Miles Luna respectively, should be criticized harshly or not, has just utterly exhausted some fans. To be vividly clear, the goal of this blog article is not to be the end-all-be-all counter-argument that shuts down what has been uttered by critics. Nor is it meant to even imply that volume 5 is void of flaws. Rather, the intent is simply to help shift and refresh the discussion about volume 5 by centering on how its application of cinematography is one of its merits.

With that said, in what ways did volume 5 apply cinematic techniques? The answer to that actually depends on the character. To start, let’s refer to the chameleon-based faunus character, Ilia Amitola and her scenes with Blake. Ilia has a strong, yet misguided sense of justice where she believes in needing to be as aggressive as possible. In shots with her and Blake in volume 5, she positions herself at a greater height which makes sense considering she’s actually shorter than Blake. Even the volume 5 opening theme featuring their bout illustrates this. While opening themes in anime are generally known to excite viewers into a title they’re about to watch, they can also tease a story and its layers through snappy camera shots and imagery. To see how true this usually is, I highly suggest watching Geoff Thew, a.k.a, Mother’s Basement’s “What’s in an OP” video series on Youtube, who has provided thorough analysis on openings to anime like Death Note, both Fullmetal Alchemist series, Re:Zero, Spice & Wolf, Your Name, and the seasons of My Hero Academia to name a few.

Switching gears back to Blake and Ilia’s scenes in RWBY, the latter believed that fear is the only way to gain results and by standing taller than the former, Ilia’s ideals are seemingly stronger. But when Blake manages to finally pin Ilia down in their fight in chapter 10, Blake hammers as much sense into Ilia as she could and gets her to admit that she doesn’t know any other alternative. 

With all that said, there’s another trait at play between Blake and Ilia’s scenes that needs to be mentioned. To do that, we need to first talk about a department in RWBY’s production that, like camera & layout, was also established since volume 3: the lighting team. In volumes 1 & 2, every scene with some attempt at lighting and shadow was actually faked, as there were no lighting artists yet. Even the scene between Roman Torchiwck and James Ironwood in chapter 12 of volume 2 had animator, Austin Hardwicke, use a trick in Poser to fake the shadow in Torchwick’s prison cell. But by volume 3, a lighting artist named Erica Burroughs was recruited to provide the rays of sunlight the lighting of green flames from the torches in the Beacon Academy vault, among other moments of lighting effects. By volume 4, a single lighting artist evolved to a whole team with Mark Osborne credited as the lead lighting artist. This helped contribute to making scenes more enticing to look at with each passing volume. Even volume 5 introduced a rim shot lighting on characters, which depending on the setting, such an accent can add to giving RWBY a more enticing aesthetic.

Lighting doesn’t just help make the show prettier-looking though. Depending on the context, it can also help better communicate the story visually-speaking. And Blake and Ilia’s scenes are the biggest examples of this. It goes without saying that the color black is Blake’s motif. But it can also extend to how the color represents her story arc when associated with lighting or rather lack thereof. Every scene where Blake confronts against the White Fang in previous volumes have been in settings with lack of light, be it in the middle of the night or underground at Mountain Glenn. In volume 4 though, lighting as a visual story element provides an interesting twist to scenes with her parents, being either in broad daylight or in a bright, warmly-lit room. With Blake, there’s this awkwardness when communicating with her parents, as welcoming and forgiving as Ghira and Kali are. In chapter 8, she hesitantly stays stares the outside of her father’s office in the dark, only to hesitantly step in and eventually pour out her deep guilt towards her father. She wants to be more open in the light, but is far too scared to.

The motif of light and darkness can also apply in relation to Sun Wukong. In chapter 3 of volume 4, Blake refused to explain why she kept distance from everyone including her teammates at a scene at night. But in chapter 11, not only is she forced to admit her reason after Sun got injured in the daytime, but the latter in response criticizes her way of going about her problems. This is complimented by some framing between the two and the large Menagerie painting in the background. What all of this has to do with Blake and Ilia is that the former in volume 5 is framed to be associated with bright and natural lights while the latter is associated with darkness and shadows. One of the major exceptions to this is in both character’s speeches in chapters 3 & 10, providing an interesting contrast. Ilia in chapter 3 is vocally fighting in Blake’s domain in broad daylight whereas Blake in chapter 10 argues back with her own speech in Ilia’s domain at night.

Though Blake and Ilia’s scenes were greatly emphasized by certain cinematic techniques, their characters weren’t the only ones with scenes affected in that sense. Other characters throughout the volume had techniques applied to their scenes to varying degrees and Ruby Rose was one of them. It’s not a secret that the inconsistent focus of the main protagonist of this web series has fueled the fandom’s frustrations this volume. And while the following can’t alleviate it, her scene with Oscar in chapter 5 is worth mentioning. It’s minor, but when Ruby is given the time to explain her optimistic demeanor to Oscar, there’s an interesting framing with her and the interior. In certain shots, she’s seen surrounded by the entrance to the training room where the outside is nothing but forests at night. The forest setting, especially at night, is a recurring setting with Ruby’s character as made evident in both her character short and in the volume 5 opening. But it’s also a setting with meaning regarding the story of the character she’s inspired by. One interpretation of a few variations of the Little Red Riding Hood story is that the forest serves as part of the character of the same name’s transition from childhood to adulthood, partly due to the forest being unknown and potentially dangerous territory.

What Ruby expresses to Oscar about what she’s afraid of can also be a callback to Oscar expressing to Ozpin how scary it is venturing out on his own in the forest for a cause beyond his comprehension. But where he has struggled to overcome his anxiety, Ruby has a firm-enough grip of it to stay motivated on her objective. The framing between her and the open entrance with the forest in the background, while just one simple cinematic technique, is also arguably effective at helping present Ruby’s mindset. The training room scene is also a good opportunity to talk about cinematography applied to Oscar’s scenes. In volume 4, chapter 7, his scene made him treat Ozpin as an invader of his mind and livelihood. The shades of brown and red and dim lighting makes Oscar feel utterly disturbed, overwhelmed, and unwilling to accept Ozpin’s words. But their scene in chapter 5 changes that. The interior in comparison is much brighter, bigger, and even with more shades of green, which is representative of Ozpin’s color motif. As a result, he no longer feels mentally tense by Ozpin’s presence and even trusts him for a little insight.

There’s also another small scene with Oscar in chapter 11 of volume 5, where he faces Leonardo Lionheart. Although brief, there’s an instance where as he steps up, the camera is framing him at a low angle, indicating that he’s more resolute. The motivation itself could be due to either slowly accepting his role in the story or to follow Ruby’s example. Speaking of Oscar and Lionheart’s face-off, now is where the latter’s scenes can be visually deciphered. The Haven academy headmaster has certain scenes that support the Cowardly Lion theme that he alludes to. In earlier-mentioned scene, Lionheart expresses his intentions after realizing that Ozpin had already been reincarnated. Note the long, overhead shot followed by a closer overhead shot of Lionheart looking up. The camera is utilized the same, exact way as with Tyrian’s Callows’s shots in volume 4 of chapter 7 . This is not necessarily coincidental when you consider who both of them refer to: Salem. Despite not much yet being known about her, the camera communicates how both Tyrian and Lionheart see Salem, albeit for nuanced reasons. To them, Salem is omnipotent and even omnipresent, and her will and desires are absolute, which leads to them expressing how they share the need to please her.

Next is the matter of Yang and Weiss’s scene in chapter 8. What makes this scene fascinating is how it combines two other scenes in past volumes. The first is Blake and Yang’s scene in chapter 6 of volume 2 and the other is Team RWBY’s dorm room scene in chapter 8 of volume 3. One applies a similar daylight lighting while the other frames the beds and initially, the two characters the same way. This helps indicate the shifting of roles with Yang and Weiss’s characters. Yang goes from being the one needing to get through to Blake by explaining a piece of her backstory to being the one who needs to be emotionally connected through by Weiss about Blake through her own backstory. Meanwhile, Weiss went from being negatively knee-jerk reactive to Blake’s hesitantly believing Yang in the dorm room scene to be more comforting and concerning in response to Yang’s prior overreaction. 

The last character to highlight who has been associated with her own set of cinematic techniques in volume 5 is Raven Branwen, specifically in scenes she shares with Yang. In their scenes, a few techniques come to mind. The first is of shots where Raven faces the camera when she talks about Qrow, Ozpin, and Salem in chapters four, six, & fourteen. She puts on a very serious expression to the viewer, but doesn’t face her own daughter in these instances. By itself, these shots may not mean much. But if they were to be complimented by another technique, the medium shots of Raven and Yang facing each other in two of the same chapters, then there’s more depth behind her character.

In chapter 6, Raven faces Yang eye-to-eye and then stoically turns her back towards her. But in chapter 14, Raven submissively let’s Yang walk past her while being shoved aside. Between these shots and the previous sets mentioned, this suggests that Raven has been too unwilling to admit her fears to herself and to her daughter. In turn, Yang expresses the willingness to confront her mother’s arguments and be strong the way she could not. But there’s also a layer of frustration underneath with Yang. While the phrase, “mother of the year” is appropriate to sarcastically describe Raven, bear in mind that she’s a character whose mystery has lingered in Yang’s mind since she was a child. She had very vague ideas of why her blood mother would leave her family. As much as she hardly respects someone like that, she can’t help but want to better comprehend such a character. When Raven does finally accept that she’s too scared to face the Salem’s overwhelming presence, she let’s Yang shove past her and weeps a tear, apologizing over how flawed she has been before continuing to do so as she flees.

Viewers may respond with, “good riddance”, but the above shot depicts a different response. When Yang turns around after hearing her Mom flee, all she sees is a feather drifting down. With the opened door to Spring Maiden vault framed to be behind her the way it is, it shows that Yang is immediately feeling isolated. The anger and frustration she harbored has been converted to depression. Yang by this point now knows everything she needs to know about her mom. Raven admits she’s a coward, but she’s also too much of one to properly stay by her daughter’s side, which makes Yang feel isolated and thus saddened that this is the reality.

All in all, volume 5 has managed to carry on the matter of using cinematic techniques in various ways as volume 4 did. As said before, none of these examples are expected to sway an entire fandom’s response to RWBY’s most current volume as of the time this blog article is posted. But hopefully after reading all of this, some credit can be given where it’s due of how one aspect of the show’s production and presentation has been given more thought and attention over time. Here is also hoping that said-aspect will be maintained in future volumes.